Producing a high standard of cleaning and finishing

Drycleaners now have a wide choice of chemical products to assist solvent performance and there are ranges that are specifically formulated to work with each of the different solvents including perc and the various alternatives.
These additives can include drycleaning detergents, pre-cleaning/spotting agents, garment treatment chemicals, optical brighteners, bactericides, fabric conditioners and anti-static and anti-lint agents.
A high percentage of the garments brought into drycleaners are labelled for perc. According to Dow Chemical, perc has been established for more than 60 years as the benchmark for high quality professional textile cleaning around the world.
It meets customer requirements for cleanliness and freshness and its use is governed by stringent regulations that protect both people and the environment.

Setting standards
Safechem Europe, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, has developed "The New Standard" for high-quality, cost-efficient textile cleaning with perc. This complies with REACH legislation and consists of specially developed products and services for textile cleaners. It is supported by the leading machine manufacturers.
Safe transport, handling and storage is central to perc's sustainability, says Dow. It supplies the solvent in metal cans, which are transported in packaging that complies with European regulations for the carriage of dangerous goods by road. Safechem says that metal cans offer high mechanical strength and resistance to light and radiation and protect against unintended degradation of the product.
A longer-term solution is the Safe-Tainer System. This closed-loop, state-of-the-art delivery and handling system allows drycleaners to transport, store and handle the solvent in a safe and sustainable way.
Dow and Safechem have developed a range of products for solvent maintenance, which also forms part of "The New Standard".
As Dow explains, even though closed cleaning technology enables longer solvent use and minimises solvent losses, the fatty acids that are removed from the textiles and brought into the perc will cause solvent contamination.
This results in a slow but steady depletion of the stabiliser, which can lead to an unwanted odour, poor cleaning results and equipment corrosion.
To counter this, Safechem provides the Maxicheck Pure Power test kit, which contains all the necessary tests for reliable and easy monitoring of solvent quality on site.
In case the test results do not match the predefined measures, the solvent can be re-stabilised directly with the Maxistab Pure Power Stabiliser concentrate.
The Maxicheck logbook allows cleaners to keep a record of monitoring results and maintenance schedules. It can also be shown to the authorities to prove that the machine is being used in the optimum range. These measures not only help to ensure the best cleaning results but also to reduce solvent consumption and to increase operating efficiency.
Lynx Dry Cleaning Supplies and Textile Care Supplies are authorised Safechem partners in the UK. These companies provide comprehensive advice and support services including training on using the Maxicheck Pure Power Test Kit, logbook and the Maxistab Pure Power Stabiliser.
At Büfa Reinigungssysteme in Germany, Jörg Schwerdtfeger says that just producing excellent products is not sufficient and so Büfa develops complete solutions for the drycleaner. "State-of-the-art products in conjunction with intense training and full programme packages put our customers ahead of the industry," he says.
He adds that the company is also involved with trade associations to ensure it can keep up with trends.
"We try to think ahead so we can react quickly to market changes and already have some developments in hand.
Philip Kalli at Ideal Manufacturing agrees that the industry is seeing significant developments in both processes and products. Drycleaners are having to seek ways to reinvent themselves by improving and adapting their services.
"We have seen a number of cleaners that now provide both a traditional drycleaning and a wetcleaning service, with this sector growing dramatically over the last few years," he says. They are also diversifying into specialist services.
Ideal is focussed on developing its professional textile care division to include laundry, drycleaning, wetcleaning, leather care, carpet care and additional specialist textile care applications as we seek to become the brightest name in British laundry," adds Kalli. "We have seen a significant increase in enquiries for wetcleaning and many bespoke professional businesses are using our Ahoy range to offer wetcleaning processes." As a result they can handle a broad range of items from wedding dresses to Ugg boots."
Schwerdtfeger at Büfa says that as a pioneer in modern wetcleaning, the company advises every drycleaner to combine the advantages of drycleaning with the potential provided by wetcleaning. "A modern drycleaning shop consists of a smaller drycleaning machine and a specialised machine with wetcleaning programs. This combination can handle any kind of garments," he says.
Although the UK drycleaning market still seems to be mainly focussed on perc, Schwerdtfeger says that alternatives such as hydrocarbon or silicone-based solvents, are on the rise.
His company is prepared for these alternatives. At Expo Detergo it launched Benzapon Atlantic an innovative detergent for use with hydrocarbon. He says that Büfa also has a full range for silicone-based solvents. This includes "a high performing detergent, an excellent pre-scrubbing agent and an outstanding waterproofing agent."
Swerdtfeger says that drycleaning additives have only changed slightly, although more concentrated products seem to be in favour. Benzapon Atlantic is a high concentration of state-of-the-art surfactant. However formulations for wetcleaning and laundry are changing and the ecological message is again becoming a priority.
