Holiday Stain Removal Tips

Posted on December 28, 2011 by admin

Holiday Stain Removal TipsMaybe you’re rocking out to “Jingle Bell Rock”, or perhaps you’re playing a rousing game of Hanukah Dreidel, but whatever the circumstances, holidays and holiday gatherings are a prime time for stains.  This holiday season, remember: seltzer and salt are out, gentle blotting and cold water are in.  Savvy hosts and hostesses can be prepared for those little holiday surprises with our stain removal tips:

  • Carefully remove any excess stain by blotting with a clean dry towel or napkin.
  • Using only cold water on a clean towel or napkin, tap the stain while holding a clean dry towel or napkin on the reverse side to collect the stain.
  • Do not wipe or scrub the stain. This will make matters worse by forcing the stain into the fibers and the weave of the fabric, and make the stain larger. You may also abrade the fabric.
  • Allow the fabric to air dry.

Your best remedy for stains is to get your item to a certified dry cleaner as soon as possible, especially if the care label says “Dry Clean Only.”  Be sure to explain what type of stain it is and what you’ve done to try to remove it yourself (blotting, soaking, cold water, etc.). A certified dry cleaner has been trained to successfully break down all stains without causing damage to the fibers, fabric and dyes.

If your fabric can be laundered, here are some safe ways to attempt stain removal on your own using detergent and water.  Inspect each stain before transferring from the washer to the dryer, as heat will set the stain and make it nearly impossible to remove.  If these techniques fail to get rid of the stain, air dry your fabric, then take it to a certified dry cleaner as soon as possible following the recommendations above.

  • Protein Stains (egg nog, ice cream, milk puddings, pies):  Soak item in cold water to soften and loosen the stain (hot water will cook the stain into the fiber).  Launder with regular detergent and warm water.
  • Tannin Stains (beer, wine, juices, cola, soft drinks, coffee, tea): DO NOT treat with bar soap, which will set the tannin stain.  Launder with detergent and all-fabric bleach in warm/hot water.
  • Oil Stains (bacon fat, butter, mayonnaise, salad dressing):  Immediately rub the area with liquid detergent, and wash in hot water with detergent.  Oil stains that set more than a day in nylon, polyester, or their blends, will be harder to remove.
  • Dye Stains (felt tip pen, Koolaid, mustard): Wash with detergent and color-safe bleach (if stain is on colored fabric) in hot water.  Liquid chlorine bleach diluted in water is more effective for whites.

For combination stains, like ball point pen, chocolate, lipstick, pine resin, turkey or other gravy, you can use all the above techniques in combination.  Here’s how to treat combination stains:

  1. Treat the oily portion of the stains first.
  2. Bleach as for dye stains.
  3. Treat the protein portion of the stain.

Beware of home remedies and “spray and stick” stain removal techniques and products.  These products can’t cover every combination of fabric and stain, and can cause stains to set.  And, with new fibers and fabric blends constantly being introduced to the fashion market, the old seltzer and salt trick of the past could actually set a stain beyond the removal capability of even the most skilled dry cleaner.

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What Really Happens to Your Clothes at the Dry Cleaners?

Posted on October 21, 2011 by admin
The Basic Steps of the Dry Cleaning Process

Dry Cleaners Everywhere Follow a Basic Set of Steps to Get Your Clothes Through The Dry Cleaning Process

You pull up at the dry cleaners’, dump a pile of clothes on the counter, take your ticket and leave.  The next day, you return, hand over your ticket, watch the big conveyor slither around until your clothes appear, take your now clean garments, pay the client service representative, and leave.  That’s it.  Or, is it?  What really happens when you leave your clothes at the counter?  How does dry cleaning really work?

Dry cleaners of all types follow basic steps to get your clothes through the dry cleaning process.  Here’s what happens from the moment your clothes hit the counter:

  1. Detailing:  the first thing that will happen when you drop your clothes is that the dry cleaner will record a full description of the garment for easy identification, and to help in matching the garment to the client.
  2. Inspection:  as each garment comes across the counter, the dry cleaner will closely inspect it to identify stains, broken buttons, loose hems, seams, etc. for special attention.
  3. Tagging:  next, the dry cleaner will attach a numbered tag that will remain on the garment through the whole process.  Today, cleaners can attach a permanent bar code that tracks garment and client details throughout the system, from the front counter all the way through to the cleaning floor and back.
  4. Stain Pretreatment:  many times, the dry cleaner will identify stains with a special colored tag at the site of the stain.  They’ll then apply a chemical or chemicals that make it easier to remove the stain during the cleaning process.
  5. Dry Cleaning:  Items are placed in fresh, water-free solvent (thus the name “dry” cleaning) inside a large drum machine that looks similar to a home washing/drying machine and gently agitated, which causes non-soluble soils to loosen and soluble stains to dissolve.  Sometimes a dry cleaning surfactant is added.  During the process, the solvent is constantly filtered. After completing the process, the used solvent is drained, distilled and recycled, and garments are rinsed in fresh solvent to remove traces of dirt and oil.
  6. Post Spotting:  At home, most “wet” stains (like soup) come out in the wash, while greasy stains don’t.   Dry cleaning is the opposite, the solvent removes most greasy stains and leaves wet stains behind.  Post spotting employs professional equipment and chemical preparations using steam, water, air, and vacuum to remove wet stains that remain after the dry cleaning process.
  7. Finishing:  Because you see many of these machines behind the counter when you visit your dry cleaners, finishing is probably the least mysterious part of the whole dry cleaning process.  The final phase of dry-cleaning operations includes finishing, pressing, steaming, and ironing.
  8. Repairs and alterations:  a high-quality dry cleaner, by default, assumes the responsibility of making your garments look and feel better than they did when you dropped them off.  They act like a spa for your clothes.  So, minor repairs like button and pants cuffs are done for free while more complicated repairs like removing and replacing buttons incur charges.
  9. Final Inspection: After the processing has been completed, the garments are inspected to see if everything that should have been done was indeed completed.  For affiliates of America’s Best Cleaners, this final inspection is a key area of focus during our annual inspection as well as our monthly and quarterly monitoring of affiliates through mystery shopping.
  10. Packaging: After the items have been inspected, they are packaged to transport home in a protected state. The amount and type of packaging depends on the garment and the dry cleaner.

So, there you go.  The next time you drop your clothes off at your local cleaners, you know just what will happen before you see them again.

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The Actual Methods of Cleaning Garments

Posted on October 19, 2011 by admin

To many people who drop their clothes at a dry cleaner, the process is a black box. They have no idea what happens to their garments and how they actually are cleaned.

Once the clothes are dropped off, invoiced, tagged and inspected, they go into the cleaning department. They are separated by:
• Color and/or fabric
• Fragile or embellished garments
• Best cleaning method
o Some clothes are better cleaned in water with special detergents and surfactants, known as ‘wet cleaning’.
o Some clothes are better cleaned in the traditional ‘dry cleaning’ method
• Pre-spotting – some garments are better pre-spotted than post-spotted, so they are treated prior to the general cleaning method

SystemK4 Dry Cleaning machine

Dry Cleaning

Once separated, the to-be ‘dry cleaned’ garments are processed in a dry cleaning machine, by category, that uses a liquid, absent of water, therefore the designation ‘dry’. Today, the dry cleaning methods used to clean the garments can be very environmentally friendly. One recent development introducing a particular process, SystemK4, has revolutionized the industry. Not only is it totally safe for you, your garments and the environment, it is as efficacious as any process to date, at cleaning clothes and doing it very gently …within the long history of dry cleaning. Other methods many times are either one or the other – green or effective, but not both.

Once the clothes have been cleaned they are re-inspected for spots and stains that may not have been removed in the cleaning process. These particular garments go to the post-spotting area for further treatment.

Stain spotting cabinet

Wet Cleaning

Wet cleaning sounds strange to some – why not call it washing. Why, because washing is for clothes that were meant to be washed – mostly cottons, synthetics, and other strong fibers. Wet cleaning is a term for clothes meant to be dry cleaned but determined better serviced by the proper combination of water, detergents and a specially designed wet cleaning machine. What is different about the water? It is simply the amount of water used – very scientifically determined. The detergents are specific to this process – which is very different than a typical washing machine. The machines themselves, have a lot more gentle cycle, sometimes turning the wash wheel less than a quarter turn – basically rocking the clothes back and forth, very gently. Something high-speed washing machines can’t accomplish. The drying cycle ends when the residual humidity in the machine reaches the desired humidity pre-set, as determined by the garments in that particular cycle …all cycles not being equal.

Wet cleaning variable speed washer and humidity controlled dryer

It takes a very skilled individual with lots of knowledge and experience to separate and select the proper method to clean clothes effectively, using the right tools and chemicals.

America’s Best Cleaners, in its annual site inspection for each affiliate, inspects machinery for machine performance, quality control and efficacy of cleaning.

You may wish to visit an ABC affiliate near you for more information and a live tour.

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To Dryclean or Not to Dryclean?

Posted on October 17, 2011 by admin

We at America’s Best Cleaners receive numerous request every month asking this question or better yet how often should I dry clean my suits (mens and women’s). Many blogs and website tend to recommend not to dry clean or no more then once a year. That is honestly not practical so the real answer is it depends on how and where you are wearing your suits.
If you live in a city where there is a lot of particulates and insoluble matter (Dirt, grime, smog, dust) you will need to clean more often. If you live in a climate that you tend to perspire in you will need to clean your suits more often. If you are wearing your suit for

a special occasion and for only a few hours you will not need to clean your suit that often. If you travel extensively and you are constantly breaking the form of your suit jacket you should at least get it finished (pressed) more often. On the average every three to four wears is suitable. If you spill on your suit clean it right away. If you are in a very hot climate and you sweat a lot you may consider a more frequent 2-3 wears.

Lets be clear about a couple of things that have been previously posted by other bloggers and websites.

First off good and properly maintained dry-cleaning fluid even Perc does not harm your suit. The care label on the garment more than likely says dry-clean only for a reason. The dry solvents used do not have an adverse effect on delicate fibers like wool and silk likewater does or even worse your own perspiration. Textile testing by many research institutes like the Hohenstein Institue or CINET have proven over and over that proper dry-cleaning will in fact extend the life of your garment. Soils, body salts, colognes, perfumes, hair products, insoluble soil, rain, food and beverage stains are what will diminish the life of your suit before proper dry-cleaning. If you leave these items on a suit for an extended period of time they will damage the dyes, tensile strength, finish and hand of a garment.

Next:
Drycleaning fluid typically only damages old or poorly made fused garments. When fused garments began to replace full or partially canvassed suits the initial fusible materials where inferior to todays materials and where being set at temperatures of 120-130 degrees F. Modern fusible for suits are now set well above 180 degrees F and for shirting material over 300 degrees F. The current technology for fusible has been designed to last longer and be

applicable on a wide range of fabrics and safely cleaned in all current dry cleaning systems. Just like anything else you get what you pay for. Cheap suits use cheap and inferior components and fabrics.

Heat can be a factor in causing some damage to suits but all of the modern dry-cleaning machines are computer controlled and allow for specific control of temperature into and out of the basket allowing for the garments to never rise above 140-160 degrees F. You may think that that is is hot but it in actuality is not. Most laundry dryers start to dry at 140 degrees F and up from there. The solvents today do not react like water and do not cause the delicate fibers to swell which induces more friction at the fiber surface which then cause an adverse pilling, shrinking or chaffing effect. The correct dry-cleaning system will have detergents and texturizers added in the wash that assist in cleaning as well as protecting the fibers from the adverse damage that is always perceived to happen in the dry-cleaning process.

We could get extremely technical as many people equate drycleaning to something just a little different then home washing it is not. There is a huge global industry of chemical, mechanical engineers as well as some very sophisticated research facilities and universities that specialize in textile care process’s.

If you want a dry cleaner that takes care of their solvent and understands all of the details of garment design, manufacturing and cares about you and your wardrobe.

Seek a certified drycleaner out at www.americasbestcleaners.com

 

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What is Couture Dry Cleaning?

Posted on September 1, 2011 by admin
America's Best Cleaners Sets the Standard for Couture Dry Cleaning

America's Best Cleaners Sets the Standard for Couture Dry Cleaning

All dry cleaners are the same, right?  After all, when you’re dropping off your items at the front counter, the process is the same.  Or, is it?  What really sets a couture dry cleaner apart from the average cleaner?  What goes on behind the desk that commands the status and prices afforded these experts?

Time:  At a couture cleaner, every piece is inspected thoroughly to identify stains, missing buttons, split seams and the like.  If there’s a question, couture cleaners will test fabrics and trimmings to ensure they will survive the cleaning process.  They remove embellishments or dismantle garments, then reattach and reassemble after cleaning to return them to their original glory. In other words, couture cleaners take the time to familiarize themselves with the garment and the client so that they can offer the best service for that particular piece.

