Professional wetcleaning is an important and increasingly popular service offered by clothes cleaners for the solvent-free car

The Facts on Professional Wetcleaning

Wetcleaning's Effect on Clothes

Professional wetcleaning is an important and increasingly popular service offered by clothes cleaners for the solvent-free care of garments.

Professional wetcleaners have specialized equipment, skills and training to safely clean in water those garments previously cleaned in chemical solvents.

Professional wetcleaning requires a range of techniques and technologies such as computer-controlled washers and dryers, the use of special soaps and conditions, and knowledge of fabrics and fibers.

The benefits of wetcleaning include: no chemical smell, whiter whites, easier to remove water-based stains and some items come out cleaner.

The concerns about wetcleaning, on the other hand, are that it can shrink some garments, can cause color change and is more difficult to remove grease-based stains.

Environmental Effects of Wetcleaning

The environmental benefits are considerable. With wetcleaning, there is no hazardous chemical use, no air pollution, and no water or soil contamination. The only environmental concern is an increased use of water.

Cost of Wetcleaning

With wetcleaning, a larger portion of the cost of clothes cleaning goes to pay employees, rather than for producing chemicals and disposing of hazardous waste. Wetcleaners, however, may charge more for some items to cover the increased labor in pressing and finishing.

Types of Clothes to Wetclean

Appropriate types of clothes to wetclean include cottons, wools, silks, leathers, suedes, wedding gowns, and beaded and sequined garments.

Some acetate linings and highly structured (tailored) garments can be difficult to wetclean.

Antique satins and gabardines should not be wetcleaned.

Availability of Wetcleaning

Although all clothes cleaners have the capacity to wetclean some garments, professional wetcleaning involves special equipment, knowledge and skill.

Wetcleaning today has become broadly accepted in the fabricare industry and increasingly popular with consumers. Around the country, a wealth of resources on wetcleaning is being tapped. There is a steady, sizeable growth in wetcleaning shops.

Research and Key Findings

During the 1990s, the Center for Neighborhood Technology's fabricare research demonstrated the viability and cost effectiveness of technologies that reduce or eliminate the need for using hazardous materials. CNT widely and aggressively publicized all research results, thus offering cleaners, customers and communities information to help them make informed decisions about professional clothes cleaning.

Year	The Greener Cleaner 1995-1996	Survey 1996-1997	Three Case Studies 1998-1999	Wastewater Report 1999-2000
Location	Chicago	Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo	North Andover, MA, Milwaukee, WI , Minneapolis, MN	Chicago
Purpose	Demonstrate wetcleaning in a real setting using proper equipment, detergents and training of staff.	Offer a snapshot of attitudes and issues of cleaners from select city in the Great Lakes Region.	Look at wetcleaning implementation in 3 different shop settings to see if it works outside of demonstration models.	Provide a comparative environmental analysis of the wetcleaning products from 9 manufacturers.
Description	This in-depth study of a 100% wetcleaning start-up shop includes garment tests, customer satisfaction surveys, financial reports, environmental assessments, and 2 shorter case studies of other wetcleaners.	Telephone surveys of 256 cleaners are conducted in 1996 and repeated in 1997. Survey questions cover general operating factors, as well as attitudes toward environmental issues and wetcleaning in particular.	Three shops, which used wetcleaning technology for over one year, are profiled. Two are mixed-use shops; the other is a 100% wetcleaner. The study includes garment profiles, financial breakdowns and customer surveys.	Provide a comparative environmental analysis of the wetcleaning products from 9 manufacturers.
Key Findings	Most garments that now are drycleaned can be safely wetcleaned. A strong customer demand for alternative garment cleaning methods exists. At the time of The Greener Cleaner final report, changes in size are the most significant problem in wetcleaning. Changes in color are not a significant problem in wetcleaning. A small percentage of garments are difficult to clean well in a cost-effective manner. Wastewater from wetcleaning products used at The Greener Cleaner is not hazardous. Wetcleaning is environmentally safer than traditional drycleaning for employees, for customers and for communities.	A comparison of the 2 surveys finds an increase in wetcleaning and a shift toward recognition of wetcleaning as part of the profession. These shifts do not correspond to a large increase in the number of cleaners who plan to wetclean. Many cleaners want to know more about wetcleaning. The purchase of new equipment decreases between the 2 surveys, suggesting either a business downturn or a wait-and-see stance by cleaners. (Why not wait to see if the new technologies work and are affordable before spending lots of money for more perc equipment that may be outdated?)	Wetcleaning is viable in both mixed use and 100% settings. 25-30% of garments in any shop do not have a "Dry Clean Only" label and should be wetcleaned if possible. The most effective way to increase the percentage of wetcleaning is to learn how to process wools and silks that have "Dry Clean Only" labels. The attitudes of the owner and staff are critical to successful wetcleaning. Training and education help shops do more wetcleaning. In generally, the financial profile of a wetcleaner is essentially the same as the profile of a drycleaner.	The wetcleaning process is not a significant concern to wastewater treatment officials. The products tested do not contain chemical levels that exceed regulatory guidelines.

Major Reports on Fabricare Technology

Final Report for the Green Clean Project
Environmentcanada, Toronto, 1995

Alternative Clothes Cleaning Demonstration Shop, Final Report
[on The Greener Cleaner]
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, 1996

Pollution Prevention in the Garment Care Industry: Assessing the Viability of Professional Wetcleaning
Occidental College/UCLA, Los Angeles, 1997

Training Curriculum for Alternative Clothes Cleaning
Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute, Lowell, Mass., 1997

Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment for Professional Fabricare Processes
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington DC, 1998

Switching to Pollution Prevention: A Performance and Financial Evaluation of Cypress Plaza Cleaners and Issues Associated with Converting from Dry Cleaning to Wet Cleaning.
Occidental College/UCLA, Los Angeles, 1999

Wetcleaning Demonstration and Deployment Project at Reehorst Cleaners
CAMP, Inc., Cleveland, 1999

Wetcleaning Equipment Reports
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, from 1995 to 1999

Real World Wetcleaning: A Study of Three Established Wetcleaning Shops
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, 2000

Pollution Prevention Products for Illinois Dry Cleaners: Testing and Recommendations of Chemicals for Wetcleaning
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, 2000

Resources for Cleaners and Consumers

Professional Wetcleaning Network
an association of cleaners with wetcleaning skills
address PO Box 1 · Lyons, IL 60534
phone (708) 447-0879

International Fabricare Institute
a trade association for cleaners
address 12251 Tech Road · Silver Spring, MD 20904
phone (301) 622-1900
web site www.ifi.org

Environmental Protection Agency
Design for the Environment Garment & Textile Care Program
a non-regulatory governmental agency that provides technical assistance to cleaners and consumers
address 401 M Street, SW (7409) · Washington, DC 20460
phone (202) 260-1023
web site www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/garment/garment.html

Pollution Prevention Education & Research Center
a fabricare research project for cleaners and consumers
address Occidental College/UCLA · 1600 Campus Road · Los Angeles, CA 90041
phone (323) 259-1420
web site www.uepi.oxy.edu/garmentcare

Ecology Action
a public interest advocate for cleaners and consumers
address P.O. Box 1188 · 125 Waters Street #A2 · Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1188
phone (831) 426-5925
web site www.ecoact.org

CAMP, Inc. / Organochlorine Project
a research and technical assistance organization
address 4600 Prospect Avenue · Cleveland, OH 44103
phone (216) 432-5300
web site www.camp.org

Korean Youth and Community Center
a community development center that educates the community about the drycleaning industry
address 680 South Wilton Place · Los Angeles, CA 90005
phone (213) 365-7400
web site www.kyccla.org

Neighborhood Cleaners Association - International
a trade association for cleaners
address 252 West 29th Street · New York, NY 10001
phone (212) 967-3002
web site www.nca-i.com

NOTE: The above lists are accurate as of December 2000.