- Joined
- Dec 29, 2014
- Messages
- 106
- Reaction score
- 11
Perc (AKA perchloroethylene, tetrachloroethene) is widely decried as the hallmark of a dry cleaner who neglects the health of his employees and environment. I've read enough to buy this general consensus and have chosen cleaners who use silicon-based solvents for the past two years.
However, I've recently moved and the most recommended (by local tailors, high-end retailers, and Yelpers) cleaner in the area uses perc. His argument, and the argument of other perc proponents is that the solvent, while admittedly bad for the environment and health, is the best option for mens wool tailoring because 1) it's the strongest solvent for hydrophobic stains and 2) it retains the "body" of the suit by leaving the fabric stiff.
I've read through the twenty or so posts available on SF w/r/t to dry cleaning, the posts Mr. Bloom (stubloom on SF) posts on his blog, and various mostly small-sample studies by consumer advocacy (e.g. Consumer Report 2003) and environmental protection agencies and have been able to collect six anecdotal accounts (i.e. descriptions of actual visits to the cleaner) of the difference between silicon-based and hydrocarbon-based solvents. In terms of the effect of the fabric (notwithstanding those on health or the environment) they don't point in favor of either. Some do indeed dislike the feel of fabrics after silicon treatments, but others notice excessive fraying after washing with perc. All of these observations, of course, may not be directly attributable to the solvents used.
High-end cleaners seem to disagree as well. Mr. Bloom of Rave Fabricare stands clearly against perc while services like Madam Paulette (not necessarily, I understand, the best that NYC has to offer in terms of cleaning) and reputable cleaners in my area have decided not to transition out of perc.
I understand that these two solvents do not exhaust the range of dry cleaning methods. I'm not considering the alternatives because wet-cleaning tends to distort the shape of wool items and there are no liquid CO2 (or any other type of fancy) cleaners in my area.
I'm hoping to gather some more testimonials from those who have consciously compared the effect of the two categories of solvents on their dry cleaning. What I'm expecting to see, though, are comments along the lines of "it doesn't matter," unjustified opinions and, most likely, no response. Here, then, is also an experiment on the power of SF.
However, I've recently moved and the most recommended (by local tailors, high-end retailers, and Yelpers) cleaner in the area uses perc. His argument, and the argument of other perc proponents is that the solvent, while admittedly bad for the environment and health, is the best option for mens wool tailoring because 1) it's the strongest solvent for hydrophobic stains and 2) it retains the "body" of the suit by leaving the fabric stiff.
I've read through the twenty or so posts available on SF w/r/t to dry cleaning, the posts Mr. Bloom (stubloom on SF) posts on his blog, and various mostly small-sample studies by consumer advocacy (e.g. Consumer Report 2003) and environmental protection agencies and have been able to collect six anecdotal accounts (i.e. descriptions of actual visits to the cleaner) of the difference between silicon-based and hydrocarbon-based solvents. In terms of the effect of the fabric (notwithstanding those on health or the environment) they don't point in favor of either. Some do indeed dislike the feel of fabrics after silicon treatments, but others notice excessive fraying after washing with perc. All of these observations, of course, may not be directly attributable to the solvents used.
High-end cleaners seem to disagree as well. Mr. Bloom of Rave Fabricare stands clearly against perc while services like Madam Paulette (not necessarily, I understand, the best that NYC has to offer in terms of cleaning) and reputable cleaners in my area have decided not to transition out of perc.
I understand that these two solvents do not exhaust the range of dry cleaning methods. I'm not considering the alternatives because wet-cleaning tends to distort the shape of wool items and there are no liquid CO2 (or any other type of fancy) cleaners in my area.
I'm hoping to gather some more testimonials from those who have consciously compared the effect of the two categories of solvents on their dry cleaning. What I'm expecting to see, though, are comments along the lines of "it doesn't matter," unjustified opinions and, most likely, no response. Here, then, is also an experiment on the power of SF.
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