Perc has a future in the industry
Perc is here to stay. And why not? It has
proven to be the most effective and highest rated by KBL
(cleaning power) solvent.
It has the most economical and shortest
cycle time, is odorless on the clothes, or in the atmosphere
plus the work place when used in “fifth
generation” machines that do not release the load until
the last trace of perc has been removed — along with
three of four tanks, drying of lint, automatic
distillation, filtration, soap/sizing injection, all with
computer card control.
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Oh yes, we’ve still got the EPA, but
in over 20 years they still haven’t proven it’s
carcinogenic. The latest California edict proposes
cleaners should have until the year 2018 before banning its
use.
The American Council of Science and Health
(ACSH) recently said that perc “is not hazardous to
humans at typical levels of use.”
The continuing strides made up to and
including the “fifth generation” units now in place
leads me to believe we have little to worry about.
Up to this point, the fear was, “Why
buy something that could be outlawed?” The research
chemists still have some miracle fibers to go, but I’m
certain they will be compatible with perc now on the market,
such as leather, rayon, polyester and combinations thereof, all
serviceable with perc and water and the combination.
Health problems?
For the record I have yet to meet an
individual drycleaner who has succumbed to the handling of
perchloroethylene. Cancer deaths have of course occurred, but
those unfortunate individuals were also heavy smokers or
heavy drinkers, with abuse for many a year. The exposure
to perc was never the cause of an operator’s demise.
What about “retroactive
liability?” I’m afraid we’ll have to contend
with that for years to come, similar to below-ground storage
tanks that hold petroleum solvent, including gasoline, etc.
All we can do is dig them up, replace the
soil and hope the contamination has not spread too far.
It’s costly, but it’s the only way to close the
door on retroactive liability.
I often think back to the widow who, five
years after her husband passed away and the plant sold, was
held responsible and liable for the plant he willed her.
Imagine retroactive from the grave!
In some cases the ground on occasion can
be treated chemically to make it inert and harmless to drinking
water.
Again the new fifth-generation units
release a minuscule amount of perc from the water separators,
which can be treated instantly and evaporated safely.
I still remember the work uniform rental
business of some 30 years ago. Here we had the combination of
ground-in soil, grease, graphite, carbon with metal particles,
all doused with bacteria and perspiration. Perhaps the worst
cleaning scenario ever conceived.
Yet using perc with a heavy dose of
water/detergent in a dry-to-dry unit took it out and came it
out like-new. The garments were literally laundered and
drycleaned in the same wheel and the same cycle together.
Amazingly, the first bath at low level,
with gallons of water and this short mud bath was then dropped
direct to the still, and the second bath went through a normal
cycle. These units had three and four tanks and could even
inject sizing in the final rinse and all in a 35- to 40-minute
wash/dry cycle.
Most of these garments were in the 65/35
cotton-polyester range and were production finished by a steam
tunnel.
I once called on a plant with two 80-lb.
units, facing each other. The operator was kept busy with a
large bushel basket and loaded or unloaded the units, as each
cycle ended. Here is an example of the toughest work load for
perc imaginable, and we also know that it can handle the most
delicate of fragiles with its gentle cycles: Wedding gowns,
chiffon, sequins, you name it!
Bacteria-free!
The advantage of perc is the fact that all
the drycleaning can be done with the benefit of offering a
bacteria or germicidal cycle. This fact is proven by our
background of moth-proofing where no larvae/vermin or mildew
could survive.
If it could, the high temperature of
drying could kill any remaining bacteria and the additional use
of steam pressing would guarantee that last assurance.
We can also inject flame-proofing, sizing
and waterproofing in the final rinsing, all automatically, and
the option is there if we choose the advantage.
Isn’t it time our industry advise
the public of these additional services? Wouldn’t the
drycleaning public be pleased to know that their garments are
not only restored as new, but now bacteria free and germicidal
cleaned?
We have the means to do so, promoting on
our garment bags which exceed some 36 million a year!
We can also use garment hang-tags on each
out-going order and place advertising on our vehicle.
It’s time we had a positive image, which we can promote
nationally for pennies.
What about alternatives?
There are some great strides with new
solvents and systems that are now available. Some are expensive
initially, but with more acceptance, I’m sure the prices
will come down. However I still favor perc because economically
I can clean 60,000 pounds with a 50 gallon drum!
The EPA could have outlawed perc but chose
not to because we have passed all the barriers that they have
put before us and we are still conforming and improving.
Where do we stand now in 2002? We have
water and wetcleaning and the means of excellent production
method of finishing.
We also have the research chemist offering
miracle fabrics that can be safely wetcleaned or quickly
drycleaned by perc in complete adherence to laws and conformity
to present facilities.
Wetcleaning may handle up to 80 percent of
the garments, but even if it can’t reach that level of
practicality, we have the modern perc unit to guarantee our
full level of professionalism.
We have passed the point of fear of buying
a new perc unit or upgrading a present unit if we do a portion
of our production by taking advantage of the modern methods of
wetcleaning, we will achieve the best of both worlds —
drycleaning and wetcleaning.
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric
care industry, has revised and made available three timely
pamphlets: “Up Front Is Where It Counts” for
counter training; “Pressed for Perfection” for
finishing techniques; and the popular “Route to
Success” for complete route training. The pamphlets are
$20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery with all
postage paid is promised for requests sent to R. Colucci, 410
Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.