Knowledge:  Couture cleaners know their designers.  They know that in a single garment, Versace often uses a mix of fabrics and materials that have different cleaning requirements.  They know that your Chanel blouse cost you a pretty penny.  These experts often have professional relationships with retailers, or the designers themselves, which gives them a unique resource in identifying the best way to clean your piece.

Quality:  Did you know an average dry cleaner may reuse solvent many times before disposal?  Couture cleaners either use a recycling system that cleans the solvent before uses or use only virgin solvents for each cleaning to give optimal results.  Couture cleaners invest in higher quality packaging in the form of biodegradable bags, breathable sweater bags, and acid free papers, among others, to ensure that your garment is stored as ideally as possible until the next time you wear it.  Couture cleaners finish garments with hand pressing and blocking, performing the same intense inspection at the end of the cleaning process as they do at the beginning.

Certification:  Couture cleaners are confident of the quality they provide, and they secure the professional certifications that communicate that confidence to their clients.  Cleaners like the affiliates of America’s Best Cleaners take part in inspections, trainings and secret shopper reports on a regular basis to ensure that their client service and cleaning quality is always excellent.

Every dry cleaner is not the same.  Couture dry cleaners offer a higher quality service, for a higher quality result.

 

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What separates a quality dry cleaner from ordinary dry cleaners?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by admin

Garment pre-inspectionThough there are many aspects of dry cleaning that separate levels of quality, one of the most important aspects is the INSPECTION process. Many customers drop off their clothes or have them picked up by a dry cleaning route, without special instructions to the dry cleaner. If you want to be sure your concerns are met regarding your valuable wardrobe, pointing out those concerns to the cleaner helps immensely.

Now the question! Do all dry cleaners INSPECT GARMENTS properly? Unfortunately , NO …but all quality dry cleaners INSPECT customers garments properly upon receiving them and before returning them to the customer. Why?

Dry cleaners can’t rely on all their customers communicating with them all the time, so a thorough INSPECTION process is typically incorporated into all high quality cleaners’ operations. During the tagging (identification) of each and every garment a thorough INSPECTION is conducted to determine if there is anything that needs special attention to make the garment ‘as good as new’ for the return customer. Clothes are not only sorted at the start of the dry cleaning process, they are INSPECTED and tagged with any instructions that may have been communicated from the customer to the staff, whether they be standing ‘preferences’ or specific to this particular trip to the cleaners.

So what does the INSPECTOR look for? On each and every garment, they look for, but are not limited to the following:
• Pockets – anything in them? – especially harmful items, like pens, chocolate candy, etc.
• Zippers – does the zipper work?
• Creases – does this garment have or need creases to be pressed in or not upon return? Some creases fall out in the cleaning process
• Stains and if possible, the type of stain
o Ink
o Ketchup
o Coffee
o Mustard
o Blood
o Etc.
• Minor alterations
o Cuffs
o Hems
o Seams
o Buttons
o Loose threads
o Loose weaves – the last thing you want is a thread or a weave to unravel
• Embellishments and how they are attached
o Sequins
o Rhinestones
o Leather patches
o Snakeskin
o Metallic threads
• Important items to remove
o Fragile buttons
• Such as Mother of pearl buttons
• Glued buttons
o Some embellishments – see above
o Fur collars and cuffs

I think you get the point.

The process reoccurs when the cleaning and pressing processing is complete – to make sure any maintenance point was addressed properly from the initial inspection when the garments were dropped off. Then your garments are ready for packaging and pickup.

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Dry cleaners garment tracking

Posted on August 11, 2011 by admin

How do dry cleaners know whose clothes belong to who?

With all the garments received by dry cleaners, did you ever wonder how they track your garments through their facility without losing them? Well there are a few ways.

The older methods, though still completely reliable, use a pre-printed paper tag. These tags are split into a master tag, which stays with the invoice and corresponding numbered tags that are attached to each garment; placed in a spot that is easily seen but secure, such as a clothing label. These tags are old fashioned because they don’t provide any information other than basically who the garments belong to and that is only after they’ve been processed and re-united.

There are other older methods, but we won’t bother to discuss them now.

