Dry Cleaning

INTRODUCTION • What do you understand by the term DRY CLEANING ? • Various components of machines? • How it works?

Dry cleaning • It's a process that cleans clothes without water. • The cleaning fluid that is used is a liquid, and all garments are immersed and cleaned in a liquid solvent -- the fact that there is no water is why the process is called "dry cleaning”.

Dry Cleaning machine components The basket is mounted in a housing that includes Motors Pumps Filters Still recovery coils storage tanks, fans a control panel

Dry Cleaning Machine • Motor-driven washer/extractor /dryer that holds from 9 to 45 kg of clothes or fabrics in a rotating,perforate d stainless-steel basket.

THE PROCESS Tagging and inspection: Some method, whether it is small paper tags or little labels written on a shirt collar, is used to identify your clothes so they don't get mixed up with everyone else's. Clothes are also examined for missing buttons, tears, etc. that the dry cleaner might get blamed for otherwise.

Pre-treatment • The cleaner looks for stains on your clothes and treats them to make removal easier and more complete.

Dry cleaning The clothes are put in a machine and cleaned with a solvent.

Post-spotting • Professional equipment and chemical preparations using steam, water, air, and vacuum. • It involves process for removing a stain. • If the stain had water in it to begin with (bean soup, for example), then it takes water or wet-side chemicals to remove the stain. • If the stain was on the dry side (grease, oil-base paint, tar, nail polish), it takes solvents or dry-side chemicals to remove the stain.

• Finishing includes Pressing Folding Packaging and other Finishing touches • Once the clothes are cleaned, they are pressed or "finished." The steps in this process include: • Applying steam to soften the garment • Re-shaping it through quick drying • Removing the steam with air or vacuum • Applying pressure to the garment

Dry cleaning process begin • Garments with visible stains are treated at spotting stations. •

Spotting chemicals, contained in squeeze bottles, are applied to the stain.

Dry cleaning process • • • •

STEP – I Wash cycle STEP – II Rinse cycle STEP – III Extraction process STEP – IV Drying cycle

Wash cycle • During the wash cycle the chamber is filled approximately 1/3 full of solvent and begins to rotate, agitating the clothing. • The solvent temperature is maintained at 85°F (29.4°C), as a higher temperature may extract dye from garments, causing color loss.

• During the wash cycle, the chamber is constantly fed a supply of fresh solvent from the working solvent tank while spent solvent is removed and sent to a filter unit comprising a distilation boiler and condenser. • The ideal flow rate is one gallon of solvent per pound of garments (roughly 8 litres of solvent per kilogram of garments) per minute, depending on the size of the machine.

Rinse Cycle • At the end of the wash cycle, the machine starts a rinse cycle, and the garment load is rinsed with fresh distilled solvent from the pure solvent tank. This pure solvent rinse prevents discoloration caused by soil particles being absorbed back onto the garment surface from the "dirty" working solvent

Extraction process • After the rinse cycle the machine begins the extraction process, which recovers dry-cleaning solvent for reuse. Modern machines recover approximately 99.99% of the solvent employed. • The extraction cycle begins by draining the solvent from the washing chamber and accelerating the basket to 350 to 450 rpm, causing much of the solvent to spin free of the fabric.

Drying cycle • During the drying cycle, The garments are tumbled in a stream of warm air (145°F/63°C) that circulates through the basket, evaporating any traces of solvent left after the spin cycle. The air temperature is controlled to prevent heat damage to the garments.

Deodorizing (aeration) • After the drying cycle is complete, • a deodorizing (aeration) cycle cools the garments and removes the last traces of solvent, by circulating cool outside air over the garments.

Chemical used in dry cleaning process • PERC is a colorless, clear, heavy liquid • Perc is used by dry cleaners because it is an excellent cleaning solvent and its nonflammable properties make it safe for use..

Other compounds used in laundry These include • other chlorinated solvents • petroleum naptha, • acetic acid • hydrogen peroxide • ammonia, and mineral spirits