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 From time-to-time, we will update you with information about the drycleaning industry and tips for "helping you to look and feel smart" 
6 DECEMBER 2002SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGULATOR TAKES STEP TO BAN TOXIC CHEMICAL USED BY MOST BUT NOT ALL DRYCLEANERS Blue-N-Green Drycleaners made the right choice in 1998 to not use this toxic chemical Southern California air quality officials voted on Friday 6 December 2002 to impose the USA's first ban of the most commonly used dry cleaning solvent because of health concerns. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) board took a unanimous decision to begin a phased reduction of the use of Perchloroethylene or more commonly known as Perc by the 2200 or so drycleaners in the South Coast area which covers the major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Perc is widely recognised in the scientific community as a toxic air contaminant known to cause cancer in animals and strongly suspected of causing cancer in humans. Agencies that have declared perc a possible, probable or likely human carcinogen include the USA Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (a unit of the United Nations). The state of California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment classifies Perc as a carcinogen. While this is the first area to implement a ban in the USA, Sweden has a ban in place with allowance for special exemptions and other European countries have high level Perc usage taxes and regulations which have had a usage reduction effect. New Zealand at this time has no program or incentive for usage reduction. In addition to being a toxic air contaminant, Perc is a major groundwater pollutant in Southern California due to improper disposal practices in the past by various industries. This has happened to a lesser extent in Auckland. The SCAQMD board has said that as drycleaners switch to alternative technologies, it will be removing a significant cancer risk to the residents in the area. Their decision, which is predicted to have a flow on effect to the other parts of California and other USA states, considered the concerns of the drycleaning industry so as to both protect public health and minimise the economic impact to the small drycleaning operators. The SCAQMD board decision means that starting 1 January 2003, no new Perc based drycleaning machines can be installed (these operate by totalling immersing clothes in the Perc solvent in a machine similar to a front loading washing machine). Increased restrictions on the use of existing Perc machines come about in July 2004 and November 2007 with a total ban on Perc by 2020. The South Coast Air Quality Management District advocates drycleaners moving to non-toxic alternatives such as hydrocarbon solvent (available at Regal Drycleaners, Broadway, Newmarket, and Blue-N-Green Drycleaners, Ti Rakau Drive, Pakuranga/East Tamaki), exclusively professional wet cleaning (available at Starchi & Starchi Drycleanables, Pakuranga Highway, Highland Park) and carbon dioxide or silicon-based solvent (both not available in New Zealand). Some Auckland drycleaners utilise wet cleaning processes to complement their drycleaning process. In the Californian South Coast there are about 110 garment cleaners who use one these cleaner alternatives. Much greater numbers and proportions of cleaners use these cleaner technologies in Europe where, for example in Germany, 90% of drycleaners use hydrocarbon. The official news release of the Southern California ban can be found at the South Coast Air Quality Management District site at http://www.aqmd.gov TOP 
If you look good, we look good. Our business revolves
around keeping your clothing looking its best. There is a
lot of misinformation out there, sometimes perpetuated by
well-meaning but misinformed sources. Here's the truth
about six common dry cleaning myths.FICTION: Dry cleaning wears out clothes. FACT: Dry cleaning prolongs the life of clothes. In over 80 years of researching fabrics and drycleaning solvents, the International Fabricare Institute has never seen any indication of the dry cleaning process wearing out fabrics. Not only do stains set with age, rendering garments unwearable, but ground-in dirt and soil act as an abrasive, like sandpaper, causing deterioration of fibres. In addition, microscopic insects are attracted to soiled clothes causing further damage. Some people mistakenly recommend spot cleaning and pressing in lieu of drycleaning a garment. By pressing a garment before it is cleaned, unseen dirt, stains, and body oils may be permanently set. Although it's a matter of personal preference how frequently people dryclean their clothes, consumers should know they can not over-clean their clothes. FICTION: When it comes to shirts, cleaners' prices discriminate against women. FACT: Cleaners charge according to the amount of labour it takes to clean and press each shirt, not by gender. Men's shirts are very much standard fare: The styles are much the same and don't change radically from year to year. For these reasons, automated equipment has been designed to press standard shirts, which cuts down on labour costs. On the other hand, there is little consistency in women's shirts and blouses. They often contain various trims, delicate fabrics (silk, satin), and other embellishments (ruffles, pleats, tucks) that require hand ironing. The styles change from year to year and season to season. The result is that