BEST CLEANERS of MADISON
Eco-friendly Processes The Process GreenEarth Used in the Seacoast |
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If you’re like most people, you probably think that dry cleaning is dry cleaning. That there’s not much to separate one dry cleaner from the next except their location, and who could blame you? That’s pretty much been the case… until now! Now there’s GreenEarth Cleaning and for the first time you and your wardrobe have a real choice. Green Earth is as different as different can be; different in the way it’s made, different in what it does for clothes, different in how it protects the environment. Dry Cleaning The Inside Story!
Dry cleaning isn't dry; it merely uses a solvent instead of water to clean. The term “Dry” Cleaning refers to any cleaning without water (which is called “wet” cleaning).
The History of Dry Cleaning
Like many inventions, dry cleaning came about by accident. In 1855, Jean Baptiste Jolly, a French dye-works owner, noticed that his table cloth became cleaner after his maid accidentally overturned a kerosene lamp on it. Operating through his dye-works company, Jolly offered a new service and called it "dry cleaning."
Early dry cleaners used solvents like gasoline and kerosene to clean clothes and fabrics. At the turn of the century there was another solvent called Stoddard Solvent (which is very similar to DF-2000, the solvent used in “organic” dry cleaners. It was very similar to the previous solvents which made working with them very dangerous; many dry cleaning businesses went up in flames – literally.
Since World War II ended, the volatile synthetic solvents carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene gave way to a product known as perchloroethylene (perc), which became the overwhelming solvent choice for the industry.
The Future of Dry Cleaning
If you’re like most people, you probably think that dry cleaning is dry cleaning; that there’s not much to separate one dry cleaner from the next except their location. Who could blame you? That’s pretty much been the case… until now!
Now there’s GreenEarth Cleaning and for the first time you and your wardrobe have a real choice. Green Earth is as different as different can be; different in the way it’s made, different in what it does for clothes, different in how it protects the environment.
We have Chosen the GreenEarth Cleaning Solution for several reasons. Test results show it cleans as well as perc (which is the a major issue with the Carbon Dioxide Cleaning System), and it’s made from chemically inert silicone so there’s no nasty chemical issues (which is a major drawback with both conventional dry cleaning solution and the “organic” dry cleaning solution DF-2000. The colors are coming out brighter, there is no chemical smell and the clothes don’t “crunch!”
What GreenEarth allows us to clean
Other dry cleaning chemicals don’t allow the cleaning of garments with leather or fur trim. Other things turned away were wedding dresses or other garments that had beads, sequins or other accessories permanently secured to them. This is because the chemical “solvent” breaks down the finishes and the can harm leathers and furs.
The GreenEarth Cleaning solution allows us to clean beaded dresses, leather trimmed shirts as well as a lot of other things you may have turned away at other cleaners.
Dry Clean Only Garments
Garments and fabric that are marked “dry clean only” are very sensitive to water and the fabric can be ruined by immersing it in water.
If an article is damaged by cleaning it using the cleaning methods specified on the label the manufacturer is at fault and should replace it, whether it was a garment that required dry cleaning or allowed wet cleaning. If you have any questions about a specific garment please contact us for more information.
Conventional Dry Cleaning The fluid used by more than 85 percent of U.S. drycleaners is truly nasty stuff called perchloroethylene, or perc, classified as a possible human cancer-causing chemical by the Environmental Protection Agency. Perc and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have related industrial uses. They are used to clean metal parts during manufacturing and as solvents for synthesizing chemicals and polymers Studies have linked prolonged perc exposure to liver and kidney damage and cancer. Short-term contact can cause dizziness, headaches, nausea, and irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. Studies have also been linked it to bladder, esophageal and other cancers. A person bringing home a load of freshly cleaned clothes isn't exposed to much perc, as long as the clothes have been properly aired, though, according to Greenpeace, 70 percent of the fluid winds up in the air or ground water. Concern is greater, however, for workers in dry cleaners or factories and even for those who live in urban areas close to dry cleaners. Perc is a clear, colorless liquid that has a sharp, sweet odor and evaporates quickly. The "harsh smells" from the dry cleaning process with Perc are a byproduct of the perchloroethylene. The following is an excerpt from an EPA report (the link to the full report follows): Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene) 127-18-4
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