Büfa's CareConcept covers ranges for wetcleaning, laundry hygiene and for drycleaning. For drycleaning it has developed ModulDOS, a modular system that includes products for both perc and for use with hydrocarbon.
The system achieves excellent results when it is matched to the respective fabric type, says Schwerdtfeger. Each garment type can be treated with customised products. These are added selectively so the system is more economical and it also eliminates the need for pre-spotting, so reducing time and labour."
Phillip Kalli at Ideal Manufacturing says that there are always challenges and demands facing a detergent manufacturer. Ideal has consulted several cleaners in the UK and Europe to find out what are the hardest problems for them to overcome.
"We will shortly be announcing details of our expanded Ashore drycleaning and Ahoy wetcleaning textile care ranges.
"We will be introducing additional spotters, a new range of professional leather cleaning and leather care products, and some interesting special-use products."
Kalli says that Ideal has seen significant year-on-year growth in its drycleaning division since its launch in 2013. "We can advise cleaners on the properties of the products and tailor systems and processes to suit the type of work being undertaken.
"Direct supply will save cleaners money and allow them to benefit from the expertise of our technical representatives. To encourage direct supply, we have been creating offers to let cleaners know that they can order direct from a British manufacturer of drycleaning chemicals."
With its "Shipped Ashore" promotion Ideal is offering special-price package comprising 5 litres of Ashore Spot, 5 litres of Ashore Spray (plus a trigger bottle), 5 litres of Ashore Wash and 5 litres of Ashore Finish. The new mini roll-on spotter kit is also included in the package.
Ideal can advise the customer on set up and how to use the products so that they can get the most out of the system.
Both the Ashore and Ahoy ranges have now been added to Ideal's 2015 edition of the Ideal Periodic Table of Laundry.
The company has also updated its range of spotters and has just revised its Ideal Spotter Chart, which will be packaged inside the new kit as standard.
Ideal is also formulating additional textile care products, along with leather and suede treatments. It plans to launch these later this year following the completion of successful field trials.
The Ashore drycleaning range is available in 5 litre and 20 litre drums.
Ashore Spot is a concentrated drycleaning pre-spotter for effective cleaning and stain removal. It is suitable for pre-spotting all kinds of water-based and greasy stains prior to cleaning.
Ashore Spray is a specialist pre-spotter spray for water-based stains. It can be diluted in a solution of two parts water and sprayed directly onto textiles. It must be left to dry before cleaning. It can also be used full strength on heavily soiled textiles.
Ashore Wash is a highly concentrated, fragrance-free, main wash drycleaning detergent that has built-in antistatic properties.
Ashore Finish is a concentrated drycleaning detergent with a cool fresh fragrance and formulated with retexturing additives to leave a pleasant handle and hygienic finish.
Ashore regular is a premium formula delicate drycleaning detergent for use in the pre-treatment bath. It has a pleasant orange fragrance and guarantees excellent results on water-soluble stains and pigment soiling without the use of water.
Ashore Fresh drycleaning detergent adds a cool, fresh cologne fragrance to fabrics. This product will help to prevent linting and achieve a noticeable anti-static and retexturing effect on textiles after drycleaning.
The British chemicals manufacturer Cole and Wilson is now part of the Christeyns group and forms the Gentle Care drycleaning chemicals division. This acquisition follows on from Christeyns UK's purchase of Leicester-based Alex Reid at the end of 2012.
The Gentle Care division includes the Sultra range of drycleaning products such as SultraSpot for stain removal and the Pro-Fix wetcleaning products.
For perc drycleaning, Cole & Wilson says that its premium Sultrasoft detergents give the best combination of cleaning and retexturing. They avoid static shocks and linting and reduce creasing, even in mixed loads.
The company manufactures a full range of chemicals to assist in the cleaning and finishing processes and covers the different solvent types including hydrocarbon, cyclosiloxanes and carbon dioxide as well as perc.
At last October's Expo Detergo, the Christeyns stand showed the full Cole & Wilson Gentle Care Detergents portfolio, covering drycleaning chemicals and wet wash detergents as well as introducing its own solvent HiGlo, a hydrocarbon-based solvent that is odour free.
The company said HiGlo will work in practically all brands and types of multi-solvent drycleaning machines with high performance results.
The German chemical manufacturer Kreussler & Co. has reorganised the UK distribution of its range of products for the laundry and drycleaning markets in July last year.
Since the launch of Kreussler's K4 solvent, the company has now achieved nearly 1,000 installations worldwide, according to head of sales Christophe Richter.

Distribution agreement
Last year Kreussler reached an agreement with London-based Clean Supply for the distribution of the full line of Kreussler's detergents and additives.
Clean Supply will deal mainly with the drycleaning sector and provide these businesses with technical support, sales and marketing for Kreussler's Clip, Prenett, Deprit, Lanadol and Esdogen ranges.
At the start of this year, Clean Supply actively promoted Kreussler's range of protection products.
These include Peramon, an acid binder and stabiliser with deodorisers; Distil, to prevent distillation boil-over caused by silicones, fluorocarbon resins and detergent surfactants; and Aromatex, which eliminates fire or smoke smells or other odours. All three can be used with perc, hydrocarbon, K4 and cyclosiloxane D5.

SAFE-TAINER SYSTEM: The Safe-Tainer System enables drycleaners to transport, store and handle perchloroethylene in a safe and sustainable way