The UCLA
Sustainable Technology Program sponsored an information and demonstration
workshop for the non toxic Professional Wet Clean system on March 11, 2012 in
San Jose CA at Branham Lane Cleaners.

This system
is a solvent free, non toxic alternative to traditional Dry Clean. Wet Clean
and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are the only two dry cleaning systems recognized as
environmentally friendly by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), Union of
Concern Scientist, and the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). A dry cleaner
must use only one of these systems to be Green Certified by the Bay Area Green
Business Program.

There was a
large turnout in attendance, with many inquisitive question:

• Why
  does Wet Clean clean better than solvent dry cleaning?

Because most stains are
water soluble or non soluble the water base cleaning solution will remove more
dirt and stains than solvent dry cleaning.

• How
  do you control color bleeding of a garment?

The cleaning solution of
the Wet Clean system is acidic, this along with setting the dye with an acidic
solution prior to cleaning eliminates color bleeding problems.

• Is
  Wet Clean the only certified non toxic process?

Wet Clean and Carbon
Dioxide Cleaning (CO2) are the only two systems recognized as environmentally
friendly by government agencies. All of the other dry clean solvent are either
lack test results, or have some conflicting results to the impact on your
health and the environment.

• Does
  Wet Clean require more labor?

Yes, unfortunately Wet
Clean does require approximately 20% more labor to sort the garments for
cleaning and to press the garments after cleaning. Beyond physical labor the operator
requires much more knowledge of dyes and material to successfully use the Wet
Clean system.

• Will
  Wet Clean cost more to operate?

Due to the increase in
labor it is slightly more to operate, but some of these cost are offset by not
needing to have hazardous waste removal, hazardous waste permits from OSHA, the
constant distillation of the solvent, and the purchase of the solvent.

• How
  much has business increased since your conversion to Wet Clean?

Many of the Dry Cleaners
in the San Francisco Bay Area, thru out California, that has made the conversion
to Wet Clean has seen a substantial increase in business. The consensus seems
to be most consumers are becoming concerned with the health hazards of the dry
cleaning solvent and are looking for a truly non toxic alternative.

• Are
  you allowed to dispose of the Wet Clean water base solution or do you need to use
  a hazardous waste disposal company it like the solvent dry cleaners?

All the cleaning solution
used in the Wet Clean process can be disposed of into the municipal waste
system and process along with the waste water. This is one of the requirements
by the San Francisco Environment to become Green Business Certified.

• Do
  you need a hazardous waste permit to handle Wet Clean products?

None of the products used
in the Wet Clean contain Volatile  Organic
Compounds (VOC’s) or any other ingredients that are considered hazardous.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in
San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning
tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner
by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning
alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System
that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How
to remove a Red Wine Stain from Rayon.

How to remove a
Oil Stain from Cotton

How to Remove
Coffee Stains from Wool.

How
to remove a Blood Stain from Silk.

What is truly green dry cleaning?

(article printed in The Daily Journal; October 08, 2009, 10:40pm by Julianna Mo)

Have you ever wondered what green dry cleaning really means? This term can confuse even the most educated consumer because there are no universally accepted guidelines as to what qualifies as a “green dry cleaner.” Many dry cleaners plaster the words “Eco-friendly,” “Organic” and “Nontoxic” all over their windows but what do those words truly mean? …

The main issue for dry cleaners is the toxicity of the process. The traditional solvent, Perchloroethylene (Perc) is still used by about 90 percent of the dry cleaning industry. It is a chlorinated solvent that accumulates in human body fat and is a known carcinogen. Perc has been shown to cause various cancers, respiratory illnesses and cause myriad health issues. Many dry cleaners have experienced firsthand the harmful effects of traditional dry cleaning solvents such as Perc through contamination of their land soil as well as serious health problems. Because of this, the California Air Resources Board has mandated a phase-out of Perc systems, which will begin in July 2010 and end by 2023.

Because of these toxicity issues, a number of alternatives have emerged although there are questions regarding some of them. Some dry cleaners use a silicone based solvent otherwise known as “Green Earth,” but laboratory studies have shown tumor growths in mice. And many dry cleaners use a petroleum based solvent, “Hydro Carbon,” which is in fact a Volatile Organic Compound.

So what are the best alternatives? Two options have emerged as safer alternatives: Professional wet cleaning and carbon dioxide cleaning (CO2). The professional wet cleaning system utilizes a special 100 percent biodegradable detergent, which is gentler than household detergents and acts as a solvent in conjunction with a gentle mechanical action to clean your clothes. Traditional machines that use harsh solvents often just “cover” your stains. This explains why white clothes return with a grayish tone. Professional Wet Cleaning also preserves better the color and fabric of clothing. Contrary to a mistaken belief, professional wet cleaning does not shrink clothes. Lastly, professional wet cleaning often utilizes citrus- and palm oil-based products in its pre-spotting process, which are also 100 percent biodegradable and safe for sensitive and infant skin.

Carbon dioxide cleaning utilizes pressurized gaseous and liquid carbon dioxide in combination with special detergents to clean clothes. Similar to professional wet cleaning, CO2 uses a special mechanical action to prevent damage to clothing. The CO2 itself is composed of by-products of existing industrial processes. At the end of a cycle, the CO2 is pumped back into a storage tank and can be reused. This is the same carbon dioxide which at room temperature is used to carbonate soft drinks and in its solid form is also known as dry ice.

