Glossary of Terms J to R Textile Cleaning, Drycleaning, Wetcleaning, Stain Removal, Fabric Cleaning

Kauri-Butanol Value (KBV) – The solvent-soluble soil removing capability of a liquid. A solvent with a high KBV values is usually more efficient in removing oil and grease stains, but a lower KBV value may be safer on some dyes, adhesives, and trim fabrics.

Kissing Tumblers - An automated transfer system in which the washer and dryer can move together in such a manner that garments will be moved by gravity from the washer to the dryer as the units drums rotate. The cost and complexity of this approach have limited its application to industrial systems.

Laundering - In contrast to drycleaning which uses a solvent as the principal cleaning medium, wetcleaning uses water. This process may be used occasionally by a drycleaner when a drycleanable garment is heavily stained with water soluble soils. Also known as Wet Wash.

Leveling Agent - A textile industry term referring to a wetting agent used to aid in the uniform dispersal of a dye in a dye bath and generally having wetting properties. Leveling agents emulsify water molecules. Leveling agents are also employed to facilitate the use of wetside spotting agents and obtain the removal of water rings on garments.

Liquid Carbon Dioxide - A cleaning process whereby carbon dioxide in a liquid state (operating under a pressure of approximately 700 pounds per square inch) is utilized as a cleaning solvent. The first commercial liquid carbon dioxide drycleaning plant opened in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1999.

Loading Factor – The optimum weight of clothes that can be properly cleaned in a particular machine. This takes into account the size of the wheel (or tumbler), the type of process used, and the solvent used.

Mahogany Sulfate – See Petroleum Sulfonates.

Marking - Process of identifying garments by attaching tags to each garment or stamping an identification code onto an inner surface of the garment. It is the first operation performed in a drycleaning plant.

Methyl Chloroform – See 1,1,1-Trichloroethane

Mileage - See Solvent Mileage.

Mister - A wastewater treatment device that sprays drycleaning wastewater that has been filtered through activated carbon or polymer filter into the air for disposal.

Montreal Protocols – An international environmental agreement to control chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. The protocol which was renegotiated in June 1990, calls for a phase-out of CFCs, halons, and carbon tetrachloride by the year 2000, a phase out of chloroform by 2005 and provides financial assistance to help developing countries make the transition from ozone depleting substances.

Muck - The residue from a powder filtration system which consists of diatomite (diatomaceous earth), spent solvent, non-volatile residues, greases, lint, soils, water, and sometimes carbon. Also known as Filter Cake or Filter Muck.

Muck Cooker - A distillation device in which live steam is used to heat solvent-laden waste (muck) from powder filtration systems to volatilize and recover solvent. Also known as a Cooker.

Naphtha - A petroleum or coal tar distillate composed largely of aliphatic hydrocarbons. Naphtha has been used as a drycleaning solvent. Also known as Benzine.

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) - Air standards for pollutants proposed in December 1991 under the Clean Air Act Amendments. Promulgated in 1993, NESHAP requirements for the perchloroethylene drycleaning industry prohibit the sale of new transfer machines, require retrofitting of existing drycleaning equipment with control devices and require new machines to be sold with such equipment.

Non-ionic Detergent - A drycleaning detergent that has no charge. These detergents carry water by means of solubilization. Non-ionic detergents are used in charged systems.

Non-recovery Unit - See Tumbler.

Non-volatile Residue (NVR) - The bulk of the residue left in the still after the solvent has been distilled out. NVR is made up primarily of oily, fatty, gummy and insoluble soils removed from clothing. n-propyl bromide - See DrySolvTM or Tech Kleen®.

Optical Brighteners - a.k.a. fluorescent whitening agents, optical bleaches or optical dyes. Chemicals used to “make white whiter”. Optical brighteners are normally included in detergents or sizing.

Oxidizing Bleach - A bleach that utilizes an oxidation process to decolorize stains or soiled areas. Examples are: hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite and sodium perborate.

PCE - See Perchloroethylene.

Perc - See Perchloroethylene.

Percent Detergent - The ratio of detergent to solvent used in the drycleaning cycle. Most charged solvents contain a “percent detergent” between one half and one and one-half percent, depending on the drycleaning system being used.

Perchloroethylene - A completely halogenated (chlorinated) ethene. This chlorinated hydrocarbon has excellent cleaning and degreasing properties, and is the predominant solvent used in the drycleaning industry. Also known as Tetrachloroethylene, Tetrachloroethene, Perc or PCE.

PerkloneTM - Perklone is the trade name for perchloroethylene drycleaning solvent manufactured by Ineos Chlor and exported to the United States. Ineos Chlor exports two brands of perchloroethylene drycleaning solvents: PerkloneTM D and PerkloneTM DX.

Per Sec® - Trade name for perchloroethylene drycleaning solvent manufactured by Vulcan Chemicals.

Petroleum Drycleaning Solvents - Drycleaning solvents that are petroleum based. These are solvents are blends of distillate fractions produced at petroleum refineries. Most are mixtures of as many as 200 different compounds and have a variable composition generally C5 - C16). Their flash points range from 105° F to 147° F. (New higher flash point so-called synthetic petroleum solvents are being developed). There are many names for these solvents including: Stoddard solvent, mineral spirits, 140° flash solvent, quick-dry solvent, etc. The earliest petroleum drycleaning solvents were kerosene, gasoline, benzene and naphtha.

Petroleum Sulfonate - An early drycleaning detergent (a filter soap). It is a sulfonate of mixed hydrocarbons of petroleum origin. Petroleum sulfonates was the original charged-system detergent. Also known as Mahogany Sulfonate. Petro-miser - Petroleum solvent dryer (reclaimer) that reclaims petroleum solvent.

Picrin - Trade name for one of the more commonly used dry-side spotting agents. The predominant constituent of Picrin is trichloroethylene.

Polishing Filter - A filter used to remove small particles of carbon or soil that have not been captured by the main filter and can effectively minimize redeposition of soil on the garments - known as “graying”. Polishing filters have pore sizes that are extremely fine (3 to 5 microns). They are installed downstream of the main filter system. There are two types of polishing filter mediums - resin-bonded fibers and a spiral cotton element.

Powder Filtration System - Drycleaning filtration systems that utilize filter powder (diatomite) and sometimes filter powder plus activated carbon as a filtering medium. These systems can be either Constant Pressure Filters, or Regenerative Filters.

Pre-charged Solvent - Drycleaning solvent that contains detergent added by the manufacturer. It has been used largely in coin-operated drycleaning machines.

Pre-cleaning - See Spotting.

Precoat - Filter powder applied to the tube filters or filter mesh.

Precoating - Placing a thin layer of filter powder on the filtering medium (screen, tube disc) before any impure solvent has passed through the screen holes. Precoating prevents the clogging of the holes by providing an immediate layer of filter powder as the first impurities come through Pre-spotting - See Spotting.

Press Return Water - See Vacuum Water

Protein Formula Detergent - A type of wet-side spotting agent that contains enzymes, which can include Amylase, Cellulase, Lipase or Protease. These digesters are used to remove starch, cellulose, fats, oils and protein stains.

Pump Strainer - A device located in front of the solvent pump in a drycleaning machine that prevents lint and other objects from entering the pump.

PureDry™ - A so-called “hybrid” drycleaning solvent manufactured by Niran Technologies, Inc. PureDry is a blend of petroleum hydrocarbons (isoparaffins), perfluorocarbons and hydrofluoroethers (HFEs). It has a flash point of 350 ° F and a specific gravity of 0.8 at 77° F.