Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

On 2/2/2011 6:34 AM, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Two words- toxic waste. Any commercial use of those chemicals is called
a 'point source', IIRC, and there are all sorts of permitting and
inspection hoops to jump through. Same reason that almost all ma'n'pa
dry cleaners, the few that are left, have outsourced their cleaning to
giant industrial plants. And in a city where the person who owns the
store almost never owns the building, the landlord won't rent to anyone
who uses chemicals, at least not without a lot of extra money changing
hands. The possible downside for the property owner is just way too steep.

--
aem sends....

On Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:07:20 -0500, aemeijers
wrote:

On 2/2/2011 6:34 AM, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Two words- toxic waste. Any commercial use of those chemicals is called
a 'point source', IIRC, and there are all sorts of permitting and
inspection hoops to jump through. Same reason that almost all ma'n'pa
dry cleaners, the few that are left, have outsourced their cleaning to
giant industrial plants. And in a city where the person who owns the
store almost never owns the building, the landlord won't rent to anyone
who uses chemicals, at least not without a lot of extra money changing
hands. The possible downside for the property owner is just way too steep.

Makes sense. This is pretty much what also happened to a friend of
mine with the metal plating business he owned.

aemeijers wrote the following:
On 2/2/2011 6:34 AM, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Two words- toxic waste. Any commercial use of those chemicals is
called a 'point source', IIRC, and there are all sorts of permitting
and inspection hoops to jump through. Same reason that almost all
ma'n'pa dry cleaners, the few that are left, have outsourced their
cleaning to giant industrial plants. And in a city where the person
who owns the store almost never owns the building, the landlord won't
rent to anyone who uses chemicals, at least not without a lot of extra
money changing hands. The possible downside for the property owner is
just way too steep.


The little local dry cleaning store in a shopping center where I live
does one-day dry cleaning. There are no giant industrial clothes
cleaners nearby.
Where are they sending the clothes that can do one day service and
delivery?

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On 2/2/2011 10:15 AM, willshak wrote:
aemeijers wrote the following:
On 2/2/2011 6:34 AM, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Two words- toxic waste. Any commercial use of those chemicals is
called a 'point source', IIRC, and there are all sorts of permitting
and inspection hoops to jump through. Same reason that almost all
ma'n'pa dry cleaners, the few that are left, have outsourced their
cleaning to giant industrial plants. And in a city where the person
who owns the store almost never owns the building, the landlord won't
rent to anyone who uses chemicals, at least not without a lot of extra
money changing hands. The possible downside for the property owner is
just way too steep.


The little local dry cleaning store in a shopping center where I live
does one-day dry cleaning. There are no giant industrial clothes
cleaners nearby.
Where are they sending the clothes that can do one day service and
delivery?

Heh. When I was a kid, about every third shopping center, had a place
that advertised same-day service. 'One Hour Martinizing' ring a bell?

I did say 'almost'- either your little local store is one of the
exceptions that proves the rule, and does enough business to make it
worth having their own permits and modern machines, or they have a very
good outsourced provider that picks it all up late in the day, hauls it
to the nearest city with a production cleaning plant, where it is
cleaned second/third shift, and delivered back in the morning. If you
take clothes there, look for a cut-off-time sign, or ask them. No reason
for them to keep it a secret- the huge places don't take walk-in
customers, at least around here. Service to the trade only. Same
business model as the outsourced laundries many hotels and restaurants
and such use.

Personally, I decided years ago that 'dry clean only' clothes are for
rich people, and never buy anything like that.

--
aem sends...

On Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:42:14 -0500, aemeijers
wrote:

On 2/2/2011 10:15 AM, willshak wrote:
aemeijers wrote the following:
On 2/2/2011 6:34 AM, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Two words- toxic waste. Any commercial use of those chemicals is
called a 'point source', IIRC, and there are all sorts of permitting
and inspection hoops to jump through. Same reason that almost all
ma'n'pa dry cleaners, the few that are left, have outsourced their
cleaning to giant industrial plants. And in a city where the person
who owns the store almost never owns the building, the landlord won't
rent to anyone who uses chemicals, at least not without a lot of extra
money changing hands. The possible downside for the property owner is
just way too steep.


The little local dry cleaning store in a shopping center where I live
does one-day dry cleaning. There are no giant industrial clothes
cleaners nearby.
Where are they sending the clothes that can do one day service and
delivery?

Heh. When I was a kid, about every third shopping center, had a place
that advertised same-day service. 'One Hour Martinizing' ring a bell?

Once when my brother was visiting here, he went out looking for a
one-hour dry cleaner. Darn I can't remember if none advertised that
or they said it, but when he asked for it, they didn't have it.

I did say 'almost'- either your little local store is one of the
exceptions that proves the rule, and does enough business to make it
worth having their own permits and modern machines, or they have a very
good outsourced provider that picks it all up late in the day, hauls it
to the nearest city with a production cleaning plant, where it is
cleaned second/third shift, and delivered back in the morning. If you
take clothes there, look for a cut-off-time sign, or ask them. No reason
for them to keep it a secret- the huge places don't take walk-in
customers, at least around here. Service to the trade only. Same
business model as the outsourced laundries many hotels and restaurants
and such use.

Personally, I decided years ago that 'dry clean only' clothes are for
rich people, and never buy anything like that.

I found out that if you get a polyester/wool blend the moths won't eat
your suit like they do an all-wool suit. Silly goofs, they don't even
eat the wool parts!

(or maybe other blends)

On 2/2/2011 11:25 AM, mm wrote:
(snip)

Personally, I decided years ago that 'dry clean only' clothes are for
rich people, and never buy anything like that.

I found out that if you get a polyester/wool blend the moths won't eat
your suit like they do an all-wool suit. Silly goofs, they don't even
eat the wool parts!

(or maybe other blends)

At this point, I don't buy anything that can't go in the washer. They
don't pay me enough to wear a tie and jacket.

--
aem sends...

On Feb 2, 6:34*am, mm wrote:
Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

What I miss are the small bottles of dry cleaning fluid, carbon
tetrachloride I believe, with the dauber top to apply the fluid to
your clothes to clean a small spot on a suit or other wool garment.The
spray stuff they sell now, the kind that dries into a white powder,
never seems to work very well.

On Feb 2, 3:27*pm, Pavel314 wrote:
On Feb 2, 6:34*am, mm wrote:

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

What I miss are the small bottles of dry cleaning fluid, carbon
tetrachloride I believe, with the dauber top to apply the fluid to
your clothes to clean a small spot on a suit or other wool garment.The
spray stuff they sell now, the kind that dries into a white powder,
never seems to work very well.

Naptha works wonders

Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.


*When I worked for my dad in the 60's he had a lot of customers in the
laundry and dry cleaning business. I remember wiring those self-serve dry
cleaning machines. At that time they used perchlorethylene (Perc for short)
in those machines and other commercial machines. That fluid got distilled
periodically to get the dirt out of the fluid. Another process used a fluid
that I only knew as petroleum which went down the sewer drain after it was
used. These were all open systems and the chemicals evaporated freely into
the air. A few years later the government required closed systems so no
evaporation occurred. I think one type of machine used fluorocarbons while
others still used perc. The dry cleaner that I use now told me his machine
uses a soy based cleaning fluid after I made a comment once about the place
not smelling like the chemicals I remember growing up with.

I would guess that a number of forces caused the demise of the self-serve
machine. Government regulation which made it too expensive to design and
make new machines in compliance every few years. Man-made fibers such as
polyester which don't need dry cleaning. The need to press the remaining
clothes such as wool suit and sport jackets that still do require dry
cleaning.

On Feb 2, 11:34*am, mm wrote:
Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Dry cleaning fluids are highly toxic and atmospheric pollutants that
destroy the ozone layer. "Same day" and DIY dry cleaning is very
dangerous as the fluid has not had time to disperse from the clothing.
The fluid can be absorbed through the skin.
Several of the commonly used ones cause cancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrach...lth_and_safety

One of the things we're better off without.

On Sun, 6 Feb 2011 03:31:11 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:

On Feb 2, 11:34*am, mm wrote:
Whatever happened to DIY dry cleaning.?

Someone mentioned they have a box that looks like Dryel but is generic
so one can do dry cleaning in his own home.

Good idea?

I never knew or don't remember why do it yourself dry cleaning
machines at laundromats disappeared.

Dry cleaning fluids are highly toxic and atmospheric pollutants that
destroy the ozone layer. "Same day" and DIY dry cleaning is very
dangerous as the fluid has not had time to disperse from the clothing.
The fluid can be absorbed through the skin.
Several of the commonly used ones cause cancer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrach...lth_and_safety

One of the things we're better off without.

Thanks, and thanks all. John's was particularly interesting.