These two systems also have the additional benefit of not generating toxic hazardous waste as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) do. Both professional wet cleaning and CO2 are approved by the EPA and are supported by many environmental protection advocates. It is important that consumers become aware of the harmful effects of traditional dry cleaning and the availability of safer alternatives.

What should one look for? If the dry cleaner is exclusively using one of the two safer aforementioned systems, it can qualify for a Green Business Certification. Consumers can also encourage local cleaners to switch to safer pre-spotting alternatives or to switch completely to either the professional wet cleaning or CO2 methods.

Julianna Mo is the co-owner of Snow White Dry Cleaners, a Certified Green Business in San Mateo County and city.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Milk Stains from Wool.

How to Remove an Oil Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Red Wine from Silk

How to remove a Coffee Stain from Cotton.

What Makes Pacific Heights Cleaners Different Than Other Dry Cleaners.

What Makes Us Different:

To put this into context, there are more dry cleaners than Starbucks, so why make the effort to come use us.

Years ago we made a huge commitment to preserve our environment without sacrificing our commitment to service, quality, and values. We started with our version of recycling, we reused products, long before the cities and counties had recycling programs. Approximately 15 years ago we offered reusable garment bags to replace plastic bags, we failed terribly, we were just a few years ahead of our time.

Our latest venture is to dry clean without the use of solvents (hazardous or not). Our specially designed computer controlled machines allow us delicately clean everything from your haute couture garments to everyday sportswear. This has earned us recognition from government agencies to the news media to dry cleaners around the world.

Since most dirt and stains are water soluble, this non toxic Wet Clean process leaves the garments cleaner, softer, and brighter than solvent dry cleaning. Unlike solvent (Percholoroethylene or PERC, Greenearth, Rynex, Hydrocarbon, DF2000) dry cleaning, there is no distillation, therefore, no redeposition (greying or yellowing of light color garments). A new batch of cleaning solution is made for each load and disposed of down the drain, eliminating the need for toxic waste handlers to remove the old solvent.

To further increase our quality, we have revamped our pressing machines to computer controlled finishing units. These unit provide the care required from fine designer garments. Simply put, in lieu of pressing we blow the garments with steam and air to eliminate the wrinkles. This process creates a much livelier, softer looking material, all the while being gentler on the fabric.

Have you ever noticed the pleats, ruffles, or seams on your garments that had the HECK smashed out of them and showing through to the surface of the material. Pressing the garments smashes the material smooth, that’s great if you have a flat piece of fabric like a sheet, but garments have shape and style to them. Our new finishing units allow us to gently steam out wrinkles to let the garment hang naturally, hence why you pay extra for fine designer garments.

Zero Breast Cancer Dipsea Hike/Run Fundraiser.

Sausalito Floating Home Tour.

We support our community events because without our community support we could not survive. We also support our industry by educating and training other dry cleaners in the Wet Clean system because the hazards of the dry cleaning solvents effect everyone’s health and our environment.

We all know that not all coffee houses provide the same quality of coffee, and not all dry cleaners provide the same quality, knowledge, expertise, and value. Without compromise, we take the time to care for your garments to provide you with the cleanest most beautiful result possible.

Pacific Heights Cleaners is your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, making a difference in our little corner of the world.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove chocolate stains from Wool.

How to Remove a Blood Stain From Rayon.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Cotton.

How to remove a Oil Stain from Silk.

The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing the need to add Wet Clean to the garment care label. Post a public comment before September 6, 2011.

The care label system is to inform both the consumer and the dry cleaner of the material(s) in the garment and cleaning requirements(s) for multiple reasons. For the consumer it helps to evaluate the value of the garment at the time of purchase, to understand the required maintenance of the garment, to understand the materials and how the garment will perform over time, and an understanding of the function ability of the material. For the dry cleaner it provides an absorbent amount of information regarding to the care of the garment. As a professional, knowing all the different material(s), and the tested cleaning methods recommended by the garment manufacture (hand wash, machine wash, dry clean, or wet clean) is an enormous benefit in determining how we handle the garment and the stains involved to achieve the best results. With this information we can provide better service to the consumer and avoid negligent damages.

On a health note, being located in California where health, environment, and a sustainable lifestyle are important, many consumers are searching for garments that are wet cleanable. They are educated of the effects of Perc and question the effects of some of the alternative solvents. At the moment, wet clean is the safest non toxic, most sustainable garment cleaning process on the market for both  professional and home use and should be recognized on the care label.

The addition of Wet Clean to the care label along with the other recommended cleaning process for a particular garment will give the consumer a better understanding of the garment and their options.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove a Coffee Stain from Cotton.

How to Remove Milk Stains from Wool.

How to Remove an Oil Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Red Wine from Silk

The Clean Show in Las Vegas is the national dry cleaning convention held every other year in June. It’s an enormous convention that fills the entire convention center with attendee’s from around the country and the world. I met attendee’s from Italy, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, and Canada.

My brother William and I was invited to attend the convention and work the equipment booths of the Wet Clean system manufactures. We spent 4 days at the Miele and Veit booths demonstrating the Wet Clean system and answering questions regarding Wet Cleaning. We also spent 4 nights doing Vegas, sorry I can’t divulge any more information than that because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Some attendee’s came to look all the new equipment, some came with an agenda, to meet with specific people and manufacturers. Texans showed the most interest, knowledge, and enthusiasm in the Wet Clean system. Several attendee’s came to the show seeking very specific information from us regarding the Wet Clean system. They inquired about the products we used, the differences in the equipment, and the techniques required to be a successful certified green dry cleaner.