many women's shirts and blouses have to be hand-finished individually which is a more labour-intensive process. This additional charge applies to any shirt that requires additional labour, be it a man's fashion shirt or a woman's shirt. FICTION: All stains can he removed. FACT: All stains don't come out. Most but not all stains can be completely removed even by an expert stain removal technician. Many factors determine if a stain will be removed, including the type of stain, the fibre type and colour of fabric, and the length of time the stain has remained on the fabric. Stains from some dyes, medicine, or ink may not be completely removed because they contain permanent colouring matter. The most common stains are food and beverage stains. Salad oils, other food fats, and greases oxidise over time, leaving a tan or yellow stain. Other food and beverages contain animal proteins (i.e. dairy products), tannins (coffee, tea), or sugars (juices, soda, alcohol) that can similarly oxidise with age, discolour, and permanently set. The good news is the chances of removing stains improve with your assistance: The sooner you get a stain to Blue-N-Green Drycleaners, the better the chances are of getting it out. FICTION: Manufacturers and care labels are never wrong. FACT: Manufacturers are not required to test before deciding on a care label, so mistakes can occur from time to time. In some countries, regulators fine manufacturers that fail to provide a reasonable basis for the care instructions they provide. However, this "reasonable basis" could be based on anything from testing to industry practice, or only general knowledge and assumptions. In fact, typically manufacturers are not required to verify what is printed on a label is accurate. Unfortunately for consumers, the regulators responsible for any "Care" labelling rules, can usually only enforce the rule after garments have already been ruined and a pattern of damage is detected. In other instances, a manufacturer may add care instructions that are works of pure fiction. Drycleaners have seen a variety of care instructions that do not comply with the typical Care Labelling Rules. These include: "Dry Clean Only, Exclusive of Trim ; "Do Not Wash, Do Not Dry Clean, Take to a Laundry Expert"; "Special Precautions and Care to Beading. Do not wash or clean by fabric methods. Must be cleaned by laundry expert"; or a meaningless symbol. FICTION: Because the dry cleaner was the last one to handle my garment, he or she is responsible for the damage. FACT: It's not quite that simple. While cleaners occasionally make mistakes, more often they are blamed for that which is beyond their control. Everything that happens to a garment during its life impacts how it will respond to drycleaning or washing. Garment Production: How the garment was made, what trims and/or buttons were used, what inner linings are hidden, how it was dyed or finished, and what fibres were used all have an effect on cleanability. Before You've Purchased the Garment: Exposure to light and atmospheric gases in the store, plastic packaging, and the shipment method could affect the appearance of an item. After You've Purchased the Garment: Exposure to light, atmospheric gases, and soils, as well as contact with perspiration, personal care products, food, beverages, and soiled surfaces will affect the appearance of an item after cleaning. Frequently worn clothing may show colour loss, as well as thinning of the fabric. These are all beyond the control of the cleaner. During Cleaning: The cleaner cannot always determine if dyes, trims, or materials will respond well to the label's care instructions. Many stains and colour losses present on a garment are not revealed until the item is cleaned and pressed. The only part of the process the cleaner has control over is the cleaning process itself. Yes, sometimes mistakes are made, which can be minimised with a vigilant and quality driven drycleaner such as Blue-N-Green Drycleaners. For example, with some drycleaners, their system may have too much moisture, which may result in felting shrinkage of wool fabrics, or the solvent could be dirty, which could cause light colours to look dingy. With Blue-N-Green Drycleaners, the effort is constantly made to avoid these situations by working through daily operational habits to make these instances an unlikely event. FICTION: Men's cotton dress shirts don't shrink. FACT: If improperly pre-shrunk during manufacturing, cotton shirts will shrink. Fabrics are woven under tension. If the fabric is not adequately pre-shrunk before the shirt is constructed, the agitation of any laundering process can relax the fabric resulting in shrinkage. If shrinkage does not occur until the shirt has been laundered several times, it may be due to the removal of finishing agents such as sizings, starches, and stain repellents that held the fabric in place. Not only do shirts shrink, but most other items do too. Shrinkage is so common in fabrics that the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has established standards for the amount of acceptable shrinkage in all items. Typically shirt manufacturers allow for 2 to 3% shrinkage even on properly stabilised fabrics. This means a shirt with a 39 cm neck and an 84 cm sleeve length could shrink approximately 0.8 cm 1.2 cm in the neck and 1.7 cm to 2.5 cm in the sleeve. On fabrics that are improperly stabilised, shrinkage is higher, resulting in a shirt that is too small.
Blue-N-Green DrycleanersPhone 273 5253 Fax 273 5544 TOP |