What is Dry Cleaning?

The term Dry-Cleaning comes from the fact that the cleaning is performed without using water. The process is similar to washing in a washing machine except that the fluid used is not water and therefore does not have the same effect on garments as water. The fluid in Dry-Cleaning is usually referred to as solvent. The most popular solvent in use in the US is Perchloroethylene which has a nickname “Perc”.

Perc has come under a lot of scrutiny in the last several years because of its labeling as a probable possible carcinogen. French Cleaners recognized the negative effect of Perc in 1999 and changed to an organic petroleum based solvent called “Hydrocarbon Solvent”. Hydrocarbon solvent is a healthy choice for our workers and customers. It has good cleaning capabilities and unlike Perc it can break down over time and go back to nature. The choice of solvent is only one factor to consider.

Since Dry-Cleaning is performed in a solvent, it cannot be dumped down the drain the way you do with washing in water. The solvent must be re-used. We use the most modern Dry-Cleaning machines made by Satec to make sure our customer’s garments are as clean as they can possibly be, all the time. Most Dry-Cleaning plants filter their solvent to try to remove the soil from dirty clothes. The filtering only removes some of the soil. The remaining soil can then be re-deposited on someone else’s clothes during the next wash and so on. This is not acceptable at French Cleaners. We go through a more expensive process of distilling the solvent after every load. Distilling boils the solvent, the pure solvent is turned into a vapor leaving the soil behind. Solvent vapor is then cooled and turned back into a liquid where it is clear and clean.

Just go into any dry-cleaning store and ask to see their solvent through the site glass on their machines. 99% of the time the solvent will be tan or brown. Is that what you want your clothes cleaned in? No way, I don’t think so.

Dry-Cleaning with pure hydrocarbon solvent in our Satec machine means our customers’ clothes are totally clean, safe, soft and damage free. We are so proud of our solvent maintenance and quality that we have it certified through testing monthly at the Hohenstein Institute in Germany one of the leading textile labs in the world.