To date, California has the most Dry Cleaners dedicated to solely using the Wet Clean system. Many other Dry Cleaners around the world wash their garment and call it Wet Cleaning or they use the Wet Clean system in conjunction with a solvent dry cleaning system.

We are proud that you support a healthier, safer, sustainable way of dry cleaning and our efforts in leading the world to make a change for the better by eliminating one more hazardous solvent from our lives. Together we will create a healthier place to live.

Thank again.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Milk Stain.

How to remove a Oil Stain.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains.

How to Remove a Blueberry Stain.

We will be supporting another Wet Clean workshop held by the UCLA Sustainable Technology & Policy Program.

This workshop is intended for dry cleaners using Perchloroethylene (PERC) to come see a live demonstration of the non toxic Wet Clean system. The professional Wet Cleaning system is a non toxic, non smog forming substitute for solvent dry cleaning that is approved by many organizations such as Union of Concern Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Bay Area Green Business Program.  Along with the demonstration will be an opportunity to ask questions, learn about the grants from the California Air Resource Board (CARB), loans that are available from private lenders, as well as meet successful professional Wet Cleaners.

This is a free demo workshop held at Farifax French Cleaners, 173 San Marin Drive, Novato, CA  94945 on Jun 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is providing you a non toxic alternative to Perchloroethylene (perc) dry cleaning. We are proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Cottage Cheese Stain.

How to Remove a Ketchup Stain.

How to Remove a Lipstick or Lip Balm Stain.

How to remove a Mustard stain.

The Clean Show in Las Vegas is the national convention for our industry of dry cleaners. It is held biannually with attendees from around the country and world. This year I spoke with people from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and even Italy.

Many of the shows attendees came to see the Wet Clean system, this is the non toxic-solvent free system that is the alternative to traditional Perchloroethylene (PERC) dry cleaning. The Wet Clean system uses a water base cleaning solution comprised of a natural soap and conditioner, it contains no hazardous cleaning agents, dyes, or perfumes, making the products hypoallergenic. At the moment Wet Clean is the only dry cleaning system that is recognized as a green environmentally safe system by organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.E.P.A.), California Air Resource Board (CARB), Bay Area Green Business Program, Occidental College Pollution Prevention Center, and UCLA  Sustainable Technology & Policy Program.

We were invited by the major manufactures of the Wet Cleaning system, Meile and Veit to attend the dry cleaning convention to represent the system from the dry cleaners persepctive. We were not asked to sell any equipment or product, only to answer question from dry cleaner shop owner’s interest in the Wet Clean system. And the amount of interest was intense with a constant flow of attendees visiting both the Miele and Veit booths from open to close of the convention. The questions varied from “why is the washer and dryer drum shape different?” to “I am not getting the proper production out of my plant, what am I doing wrong?” At times it felt like we were giving mini seminars to help our fellow wet cleaners efficiently use there equipment.

All in all it was an extremely successful dry clean or shall I say for us a Wet Clean convention. Las Vegas is great fun, albeit exhausting.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is providing you with a non toxic alternative to traditional Perchloroethylene (PERC) dry cleaning. We are proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Popsicle Stains.

How to Remove Hot Chocolate Stains.

How to Remove Grapefruit Juice Stains.

How to Remove Motor Oil Stains

Clean Show in Las Vegas

The Clean Show in Las Vegas this month is the National Dry Cleaning convention held every two years. As pioneers in Green Dry Cleaning, we have been ask to attend this years show to represent the Wet Clean (eco dry clean) system. We will be working in both the Miele and Veits booths to answer questions about the Wet Cleaning equipment, the certified green dry cleaning process, and offer demonstrations for other dry cleaners interested in going green.

Thousands of owners of dry cleaners from around the country attend this multi day convention, attending workshops, visiting vendors, seeking out the newest, latest greatest products, techniques and equipment.

It is an honor for us to have been recognized for our achievements in the green dry cleaning arena and be chosen to represent these two world renowned companies in a national forum.

Karl Huie

Pacific Height Cleaner providing a non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

In the  April 2011 of American Drycleaner there is an article called Removing The Stains You Make. This article teaches dry cleaners how to remove the gray tint along with the gray and black circles they caused. These gray and black hues on your white garments are caused by the dirty dry cleaning solvents. This is an inherent problem of using a solvent due to the fact that the solvent can not be disposed of after each use. The only way to purify the solvent is to distill it. Depending on how often a dry cleaner distills their solvent will determine the quality of cleaning you receive. In today recessionary environment many solvent dry cleaners are cutting cost by not properly maintaining the quality of their solvent. Even with constant distillation there is always a small percentage of solvent circulating in the machine that is difficult to remove.

This is one of the many advantages of the Certified Green Dry Clean (Wet Clean) system. This green dry clean system uses water as the base for its cleaning solution thus all of the solution is disposed of down the drain when the cleaning cycle is done.

Click on the link above to read further insight of how your garments become dingy and what the process involved to rectify the problem.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaner to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove a Oil Stain.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains.

How to Remove a Blueberry Stain.

How to Remove a Cottage Cheese Stain.

www.greenbusinessca.org www.sfgreenbusiness.org

In all the counties of the San Francisco Bay Area there is a governing body for green businesses call the Bay Area Green Business Program. The green business program in these counties will only certify a dry cleaner if they are using one of two dry cleaning systems. The first and most popular of these systems is the Wet Clean system that uses water, a natural soap and a conditioner to clean dry clean only garments. The second is the CO2 system that uses CO2 compressed to approximately eight hundred pounds to create a liquid, that liquid is then used along with a soap to clean the garments. All other dry clean systems using an array of  solvents (Perchloroethylene, Tetrachloroethylene, Hydrocarbon, Solvair, DrySolv, PureDry, EcoSolv, Shell Sol140HT, Stoddard or Rynex to name the popular ones) that are not considered green nor non toxic by this or any other government agencies.

