If you’ve recently heard of wet cleaning and want to learn more about it, look no further. We explain what it is and how it can benefit you.
Wet cleaning is a dry cleaning alternative that uses cleaning additives that treat water so that it can be used to clean delicate fabrics like wool, silk, rayon, and leather. The term wet cleaning describes the process of washing items that are typically “dry clean only” with out the use of hash cleaning chemicals/solvents associated with traditional dry cleaning processes.
Many people do not realize that dry cleaning itself is not a dry process. Instead of submerging a fabric in water, dry cleaners will use chemicals called “solvents”. These chemicals are not benign. As more information emerges about the effect of these chemicals on the environment, the clothes, and the people who dry clean, it becomes more apparent that wet cleaning is a logical solution. So join us as we dive into wet cleaning—learn what it is and why it is beneficial.
Wet cleaning is revolutionizing the professional clothing care industry for several reasons. First and foremost many of the solvents used in traditional dry cleaning are getting more and more expensive to use. Due to safety regulations operators have seen higher disposal costs, heightened stilling requirements, and other costly operational changes just to use specific cleaning agents. Since wet cleaning additives are typically water soluble and derived of more mild cleaning agents they don’t require any expensive licensing or special care to use. In the case of Yamamoto’s Harmony Cleaning Additive the solution is comprised of plant based oils and minerals so it is environmentally friendly and save to handle concentrated amounts.
Secondly, with the worlds attention growing towards health and safety, and since nearly everything under the sun can be learned on the internet, patrons have discovered the “secrets of dry cleaning”. Since customers are educating themselves on how their clothes are being handled the general public is steering operators towards a safer cleaning alternative. This is another reason we see dry cleaners labeling themselves are “green cleaners” and other like terms.
The biggest reasons that not all cleaners have switched are easy. First, change is not easy for everyone. When owners/managers have been handling garments for a long time using a proven process it is extremely difficult to make them rethink how to process their loads. Secondly, the machines they’ve purchased to handle their cleaning are extremely expensive, most operators want to make sure they get every dollar out of each piece of equipment they own. Lastly, there have been several attempts to make wet cleaning the best cleaning option, but since the clothes are risk being exposed to raw water, the garment risks color loss, shrinkage, bubbling, and several other damaging effects. This makes operators worry they may ruin expensive garments if something is done incorrectly. That could force them to pay damage claims or even lose a customer… Because of that, companies are actively trying to eliminate any of the “risks” associated with wet cleaning.
For the future of professional dry cleaning it clearly is steering towards 100% wet cleaning. With advancements like Yamamoto’s Harmony Cleaning System operators rest easy knowing they can process virtually everything in their Harmony unit without the risk of damaging a garment. Due to their exclusive programming abilities the garments are NEVER exposed to raw water and the additive is emulsified prior to introducing a soiled load. This pretty much guarantees a better finish than any other brand on the market.
New to parts of North America Yamamoto is rapidly expanding into the cleaning industry because of the superior performance. Learn more about the difference here at:
