POD 8/28/2016

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SOLVENTS:
Perchloroethylene: Or PCE is the most common solvent and has been in use since the 1940s. PCE is becoming less popular due to its ground contamination problems and potential health effects.

Hydrocarbon solvents: This is less aggressive than PCE and require a longer cleaning cycle. Although combustible, they do not present a high risk of fire or explosion when used properly. Hydrocarbon also contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to smog.

Dibutoxymethane: (trade name SolvonK4) Is a bipolar solvent that removes both water and oil based stains. SolvonK4 is considered to be one of the best replacement solvents for PCE as cleaning performance is very similar.

Liquid silicone: (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane or D5) is gentler on garments than PCE and does not cause color loss. It is licensed by GreenEarth Cleaning. Though more environmentally friendly, it�s more expensive and degrades within days in the environment to silicon dioxide, water and CO2. Produces nontoxic, nonhazardous waste.

Brominated solvents n-Propyl bromide: (Fabrisolv, DrySolv). It cleans faster, but it can damage some synthetic beads and sequins if not used correctly. Health-wise, there are reported risks associated with nPB such as numbness of nerves.

Supercritical CO2: Machinery is expensive - up to $90,000 more than a perc machine, making affordability difficult for small businesses. CO2-cleaned clothing does not off-gas volatile compounds, so environmental impact is very low.

Glycol ethers: (dipropylene glycol tertiary-butyl ether) (Rynex, Solvair, Caled GenX and Impress) is proposed an environmentally friendly competitor with PCE with processing advantaged. Lower cycle times, with reduced detergent provides better cleaning than longstanding leader PCE.

Modified Alcohol: is an environmentally friendly alternative for PCE and HCS with processing advantages. Better cleaning than PCE, less greying than with HCS, easier to dry than HCS, low odor.

PREVIOUS SOLVENTS:
Carbon tetrachloride � Highly toxic.
Trichloroethane � Overly aggressive and harsh.
Stoddard solvent � Very flammable and explosive, 100 �F/38 �C flash point.
CFC-113 � Freon � Ozone destroying CFC.

This post was last edited 08/29/2016 at 10:33


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Post# 896009 8/28/2016 at 06:28 (2,792 days old) by brucelucenta ()
Checkrate/Likes That is a thing of the past for quite some time now. The cleaning solvent those used is considered to be very toxic and dangerous now, so machines like that are no more. Back then dry-cleaning solvent was either what those machines used or petroleum solvent, which was highly flammable and could NEVER have been used in a place such as a laundromat.

Post# 896015 , Reply# 1 8/28/2016 at 07:33 (2,792 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes 3 I think the solvent was known as PERC for perchloroethylene. One thing it was not was flammable, but it was a class 2 carcinogen. It was highly volatile so it was used not only as the cleaning solvent, but also as the refrigerant in the drying cycle of the dry cleaners to condense the fumes out of the garments as they dried. The drying temperature was extremely low, around 70F, which is why most places that had these machines also had a steam cabinet to heat finish the items with steam to relax wrinkles. The instructions said that to minimize wrinkles, you should bring garments in neatly folded or on hangers, not wadded up in a bundle. I remember that the Frigidaire setup had a strong ventilating fan in the white egg crate ceiling with fluorescent lighting in the little cubicle that operated when the machines were in use because the garments had to be transferred from the "washer", which used the black Bakelite Pulsator of the early 50s Pulsamatic machines, to the dryer to the left of the washer. The washer had a rear-opening lid and a key lock. The tub, while like a regular Frigidaire washer, was not solid, but had a section, maybe 4 inches wide between two of the vertical vanes that was perforated to allow the solvent to flow in and out. One of the interesting things about PERC was that if it was not sufficiently captured and returned to the system, it would escape into the air during the venting in the last few minutes of the dry cycle in the dry cleaner when the closed drying system was opened and fresh air was drawn through the dryer. If enough escaped and was not vented high enough into the air through tall flues, it could be drawn back into the building if enough gas dryers were in operation to cause a slight negative air pressure. If the PERC fumes passed through the gas flames some sort of chemical was formed that ate holes in the fabrics in the dryer. I don't remember if it was just synthetics or all fabrics, but there were some problems. I am sure that Mrs. Harvey, who ran our PDQ (Personalized Dry Cleaning Quick) center and who also smoked, had her life shortened by the exposure to the carcinogens. The DuPont motto of "Better Living Through Chemistry" left out the second clause, "often proves fatal." CLICK HERE TO GO TO Tomturbomatic's LINK

Post# 896023 , Reply# 2 8/28/2016 at 10:07 (2,791 days old) by vacerator (Macomb, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes *Yes, and still* all dangerous products are not eliminated from some forms of cleaning. A pet grooming establishment here has voluntarily closed after many years because one of their clients dogs died from chemical burns and poisoning from chemicals stored in a back room where it was waiting to be picked up by the owner. It died while still there, and was foaming at the mouth. An otherwise healthy 7 year old cocker spaniel/poodle mix.