We are fortunate to have the Bay Area Green Business Program in Northern California as they are currently the only government agency that has a certification program for dry cleaners in California. The goal of this agency in creating a green certification for dry cleaners to encourage dry cleaners to eliminate the use of hazardous dry cleaning solvents and encourage them use a non toxic alternative.  San Francisco’s division of the Bay Area Green Business Program call the San Francisco Department of Environment leads all the other counties with the most stringent requirements for a dry cleaner to become green certified. Requiring the uses of a non toxic dry cleaning system is only the first steps of becoming green certified in San Francisco, they also require the use of specific spotting agents that are safe for your health and the health of our planet. They have issued a report call how to green your cleaning, in this report they give specific health issues related to each of the four most commonly used dry cleaning systems (Perchloroethylene, GreenEarth, Hydrocarbon, Wet Clean).

We are proud to have become the first certified green dry cleaner in Marin County in August of 2008, and now I am proud to say that as of July 2010 we are the first certified green dry cleaner in San Francisco, City & County. This is a small step in our overall goal of changing our industry to be a better and safer place to do business.

left-Karl, center-certificate, right-William, background-SF City Hall

We received our certificates at the San Francisco Department of Environments Award reception along with fifty other San Francisco business at the War Memorial building across from City Hall.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Marin and San Francisco’s 1st Certified Green Dry Cleaner using an eco dry clean non toxic system that is safe for your health and the health of the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Red Wine from Cotton Khaki Pants.

How to Remove Red Wine from a Silk Bath Robe

How to remove a Oil Stain from a Cotton Bed Spread.

How to remove a Coffee Stain from a Cotton Dress.

We are one of a few green certified dry cleaners invited by the manufacture to attend the Long Beach California Dry Clean Convention to represent Green Dry Cleaning.

The Wet Cleaners represented here are:

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

Natures Best Cleaners in Petaluma

Press On Cleaners formerly Snow White Cleaners in San Mateo

Natures Best Cleaners in San Carlos

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners is your certified green dry cleaner serving San Francisco and Sausalito with the environmentally friendly Wet Clean dry cleaning system. This system is EPA approved and contains no toxic chemicals. www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

The Dirty Little Secret About Dry Cleaning!

Are There Green Dry Cleaners?

How to Use Enzymes?

How to remove blood stains using green products

Green washing is everywhere (literally), as you drive down the street every other business is claiming to be green and environmental friendly.

How do you know if they really are or they are just claiming it?

The San Francisco Bay Area has developed a Green Business Program to create guidelines for businesses in a particular industry become  green certified. Each county within the bay area has developed it’s own requirement needed for a particular industry.

Pacific Height Cleaners has helped The San Francisco Department of Environment and the Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County develop this certification for the dry cleaning industry. We spent an endless amount of time providing information and data, giving them demonstrations of the different processes, samples of all different types of products and stain removal chemicals used within a dry cleaner for the individual offices to evaluate. Only after extensive research by these offices and there toxicology departments has a category been developed for the dry cleaning industry.

San Francisco was the last county to create a certification. Now that every county in the bay area  has a green certification for dry cleaners, ask your dry cleaner, if they are green certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program. If they are not certified by this program then the chances are they are not really green. At this time there are no other organization certifying dry cleaners.

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners

“We are not business people capitalizing on the green movement,

we are an established dry cleaner changing a industry.”

Your Green Certified Dry Cleaner proudly leading the way in garment care today – and into a healthy future.

Dry cleaning with the Wet Clean system which is a non toxic environmentally friendly EPA approved system.

Other Articles of Interest:

Does Eco Dry Clean (wet clean) clean as well as solvent dry cleaning?

What Health Benefits are there to using a Green Dry Cleaner?

The Dirty Little Secret About Dry Cleaning!

Techniques Used For Stain Removal And Cleaning.

For thousands of years the only fibers available for textiles were natural fibers created by Mother Nature. Clothing and household items were woven from animal, protein or plant fibers such as wool, cashmere, silk, linen and cotton. A little over a century ago the first manufactured fiber became available through modern technology and chemistry. Rayon is the first of many manufactured fibers used in today’s modern textiles. Amazingly, Rayon is made by manufacturing wood pulp in to a fiber.

Many of the modern fibers are engineering wonders that perform better than natural fibers ever could. Everything from polyester that wicks moisture away from your body to Gortex that breathes – and let’s not forget a material called Kevlar that is used in everything from sails for a yacht to bullet-proof vests for the military.

In just our lifetime, materials have evolved in ways that have astounded the mind. In the 50’s it was the creation of wash & wear. The 60’s & 70’s brought materials modified for comfort, fire resistance, reduced static cling, released dirt, had better dye ability, and richer deeper colors.

Innovation remains in the forefront of the textile industry with even more advanced manufactured fibers. Modern fibers are now more diverse and creative than ever with polyester that mimics the look of suede, rayon that feels like silk and cotton that doesn’t wrinkle. Recently we have even seen garments made from bamboo and recycled plastic water bottles.

A look at what’s happened in the last century.

