Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning removes soil from textiles primarily with organic solvents rather than water. Despite its name, the process uses liquid and usually includes detergent, agitation, and controlled drying.

Dry-cleaning machine: A machine that washes textiles in solvent, extracts the liquid, and dries them in a controlled cycle. Its sealed cycle circulates solvent, filters it, and recovers it from garments.
Solvation: The process by which solvent molecules surround and interact with dissolved or dispersed substances. Solvent choice determines which soils can be loosened and carried away.
Spotting (textile cleaning): The localized treatment of stains on fabric before or after a cleaning cycle. Targeted stain treatment addresses marks that a general solvent bath may leave behind.
Tetrachloroethylene toxicity: The harmful health effects associated with exposure to tetrachloroethylene, including effects on the nervous system. Exposure concerns have driven controls and alternatives in dry-cleaning workplaces.
Perchloroethylene: A chlorinated solvent, also called tetrachloroethylene, widely used in commercial dry cleaning. Its grease-dissolving power and nonflammability made it a major cleaning solvent.
Surface tension: The tendency of a liquid surface to resist expansion because of cohesive molecular forces. Liquid behavior affects how cleaning fluids wet fibers and penetrate fabric.
Stain removal: The process of eliminating unwanted deposits or discoloration from a material. Stain composition helps determine which solvent or pretreatment can remove it safely.
Groundwater contamination: The presence of pollutants in underground water supplies and aquifers. Leaks and spills of chlorinated cleaning solvent can persist in soil and reach groundwater.
Hydrocarbon solvent: A petroleum-derived liquid composed mainly of hydrogen and carbon, used as a less aggressive dry-cleaning solvent. It cleans garments more gently than perchloroethylene but is more flammable.
Hydrophobicity: The tendency of a substance to repel or avoid mixing with water. Oily soils are hydrophobic, helping explain why water alone often removes them poorly.

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