Post# 896094 , Reply# 3 8/28/2016 at 20:19 (2,791 days old) by cornutt (Huntsville, AL USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The Norge self-service dry cleaning machines definitely got hotter than that during the dry cycle. The door glass got hot enough to almost burn you if you touched it. I recall that distinctly. As mentioned, safety-wise, perc was a big improvement over gasoline. My understanding was that the acute toxicity of perc was low (as long as you didn't swallow it). Where the problems happened was with prolonged exposure over a period of years. Customers didn't get enough exposure to matter, but long-term employees of dry cleaning establishments did.

Post# 896119 , Reply# 4 8/29/2016 at 04:09 (2,791 days old) by brucelucenta ()
Checkrate/Likes I did not mention very much about the solvent used or the manner in which it all worked and operated. The solvent was indeed "Perc" or perchloroethylene. It was not however used as any type of refrigerant in the system. There were also indeed refrigerant solvents that could be used to clean clothing, but that is a totally different system entirely. After the clothes are cleaned in "perc", they went through a "reclaiming"or drying period. With the Frigidaire units, the damp with perc clothes had to be transferred from the washer to the dryer, or reclaimer to dry. This unit actually condensed the fumes from the clothing when they heated up to about 160 degrees or so and with a refrigeration unit of sorts turned the fumes back into perc and "reclaimed" most of the solvent for re use in the machine. It didn't really dry with very low temperatures. The other solvent that someone might be thinking of was actually refrigerant that Dupont made to use as cleaning solvent. The trade name of that was "Valclean" solvent. That was somewhat popular in the 70's and quickly phased out because of the high cost of the solvent and the damage it did to the ozone layer, if it was released into the air. That solvent had an extremely low drying temp and reclaiming temp. There are no machines around to my knowledge that use this solvent anymore at all. In fact the refrigeration systems do not even use this as refrigerant anymore as everything has changed since then. If a place used perc to clean with, they had to take care not to let perc fumes and gas burners come in contact with each other. Perc fumes and gas burners make a highly corrosive combination. Not only would it cause the fabric in a dryer to be eaten away as they dried, the burner itself would be corroded over a period of time too and the metal corroded and eaten away too. I have seen gas fired boilers from cleaning plants that were corroded and eaten away bit by bit when they were exposed to excess perc fumes. Perc is considered to be toxic now and is very carefully monitored by the government at any place that uses it. I myself was up to my elbows in it practically daily and so far it doesn't seem to have affected me so far. I have made it to 60 without any problems.

Post# 896133 , Reply# 5 8/29/2016 at 08:19 (2,791 days old) by A440 ()
Checkrate/Likes What do dry-cleaners use now? I have seen many of the older laundromats that had the Speed Queen Dry Clean machines. They usually had two together. I have NEVER seen one in operation. Even when I was a kid. I never understood why they did not pull the machines out. I would have liked to have seen one in operation.

Post# 896145 , Reply# 6 8/29/2016 at 10:07 (2,790 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)
Checkrate/Likes 1 CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SOLVENTS: Perchloroethylene: Or PCE is the most common solvent and has been in use since the 1940s. PCE is becoming less popular due to its ground contamination problems and potential health effects. Hydrocarbon solvents: This is less aggressive than PCE and require a longer cleaning cycle. Although combustible, they do not present a high risk of fire or explosion when used properly. Hydrocarbon also contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to smog. Dibutoxymethane: (trade name SolvonK4) Is a bipolar solvent that removes both water and oil based stains. SolvonK4 is considered to be one of the best replacement solvents for PCE as cleaning performance is very similar. Liquid silicone: (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane or D5) is gentler on garments than PCE and does not cause color loss. It is licensed by GreenEarth Cleaning. Though more environmentally friendly, it�s more expensive and degrades within days in the environment to silicon dioxide, water and CO2. Produces nontoxic, nonhazardous waste. Brominated solvents n-Propyl bromide: (Fabrisolv, DrySolv). It cleans faster, but it can damage some synthetic beads and sequins if not used correctly. Health-wise, there are reported risks associated with nPB such as numbness of nerves. Supercritical CO2: Machinery is expensive - up to $90,000 more than a perc machine, making affordability difficult for small businesses. CO2-cleaned clothing does not off-gas volatile compounds, so environmental impact is very low. Glycol ethers: (dipropylene glycol tertiary-butyl ether) (Rynex, Solvair, Caled GenX and Impress) is proposed an environmentally friendly competitor with PCE with processing advantaged. Lower cycle times, with reduced detergent provides better cleaning than longstanding leader PCE. Modified Alcohol: is an environmentally friendly alternative for PCE and HCS with processing advantages. Better cleaning than PCE, less greying than with HCS, easier to dry than HCS, low odor. PREVIOUS SOLVENTS: Carbon tetrachloride � Highly toxic. Trichloroethane � Overly aggressive and harsh. Stoddard solvent � Very flammable and explosive, 100 �F/38 �C flash point. CFC-113 � Freon � Ozone destroying CFC. This post was last edited 08/29/2016 at 10:33

Post# 896147 , Reply# 7 8/29/2016 at 10:12 (2,790 days old) by A440 ()
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Whoa!* Thanks Kevin! So many Chemical choices.....

Post# 896160 , Reply# 8 8/29/2016 at 12:01 (2,790 days old) by brucelucenta ()
Checkrate/Likes The old Frigidaire units that were used back in the day became totally obsolete, since they were transfer units and not dry to dry units. The government made it illegal to have ANY transfer units that used "perc".