What
is dry clean? It is a very common question for us. On numerous occasions we ask
or we may think about it. Dry clean is a cleaning process for clothing and
textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. It is used to clean fabrics
that degrade in water, and delicate fabrics that cannot withstand the rough and
tumble of a washing machine and clothes dryer. Despite its name, dry cleaning
is not a "dry" process; clothes are soaked in a liquid solvent.
Chemicals Use in Dry Cleaning
Process
In
Dry cleaning process a variety of solvents to clean fabric. Early solvents
included gasoline, kerosene, benzene, turpentine and petroleum, which were very
flammable and dangerous. The 1930s saw the development of synthetic,
nonflammable solvents — such as perchloroethylene (also known as perc or PCE)
and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (also known as GreenEarth) — which are still
used today. Detergents are either added into the solvent before dry cleaning
begins or added into the process at specific times.
Dry cleaning process
Dry
cleaning machines consist of four parts
Holding
tank
Pump
Filters
Cylinder
During
dry cleaning, the pump pulls solvent from the tank and sends it through the
filters to remove any impurities. The filtered solvent then enters the cylinder,
where it interacts with the fabrics and removes any soil. The solvent then
travels back into the holding tank so it can begin the process again.
After
the items complete the cleaning cycle, the machine goes through an extraction
cycle, which removes excess solvent. During this process, the rotation rate of
the cylinder increases, much like the final spin cycle on a home washing
machine.
After
the extraction cycle completes and the cylinder stops moving, the clothes are
either dried within the same machine (if it is a closed system) or transferred
into a separate drier. The excess solvent is collected, filtered and
transferred back into the holding tank.
History of Dry Cleaning
