National Clothesline

s I have pointed out in my past articles, I think perc is a miracle solvent. It’s fast, safe and inexpensive, regardless of all the new restrictions that are continually placed on its use. However, we do have another popular second choice, and that is hydrocarbon.

The problem still is that someone may claim it is carcinogenic or flammable, or linked to

asthma, or whatever some agency feels is news worthy! Perc has been accused of being carcinogenic, but even though that’s never been proven the myths go on and the truth remains elusive, while we are left fighting for the right to keep using it.

Hydrocarbon has been around for a long time. We have known it as petroleum, Vanolene, Naptha or “140 Flash.” All are derivatives and they all work to some degree.

The problem of the early petroleum solvents was their flammability. That problem is one reason perc got started. First there was carbon tetrachloride, which was a fire retardant, and had a terrible human effect on all users. It caused nausea, plus it also evaporated quickly.

Then perc was born and it was great! The equipment was poor, but since those days, we have improved from 5,000 pounds of cleaning with 50 gallons to a sensational 60,000 pounds and higher today, all with some high quality cleaning power. As part of the growing pains, we eliminated those smelly dryers and direct handling of perc-laden garments through dry-to-dry units with improvements in performance and economy. Custom made safety standards yielded more economy and safety, all automatically.

So the question today is “what do we know about Hydrocarbon and why should it be considered?

Yes, it’s my second choice, and the only reason I would give up on perc is that not enough drycleaners will stand up and be counted! Also no agency that will make declarative statements that perc is safe in its present day use with the safeguards in force so that there are no violations.

Yet with all these safeguards no one will stand up and shout, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Hydrocarbons works, some better than others. The cleaning cycle is twice as long as perc if we stick to the rule of “10 changes of solvent” to a wash cycle. Hydrocarbon needs twice that for a thorough cleaning job, simply because it is not as volatile. Some detergent manufacturers will dispute that, and some are better performers than others, but all agree it is not as good a degreaser and soil remover as perc.

Hydrocarbon can be unforgiving. Like all solvents, it needs constant preventive maintenance, but with hydrocarbon, failure to maintain can have dire consequences. It becomes odoriferous if you don’t maintain your unit properly, especially your water separator. Continuous maintenance has never been a strong point with many drycleaners.

There’s no forgiveness if your solvent smells of vomit, and the clothes pick up this rancid odor. It seems the earlier units had a gasoline smell but that has long since been corrected.

What practices must you observe to run a clean and profitable drycleaning operation? To start, you must rinse out the water separator once a week or more. That’s not so bad, but maybe once a month you must do the entire base tank! And it’s not done automatically.

Distillation is another chore that’s not done automatically with these vacuum stills. It’s tedious and requires attention. Basically, if you have poor solvent you have poor cleaning, something no plant could afford.

It’s smart to wash a load of rags before you wash the tank, change all the solvents, wash and launder the rags, all before you use them again for the next thorough cleansing of the unit.

Cost? Most hydrocarbon will need to be twice the size as a size perc unit to maintain the same volume and production. It comes down to a choice of units that guarantee the elimination of some of these chores with the promise of better performance.

No manufacturer can predict the course and the future of the political climate, bringing some new restriction that will effect the buyer of new equipment in the future. My choice would be to strongly consider Columbia/Ilsa on the drycleaning end and, to go further, I would look to wetcleaning and the progress of research chemists in developing newer and more serviceable products. When you put them together, we have hope and promise for the future.

I go back to my father’s advice… “If you’re not sure what you are buying, then be certain you know who your buying from!”

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; the popular “Route to Success To the Home of Office” for complete route training. The pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery with all postage paid is promised. Send requests and payment to to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.