• 1910   Rayon
• 1924   Acetate
• 1930   Nylon
• 1946   Metallic
• 1950   Acrylic
• 1953   Polyester
• 1953   Triacetate
• 1992   Lycell

The future of fabrics is limited only by our imagination!

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your green dry cleaner serving you with non toxic alternatives.

The first dry cleaner in Marin and San Francisco to be green business certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program and San Francisco Environment. Using the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is EPA approved as environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to shop for a dry cleaner

How to Evaluate Materials and Test for Colorfastness

Does Eco Dry Clean (wet clean) clean as well as solvent dry cleaning?

What Health Benefits are there to using a Green Dry Cleaner?

Anticipating tougher regulations for drycleaners, the state of New Jersey is offering cash to dry cleaners who agree to scrap their existing perc machines in favor of newer models. The state has dedicated more than $4 million to the program.

The program provides an extra incentive for Wet Cleaning, which is in line with another state-sponsored program that encourages cleaners to adopt 100 percent Wet Cleaning. The New Jersey Small Business Development Center is sponsoring workshops and providing information and support to cleaners who transition to Wet Cleaning.

The reimbursement program provides a cold-cash incentive to convert to Wet Cleaning. Cleaners who substitute Wet Cleaning equipment for perc equipment will receive the scheduled reimbursement plus an extra $15,000.

Edward Choromanski said the reimbursements would cover removal of systems from co-residential locations even if new equipment is not installed. Cleaners who want to continue to operate in those locations would have to use a non-perc alternative solvent or Wet Cleaning.

To read the entire article refer to ”New Jersey offers cash for replacing perc equipment” in the National Clothesline December 2009 (www.natclo.com)

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Dry Cleaning’s Dirty Trick

Are There Green Dry Cleaners?

California Air Resources Board Report on Dry Cleaning Solvents

Techniques Used For Stain Removal And Cleaning.

Vermont Cleaners, Potrero Hill

600 Vermont Street

San Francisco CA 94107

415-647-8080

Cross Street; intersection of 18^th Street and Vermont Street

As a pioneer in our industry I’m always happy and proud to see others follow suit and Vermont Cleaners in San Francisco is the newest dry cleaner to make the conversion over to an EPA approved green dry cleaning system.

Benson Xu is the proud owner of Vermont Cleaners with 11 years of experience dry cleaning at this location. Vermont Cleaners is a beautiful store located at the corner of Vermont and 18^th Street with easy access from the Interstate 80 freeway. The inside is well designed, clean and organized for optimal efficiency. All the work in the seven hundred and fifty square foot store is done by Benson and his wife ensuring that every garment that leaves the store has a bit of their pride attached to it.

I first met Benson when he came and brought garments for me to clean at the demonstration I held for the SF Department of Environment in our store. After a couple of visits to demonstrations at various dry cleaners and what seem like an endless amount of question he decided to make the conversion to Wet Clean as opposed to an alternative solvent (GREAT DECISION!). This system is considered the safest system for your health and the health of the environment by many organizations ranging from SF Department of Environment at the local level to the United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the federal level.

Benson says he loves his new Wet Clean set up because it cleans the clothes better, saves energy and has no chemical smell (no more legally getting high) from the clothes or in the store. When talking to him you can see the enthusiasm he has for his work and green dry cleaning as it beams through his smile.

We wish Benson, his wife and Vermont Cleaners all the best for their effort in making a difference in our community and our lives.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Stain Removal Products and Tips

How to Care for Your Dark Color Garments

What water temperature do I use for washing clothes? Hot-Cold or Warm?

How to remove ink stains

In New York and around the country, dry-cleaning stores have increasingly sprouted signs reading “organic” or “green,” as environmentally conscious consumers look for alternatives to traditional dry cleaning and its use of the solvent perchloroethylene. Prolonged contact with that solvent, known as PCE or perc, has been linked in some studies to cancer and neurological troubles like vision problems, and its use is strictly regulated.

Government and environmental watchdogs say many cleaners are turning to methods that are only slightly less toxic than perc. The National Cleaners Association, a trade group, says some businesses are using the term “organic” in a blatantly misleading way — not in the sense of a chemical-free peach, but in the chemistry-class sense of containing carbon, the element found in all organic compounds, including perc.

The environmentally preferable choice for dry cleaning, experts say, involves little more than water. In a process known as wet cleaning, garments are washed with water and biodegradable detergents in computerized machines that carefully control variables like agitation. Most stains are water soluble, and most items labeled “dry clean only” can be professionally wet cleaned without shrinkage or damage, studies have found.

Cleaners who use wet cleaning say it does a better job of removing some stains than traditional dry cleaning — which, despite its name, is actually a wet method that immerses clothes in a liquid solvent.

The quality of wet cleaning “is comparable, and it should not cost any more,” said Peter Sinsheimer, director of the Pollution Prevention Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles, a leading source of research on issues related to garment care.

Most cleaners weaning themselves off perc have switched instead to a hydrocarbon solvent that acts in a way similar to perc. But Judith S. Schreiber, the chief scientist for the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State attorney general’s office, said the solvent, which is petroleum-based, was “a cleaned-up version of gasoline” and only slightly less toxic than perc.

To read the entire article refer to “It May Market Organic Alternatives, but Is Your Cleaner Really Greener?”    By MIREYA NAVARRO

Published: January 11, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/12/nyregion/12clean.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

San Francisco, Sausalito

The First Dry Cleaners to be Certified Green By San Francisco Environment and

The Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Breast Cancer and the Relationship to Dry Cleaning Chemicals

The 2009 Francine Levien Activist is Karl Huie, Video

How To Eliminate Shrinkage During Washing

How to choose a dry cleaner

Do Green Dry Cleaners Exist?

Greentips: August 2007

Contrary to what its name implies, dry cleaning involves washing clothes in a liquid solvent to remove stains. In about 85 percent of dry cleaning shops this solvent is perchloroethylene (or “perc”), a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers both a health and environmental hazard.

Dry cleaning is not always necessary; clothing makers often place the “dry clean only” label on tags because they can list no more than one cleaning method and can be held liable if an item is damaged when the owner follows the listed procedure. Yet many of these items can be safely washed at home, either by hand or using a washing machine’s delicate cycle. For clothes that must be professionally cleaned due to their size, fabric, decorations, or other factors, there is no perfect solution, but you could consider using a cleaner that offers one of the following perc-free methods.

Wet cleaning uses the universal solvent—water—along with computer-controlled washers and dryers, specialized detergents that are milder than home laundry products, and professional pressing and finishing equipment. The EPA considers it one of the safest professional cleaning methods; its benefits include “no hazardous chemical use, no hazardous waste generation, no air pollution and reduced potential for water and soil contamination.”

Carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning uses non-toxic, liquid CO2—the same form used to carbonate soda—as the cleaning solvent, along with detergent. The CO2 is captured as a by-product of existing industrial processes, thereby utilizing emissions that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere; since only about two percent of the CO2 is lost into the air with each load of clothing, its impact on global warming is minimal. CO2 cleaning also uses less energy than traditional dry cleaning, which involves heating the solvent.

Silicone cleaning is a proprietary technology that employs a silicone-based solvent to clean clothes. The solvent itself is currently considered safe for the environment because it degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide, but it has caused cancer in lab animals in EPA studies. In addition, it is manufactured using chlorine, which can generate harmful dioxin emissions.

Not all cleaning methods advertised as “green” are as environmentally benign as they may seem. For example, a solvent called DF-2000 being touted as an “organic” dry cleaning fluid is actually a petroleum product manufactured by ExxonMobil. It is indeed organic in the same way gasoline and perc are organic: it contains a chain of carbon atoms. But the EPA lists DF-2000 as a neurotoxin and skin and eye irritant for workers, and its use can contribute to smog and global warming.

This article is from; Union of Concerned Scientists
National Headquarters
2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02238-9105

Link to article at http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/do-green-dry-cleaners-exist.html

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your Green Certified Dry Cleaner proudly leading the way in garment care today – and into a healthy future.

Dry cleaning with the Wet Clean system which is a non toxic environmentally friendly EPA approved system.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Does Eco Dry Clean (wet clean) clean as well as solvent dry cleaning?

How to choose a dry cleaner

DryClean and Washing Symbols

How to remove an oil stain.

In most big cities you will see drycleaners attempting to go green.  For many, though, green refers to money, not environmental consciousness.

There’s a curious sign in the storefronts of many drycleaners boasting of a new “organic” cleaning technique that is non-toxic and environmentally benign.  Clearly they are trying to capitalize on the consumers’ pursuit of all things wholesome.

The new cleaning fluid they are using, called DF-2000, is indeed very organic, as organic as gasoline and every major dry-cleaning fluid since the creation of the industry 150 years ago.  After all, to a chemist, a chemical is organic if it contains a chain of carbon.

DF-2000 is made by Exxon-Mobil, those stewards of the environment who dumped 30 million gallons of crude oil—the precursor to gasoline and, yes, DF-2000—onto the shoreline of Alaska in 1989 and are still in court today bickering over the fine.  How anything with the industrial-sounding name “DF-2000″ could be construed as organic in the “all-natural” sense is beyond me.

Semantics aside, the toxic DF-2000 is safe only in comparison to what it hopes to replace.

Trying to come clean

The fluid used by more than 85 percent of U.S. drycleaners is truly nasty stuff called perchloroethylene, or perc, classified as a probable human cancer-causing chemical by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Perc is organic, too.

Last week California announced a plan to phase out perc by 2023, with a ban on new perc equipment in effect by next year.  The chemical poses little immediate health risk to most customers aside from rashes for those with sensitive skin.  Workers have long been at risk, though, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found evidence of elevated cancer and death rates.

Perc isn’t so good for the environment, either.  According to Greenpeace, 70 percent of the fluid winds up in the air or in ground water.  We all ingest the stuff one way or another, although the long-term health implications are not known.

California’s new law doesn’t specify what should replace perc.  Several good alternatives exist, but DF-2000 is best positioned to be the solvent of choice for cash-strapped ma-and-pa drycleaners based on price and ease of use.

Out with the old, in with the older

Dry cleaning isn’t dry; it merely uses a solvent instead of water to clean.  In the mid-1800s, a Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Jolly noticed that kerosene accidentally spilled on a tablecloth made it cleaner.  And an industry of dangerous, smelly cleaning fluids was born.

Organic solvents don’t bind to fibers the way water does and therefore don’t wrinkle or scrunch delicate fabrics.  Up until World War II, most cleaning fluids were petroleum-based, such as the widely used Stoddard solvent.  The problem with them, aside from causing dizziness or neurological disorders, was that they sort of exploded if they got too hot.  Perc was a godsend: nonflammable, not as smelly, and the best solvent known for removing dirt.

DF-2000 is similar to Stoddard solvent, only with a higher flashpoint (meaning less of a tendency to explode if exposed to a spark).  The EPA lists DF-2000 as a neurotoxin and skin and eye irritant for workers; and its use can contribute to smog and global warming, just like Stoddard solvent.

