Multiprocess Wet Cleaning: Cost and Performance Comparison of Conventional Dry Cleaning and an Alternative Process

摘要

The study was a collaborative effort between EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) program and the dry cleaning industry. EPA and the dry cleaning industry formed a partnership in an effort to cut down on exposure to perchloroethylene (PCE), the chemical solvent used by most dry cleaners to clean clothes. The study compares the cost and performance of a traditional dry cleaning method using PCE to an alternative method that does not use chemical solvents. The alternative method, called Multiprocess Wet Cleaning, relies on soaps, heat, steam, and pressing to clean clothes that are traditionally dry cleaned. The results of the study show that in certain situations, the wet cleaning process is technically feasible and economically competitive with PCE dry cleaning.