Dry Cleaners Can Even Freshen Hockey Equipment

Almost everyone has had some experience with the dry cleaning industry, whether to have a favorite blouse or shirt cleaned, or to preserve one's wedding gown after the celebration and honeymoon are over. This process is an important part of the laundry business in most areas.

The simple definition of dry cleaning is to clean clothes and fabrics using a solvent other than water. Unlike normal laundering which uses some type of soap and water, the objects being dry cleaned are immersed in a liquid solvent, a process that has been around for quite some time. In early times, the solvents used included gasoline and kerosene. After World War II, the solvents used were carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene.

Besides being very volatile, these chemicals were difficult to work with. Today, the majority of dry cleaners use a solvent called perchlorethylene. This solvent has been found to be much easier to work with, better at cleaning, and able to shorten the process needed to clean various fabrics. Because it is easy to work with, many more dry cleaning establishments have been able to enter the laundry business.

Today, a good amount of clothing is marked dry clean only. Although it is possible to wash some of these items by hand, for the most many familiar objects benefit from being dry cleaned. As mentioned before, a good majority of brides have their wedding gown dry cleaned and boxed to preserve it after the wedding. Other items that are commonly dry cleaned include those made of leather and suede, even including the popular boots, UGGS.

Drapes are another item that benefits from a good dry cleaning every year. Any type of gown should be dry cleaned only to preserve the shape and color, making it fresh for the next use. Athletes make use of the process to deep clean their uniforms, especially bulky items. Even carpeting, including car floor mats can be dry cleaned, and come out looking new.

Although dry cleaning is a common tool used to preserve the life and beauty of clothing as well as other objects, there are changes coming. The emphasis today is on preserving the environment, and if one can clean without using solvents, this would be of great benefit to the environment.

Studies have shown that there are certain items that could benefit from dry cleaning, but without the solvents used today. These include sports equipment such as hockey gear. These items are difficult to clean and sanitize using simple dry cleaning methods. Those cleaning establishments that deal with sports equipment are now cleaning with ozone, a colorless gas that is present in nature. One can recognize the scent in a thunderstorm with lightening.

An important part of cleaning sports equipment involves destroying any bacteria that might remain on the equipment after its use. Because the athletes are usually perspiring when in the uniforms, it becomes a breeding ground for germs. It has been shown that the inside areas of hockey gloves, as well as those used in other sports can have a much higher bacteria count than other pieces of equipment, and those with cuts or scrapes on their hands are at risk of infection.

This is where the ozone cleaning can be put to use. Because of the chemical makeup of the ozone used in these dry cleaning systems, it is able to kill up to 97% of the bacteria in the gloves, as well as the other parts of a uniform. This is not possible when using the usual solvents. In addition, when the ozone cleaner is used, it is not necessary for the equipment to get wet or heated, and there is no toxic residue left behind.

This process can be used for cleaning all parts of the hockey uniform, including the helmet. Other sports that can benefit from this process include football, lacrosse, and baseball, to name a few. Even objects such as sleeping bags, paint ball equipment, and pillows and bedspreads from hotels can be cleaned and sanitized in this manner.

Dry cleaning has been a part of the cleaning process for many years, but it is now catching up to the rest of the technological advances that we see each day. Being able to have items cleaned properly, as well as sanitized, without putting people or the environment in danger by using toxic chemicals, will hopefully be one of the goals for those in the dry cleaning business, thus helping to make our world a much safer world to live in.