For the environmentally conscious

While DF-2000 is likely at least marginally better than perc in terms of health and environment, it is not green.  Marketing DF-2000 as organic—a scheme apparently devised by dry-cleaning associations, not Exxon-Mobile—is shameless.

Much farther up the green ladder are dry-cleaning techniques using carbon dioxide and, of all things, water.  Alas, the processes involving them cost more money.

Nearly all garments labeled “dry clean only” can be cleaned with water through a process called wet-cleaning.  This takes time and skill on the part of the professional, hence the higher price.  The carbon dioxide method involves liquid CO2 under high pressure.  Here, the machines are expensive and often require licensing fees.

Kermit the Frog once sang that it’s not easy being green.  Perhaps that’s why some drycleaners merely post a sign pretending to be green.

This article is found in LIVE SCIENCE

By Christopher Wanjek, LiveScience’s Bad Medicine Columnist

posted: 30 January 2007 08:03 am ET

Link to; http://www.livescience.com/health/070130_bad_drycleaning.html

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Service with Pride since 1969, providing you a non toxic alternative, using a environmentally friendly green dry cleaning system.

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Techniques Used For Stain Removal And Cleaning.

Why do my clothes fade while in the closet?

How to choose a dry cleaner

How to remove blood stains

The Toxic Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts/Lowell recently awarded Best Neighborhood Cleaners of Medford, Mass., an $18,000 grant to help discontinue the use of perchloroethylene (PERC). The grant helped fund the purchase and installation of wetcleaning equipment at the store.

“I am very happy to be using this equipment in my shop instead of sending clothes out to be cleaned in perc,” says Nguyen. “This technology is much safer for me and my staff, my customers, and the community.”

“We’re excited that the diffusion of this technology is starting to take hold in Massachusetts,” says Joy Onasch, TURI’s community program manager. “California has converted more than 100 facilities to dedicated wetcleaning, and we’d like to catch up-even if it is once cleaner at a time.”

To read the entire article refer to “TURI awards $18,000 grant to drycleaner” in the American Drycleaner Magazine  November 2009 (americandrycleaner.com).

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

San Francisco, Sausalito

The First Dry Cleaners to be Certified Green By San Francisco Environment and

The Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Dry Cleaning’s Dirty Trick

Are There Green Dry Cleaners?

California Air Resources Board Report on Dry Cleaning Solvents

Does Eco Dry Clean (wet clean) clean as well as solvent dry cleaning?

Question; i wanted to know that where in India is eco friendly dry cleaning practised.

Answer; The simplest form of eco dry cleaning is done on the banks of the river Ganga. Anyone and everyone cleaning there silk sari’s on the Ganga is using a simple form of green dry cleaning.

As far back as I can remember there has been a company in the United State capitalizing on this simple form of eco dry cleaning, they presented it as hand washing your delicate garment with Woolite.

It is only in modern society that we have invented and relied on solvents. Granted that solvents have made dry cleaning a lot simpler and easier for all of us to understand and use. Like all products and systems there are positives and negatives and it is up to the individual to decide witch is better for them.

Eco Dry Cleaning is a sophisticate and technical version of hand washing your silks and wools using modern technology to protect colors and prevent shrinkage. This system is an alternative for those who don’t wish to have so many solvents in there lives (see “How is Green Earth not environmentally friendly?”). Museums around the world have used these practices to clean and restore artifacts and textiles in preparation for display or preservation. 

I wish for you and your family health, happiness and prosperity.

Thanks for sending in your question.

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners, San Francisco & Sausalito, your non toxic alternative.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1^st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner.

Question; How is Green Earth not environmentally friendly? How do you use water solely and claim to clean clothes thoroughly? What about the chemicals in soap- is that environmentally friendly? I heard that “wet cleaning” shrinks your clothes?  Uauh

Answer; Let me separate your questions and answer them one at a time.

Question 1;  How is Green Earth not environmentally friendly?

Answer; Personally I don’t have a problem with Green Earth or any of the other solvents including Perc. All cleaning systems have there benefits and there down falls including wet cleaning.

Because of health events that have happen to myself and my family we as a business decided that cleaning with a solvent was no longer suitable for us, from our research we chose what we considered to be the non toxic alternative. My father who has been in the business for years regularly complain about headaches and I have an aunt and uncle who both passed away in their early 60’s from cancer.

We have posted on the eco facts page of our web site

http://www.eco-drycleaners.com/eco.html links to some of the research article we found informative. The San Francisco Department of Environment put out a great report explaining the hazards of the different systems.

Question 2; How do you use water solely and claim to clean clothes thoroughly?

Answer; I’m not sure were you got the information from that we use solely water to clean clothes. We use a water based cleaning solution made from soap and conditioner to clean clothes. Both the soap and conditioner is made from naturally derived products disposable down the drain and easily handle by the local waste management department.

Question 3; What about the chemicals in soap- is that environmentally friendly?

Answer; According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, The California Air Resource Board, The Union of Concern Scientist, The San Francisco Department of Environment, The Bay Area Green Business Program, Occidental College Pollution Prevention Center to name a few, wet clean is the most environmentally friendly dry cleaning system along with the Liquid CO2 dry cleaning system.

 Question 4;  I heard that “wet cleaning” shrinks your clothes?