The good news — there have been some major advances in tagging garments in the past decade or so. When developing these tags, some of the criteria desired for creating these newer methods were:

  • Identify the customer and pair that customer with their garments
  • Permanent placement of the tag on the garment – it not only maintains the history of the garment but it saves the labor and expense to re-attach a tag every time the garment is cleaned.
  • Inconspicuous placement – size of the tag
  • Low cost for tag – this doesn’t mean low quality – it translates into savings
  • No line of sight scanning
  • Tracking garment through the plant
  • And most importantly, to provide as much information as desired — the intelligence incorporated into each label — such as:
    • Always knowing the customer through processing and any particular garment preferences — such as: starch, no starch, sizing, pressing preferences, special handling notes, care for embellishments and fragile buttons, ready time of garments for processors to note, and any additional requests, repairs, etc. In short, if it can be typed into the computer, it can be viewed on a computer screen during processing and inspection. These preferences can become a permanent ‘note’ to be considered each time the garment is cleaned.

The most common ‘intelligent’ tags are:

  1. Bar-coded Heat Seal Labels (HSL)
  2. Paper tags that are printed at the point of sale that can also be bar-coded.
  3. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID ) chip

Though there are other methods available, these three methods fulfill the above criteria best. Though two of the methods need line of sight scanning and the RFID doesn’t, the problems with the RFID chip are, a) the expense of the chip and the antennas needed to track it and b) the fact that it currently can’t be permanently attached. That leaves the Heat Seal Label as probably the most desirable current method of tagging. Some of the newer HSLs are no more than 1/4” in size and are placed inconspicuously on a label, an inside pocket or something similar.

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Summer Stain Tip: Ketchup

Posted on August 10, 2011 by admin

They ever messy Ketchup Stain. A possible disaster at every picnic and backyard barbecue across America. Never fear as the cardinal rule of all stain removal is time is of the essence. The longer you wait the more the stain will set. Before we get too involved lets learn just a little about stains. Ketchup falls into the stain category commonly known in the biz as the tannin stain. In short these are stain that come from plant matter and include wine stains, juice stains, grass stains, berry stains…..you get the point. If it comes from a plant, in general it is a tannin stain. I say this as you will soon realize as you see more stain tips that many of the basic tricks are similar for many stains. Remember these are the quick and easy how too’s for the immediate accident and further skills by a trained stain removal specialist may be needed.

Be sure to test all fabrics in a corner or hidden seam first. If you are not 100% confident contact your nearest America’s Best Cleaners affiliate for further assistance.

 Tools:

  • Get a several clean napkins or paper towels.
  • Neural soap (White Ivory Soap works If thats not available lemon dish soap will work too)
  • white vinegar
  • clean smooth surface (kitchen counter or laundry counter.

Procedure:

  1. If its a real bad stain use a plastic knife or spoon to scrape off the excess ketchup.
  2. Dab with dry towel as much of the ketchup off of the fabric without spreading or embedding the stain into the fabric.
  3. Once the excess is removed use a small amount of neutral soap mixed with water and work into the stain.
  4. Dab with a dry towel again.
  5. Add some more of the neutral soap and work it into the stain.
  6. Add a couple of drops of white vinegar to the stain and then dab the stain rotating the towel in tight circular motions until it is clean after dabbing.
  7. Repeat this step as necessary then rinse with cold water and wash as prescibed on the care label (more about these later).
  8. If you take this to your dry cleaner be sure to inform them that you took these steps. Lets us know how that works for you and stay tuned for next weeks stain tip.
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Care Labels and You

Posted on August 10, 2011 by admin

Care Labels and You.

We at America’s Best Cleaners get several requests a week from consumers seeking assistance on what is the proper care of a garment. The first question we always ask is what does the Care Label say? The common response is it either says Dryclean Only or has a bunch of symbols that the person sending the request has no idea what they mean.  Well friends you’re not alone. Did you know that worldwide there are actually two sets of Care Labeling standards?

 In the United States the Federal Trade Commission introduced the Care Labeling Rule in 1972 and then there is the International Standards Organization (ISO) also known as Ginetex recognized everywhere except North America. Currently the FTC uses standards created with ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) with intent of having universal symbols for all products manufactured and sold in the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) Countries but they are at odds with ISO/Ginetex and Canada does not mandate labeling and Mexico is still slow to adopt the FTC standards.    We could go into the politics but I will save you the time.  Both of these organizations have made modifications to their standards for testing and the symbols used over the years but they still have not come together to make one set of universally accepted symbols.

For definition of the FTC (ASTM) Care Labels click this link:

http://www.textileaffairs.com/docs/common-050608.pdf

So here are some interesting things for you to know. Care Labels were created to protect you the consumer. Requiring care labels helps you during the buying decisions based upon the care method required. Some people prefer the convenience of dry cleaning, others the economy of machine washing. At the same time, care labels assured that consumers know how to safely clean their clothes so that they retain their appearance and performance over time. In theory if you follow the care label properly and have a garment failure it may be covered under a “Written Warranty” or an “Implied Warranty” and you should be able to return the item without incident to the store you purchased it from.

To learn more about warranties written and implied click this link: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro17.shtm

 

Now let’s discuss the accuracy of the labels. By Law the Care Labels must be accurate and properly protect the garment for its intended purpose. Unfortunately that is not always the case.  Many manufacturers use generic labeling for all garments they produce in a given line.    Sometimes these garments are licensed out to other importers who then may embellish the garment further without changing the labels. For examples a particular type of dress may be sold under several different designer labels and one of those labels may choose to add beads or sequins to differentiate their garment over the others. By doing so they have altered the makeup of that garment and by law should retest and re-label that garment. Most of the time that does not happen so a dress originally labeled dry-clean only may fail in dry-cleaning. Who is at fault? It’s not the consumer and it’s not the drycleaner it is truly a manufacturer issue. (See link to warranties above)

 

The next issue becomes enforcement of a mislabeled garment.  When we work with manufacturers they are surprised to hear that better drycleaners typically don’t pay much attention to Care Labels as they have been professionally trained to recognize and test internally for potential problem garments. Better yet by being in America’s Best Cleaners these drycleaners share their experiences internally and avoid having any conflict with consumers or apparel retailers by following the industries best business practices and constantly working to develop their technical knowledge base in conjunction with the major garment makers. We have always found that working with the manufacturers instead of taking an adversarial position has always been the best method for our mutual clientele, You. If the door is simply closed in our face then we will begin an FTC complaint but only after all other attempts to work with a manufacturer have been exhausted.

To learn exactly what the FTC instructs manufacturers on Care labeling go to this link:  http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus50-clothes-captioning-complying-care-labeling-rule

To file a complaints about a mislabeled garment go to this link:

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Currently the FTC is set to review the current labeling rules and regulations and is requesting public comments until September 6th 2011. Have your voice heard by clicking this link and providing your comments and suggestions: https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/carelabelinganpr/

 

Just so we are clear, currently there are two sets of symbols that have some overlapping meaning and a ton of confusion for manufacturers, drycleaner, launderers and you the consumer. It is always best that you follow the care label to the best of your ability at home to protect yourself. If you are in doubt about the care of a garment feel free to contact any one of the certified affiliates of America’s Best Cleaners or by emailing your request to info@americasbestcleaners.com  Feel confident that no matter how challenging you may think your specific garment needs may be one of America’s Best Cleaners can certainly assist.

 

 

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A Quick History of Dry Cleaning

Posted on August 1, 2011 by admin
Roman Dry Cleaners

Romans were the first dry cleaners.

First of all, dry cleaning isn’t really “dry”.  There are lots of liquids involved.  But, dry cleaning solvents are waterless, and that’s where we get the term “dry” cleaning.  The solvents used have ranged from the questionable to the dangerous.  Luckily for us, dry cleaners today are starting to use healthy, green solvents that are kind to humans and the environment.

The Roman fullers were the first dry cleaners.  They used “waterless” solvents like human and animal urine and fuller’s earth to clean their togas in their fullonicae (dry cleaning shops). 

Petroleum-based solvents like camphene, benzene, kerosene and gasoline became popular cleaners in the early 1800’s, and while these solvents made great cleaners, they were also highly combustible, making dry cleaning a hazardous professional. 

In the mid-1900’s, chlorinated solvents like perchloroethylene  (perc) became popular because of their superior cleaning properties and their non-flammable nature (meaning it wouldn’t suddenly explode in the cleaning room).   Perc’s cleaning abilities made it the industry standard for nearly half a century, though it was eventually found to be harmful to the environment and potentially harmful to humans (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/tet-ethy.html).

And, that’s where things stood until the 1990’s, when more environmentally-friendly techniques like wet cleaning and CO2 became more popular, although their cleaning abilities left something to be desired.  These green technologies have improved over time, and today there are truly green cleaning systems like the 100% environmentally-friendly SYSTEMSK4, by Kreussler Chemical, which cleans better than traditional solvents and other green solvents on the market.

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