Garment Wet Cleaning, Utopia Cleaners, 1996.
File Name: WetCleaning.pdfFile Size: 120.82 kB
Note: This file can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader
File Synopsis:
Perchloroethylene, or PCE,
is the cleaning agent used by over 80% of U.S. dry cleaners. More than 30,000
dry cleaning machines nationwide used 270 million pounds of PCE in 1991, two
thirds of which was lost to the atmosphere. Though emission control
technologies have helped to reduce the volume of PCE that is lost, large
amounts of PCE are still used by the dry cleaning industry. In recent years
studies have identified ecological and human health hazards associated with PCE
usage, prompting users and
consumers to seek alternative processes. One garment cleaning alternative that
has emerged uses water and biodegradable detergents to remove soils. Utopia
Cleaners of Arlington, Massachusetts has purchased a DaeWoo wet cleaning
machine which replaced its PCE dry cleaning machine, making Utopia a PCE-free
garment cleaning facility.