Do you know what “dry cleaning” is? It is a method of washing clothes that is used when you want to wash your important clothes.
In fact, AGC products are also used in dry cleaning. Let's take a look at how dry cleaning makes clothes clean.
Question1What is “dry cleaning”?
Dry cleaning is said to have been invented in the mid-19th century by a French dye-worker named Jean Jolly. He accidentally discovered that spilled lamp oil removed stains from a tablecloth, leading to the development of this cleaning method.
The word “dry” means “without water”, and unlike washing at home, it uses organic solvents and detergents.
Washing clothes with water can cause changes in the texture of the clothes, deformation, and color loss, resulting in deterioration. For this reason, when washing special clothes such as suits and coats, dry cleaning is used with organic solvents to prevent deterioration. Dry cleaning also has the advantage of being able to remove oil stains that cannot be removed with water.
Question2What is an organic solvent?
Organic solvents are a type of oil.
Common examples include ’petroleum”, which is used as a raw material for plastics, “kerosene”, which is used in stoves, and “gasoline”, which is used as fuel for cars.
Organic solvents have the property of dissolving other oils, and they are effective at removing oil stains.
Dry cleaning, which uses organic solvents, cannot be done with the washing machines in your home. For this reason, it is done at specialist dry cleaning stores.
Question3What kinds of dry cleaning are there?
There are several types and characteristics of clothing cleaning methods.
Dry cleaning: organic solvent + detergent
- Pros
-
- prevents creasing, shrinking and color loss
- removes oily stains such as sebum and foundation
- Cons
-
- difficult to remove water-soluble stains such as sweat and food stains
Suits, coats, etc. that are labeled “not machine washable
Wet cleaning: water + detergent
- Pros
-
- Water-soluble stains that cannot be removed by dry cleaning can be removed
- Cons
-
- The shape of the clothes is easily distorted, and the fabric shrinks easily
- Advanced techniques are required, and the finishing work such as ironing is difficult, so the cleaning fee is high
Coats and jackets made of wool, silk blouses, etc. that need to be washed with water to remove water-soluble stains
Laundry cleaning: commercial washing machine + hot water + detergent
- Pros
-
- Less likely to damage clothes than home washing machines
- Powerful at removing water-soluble stains, high sterilizing effect
- Cons
-
- Weak against oil-soluble stains such as sebum and machine oil
Shirts and sheets that are durable against water
Among these, AGC's perchloroethylene“ASAHI PERCHLOR” is used as an organic solvent in ‘dry cleaning’.
Question4What are the benefits of using the organic solvent perchloroethylene?
There are three main types of solvent used in dry cleaning: petroleum-based solvents, perchloroethylene, and fruorinated solvents. Perchloroethylene has the following features.
Although petroleum-based solvents are the mainstream in Japan at present, in Europe and the United States, and other countries, nonflammable perchloroethylene, which can be washed off in a short time and has excellent cleaning power, is the mainstream.
AGC's perchloroethylene “ASAHI PERCHLOR” is also nonflammable, has no risk of explosion, and is highly stable.
It is used for a wide range of applications, including dry cleaning, metal cleaning, and machine cleaning.
Have you discovered the unexpected relationship between dry cleaning and AGC?
AGC will continue to bring you clean, now and in the future!