Answer; If handled improperly you will shrink certain types of material. That is why the Miele system is so popular because they are the only company providing training when you purchase the machines. Cleaning silks and wools in water is not a new technique. We have forgotten that our ancestors in Asia have been cleaning clothes for thousands of years in this fashion it is only in modern society that we have been using chemical solvents. Museums around the world have used these practices to clean and restore artifacts and textiles in preparation for display or preservation.    

Please don’t miss understand our intent. We have chosen this cleaning system for us and in no way discourage anyone from using a different system. If you are happy with your Green Earth dry cleaners by all means stay with them, they need your support in tough economic times like these.

I wish for you and your family health, happiness and prosperity.

Thanks for sending in your questions.

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners, San Francisco & Sausalito, your non toxic alternative.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1^st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner.

Great article in the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday September 19,2009 about the hazards of dry cleaning solvents and the non toxic alternatives.

Here is the link to the full article;

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/18/MNNH19O3DM.DTL

Pacific Heights Cleaners, Sausalito & San Francisco, your non toxic alternative.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Marin’s 1st & Best Certified Green Dry Cleaner.

August 23, 2009

San Francisco Environment held a workshop to inform all the dry cleaners in the city and county of San Francisco of the health and environmental dangers of dry cleaning with the various solvent on the market as well as the regulation for those respective solvents. Our role in this workshop was to inform and answer question from the attending dry cleaners related to the green dry cleaning process. The event was well attended, approximately 80 attendees from dry cleaners along with bank and equipment representative, other green dry cleaners and city, county and state officials.

The green dry cleaning process known with in the industry as Wet Clean is an approved alternative system by the California Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resource Board, Pollution Prevention Center Occidental College, San Francisco Environment and Sausalito Sustainability Commission. This system cleans clothes without the use of chemical solvents such as Perc, Hydrocarbon or Silicon. It uses a non toxic environmentally friendly soap and water base cleaning solution that can be disposed of down the drain and easily handled by the city and county municipal waste management district.

In the days following the workshop a demonstration of the green dry cleaning process was held at our Sausalito store – Pacific Heights Cleaners, Sausalito – which was also well attended by approximately 25 of the dry cleaners. The event went smoothly with the attendees extremely interested to see the process. Many questions were asked and answered and all had a first had look at how the clothes were cleaned and how a dry cleaning plant was operated using the green system.

Hopefully some were interested enough to take the next step which it get trained in the new system and order the new machinery.

Stay tuned for updates.

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Sausalito, San Francisco

Marin’s 1st & Best Certified Dry Cleaner

Follow your garments at Pacific Heights Cleaners going through the ECO Dry Clean (Wet Clean) process. See how we handle your garments from start to finish using a non toxic dry cleaning system. This system is recognized by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as being safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Marin and San Francisco’s 1st Certified Green Dry Cleaner using a eco dry clean non toxic system that is safe for your health and the health of the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

What water temperature do I use for washing clothes? Hot-Cold or Warm?

Stain Removal Products and Tips

What is the difference between a suit for a man and a suit for a woman?

The Dirty Little Secret About Dry Cleaning!

Benefits of solvent free dry cleaning.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Does Eco Dry Clean (wet clean) clean as well as solvent dry cleaning?

What Health Benefits are there to using a Green Dry Cleaner?

The Dirty Little Secret About Dry Cleaning!

How to remove an oil stain.

Green Dry Clean!

Eco-DryClean (wet clean) is a non toxic safe alternative to traditional solvent dry cleaning.

San Francisco Environment a department of the City & County of San Francisco issued a report and ranking of dry cleaning solvents and there health effects (human and environmental)*.

#1: Eco-DryClean- Consumers that use wet cleaning know that the clothes they send to the cleaners do not return home with any chemicals that might be harmful to themselves or their families. In addition the detergents can be odorless, biodegradable and non-toxic. A study done of the wastewater leaving a wet cleaning plant showed that water going down to the sewage and hence the ocean is virtually free of toxins.

#2: Hydrocarbon - One of the most alarming aspects of the hydrocarbon solvents, like the Exxon manufactured DF-2000™, is the great lack of toxicity data.However, inhalation exposure can depress the central nervous system, may cause headaches, dizziness, anesthesia, drowsiness, unconsciousness and other central nervous system effects, including death. Furthermore, these chemicals pose significant fire hazards given that they are all flammable liquids.

#3: GreenEarth® - Siloxane or D5 tends to migrate to fat cells. Preliminary studies suggest a possible cancer hazard associated with this solvent. Studies done with rats have linked D5 with an increase in uterine tumors also known to aggravate liver disorders as well as cause liver weight changes. Furthermore, D5 is flammable, should the solvent ignite and start a fire one of the resulting products is formaldehyde, which is an acute respiratory and nervous system toxicant and cancer hazard.

#4: Perchloroethylene – Perc is listed by the state of California as a chemical known to cause cancer (bladder, stomach, esophageal, intestinal and pancreatic cancers) and reproductive toxicity. Reproductive effects such as infertility and spontaneous abortions have been reported from occupational exposure to perc. Long-term exposure can result in neurological effects, such as dizziness and diminished cognitive ability, as well as damage to the liver and kidneys. High levels of exposure in enclosed spaces, even for short periods of time, can cause respiratory failure and even death.

Ask your dry cleaner what type of process they are using.

*to read the full report visit S.F. environment at http://sfenvironment.org/downloads/library/dry_cleaning_fact_sheet_081308.pdf

or access the link through our web sites eco facts page.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

Dry Cleaning’s Dirty Trick

Are There Green Dry Cleaners?

How to remove blood stains using green products

How often should I clean my bedding?