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Wetcleaning: How Does It Fit Into Your Operation?
 Professional Wetcleaning: a process of cleaning sensitive textiles (e.g., wool, silk, rayon, linen) in water by professionals using special technology, detergents, and additives to minimize the potential for adverse effects. It is followed by appropriate drying and restorative finishing procedures.
DLI believes that most fabricare facilities can successfully wetclean 30-40 percent of the items processed in the facility with minimal difficulty, and can successfully wetclean 60-80 percent given skilled labor, specialized equipment and chemicals, and additional training. This position mirrors that of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and has been validated by DLI studies and other independent, well-run studies.
The percentage of wetcleaning a plant can achieve is increased by the commitment of an individual to maximize the wetcleaning capability of their facility. With a very high level of commitment, a plant may achieve higher than 80 percent wetcleaning.
It’s not surprising to hear wetcleaning equipment manufacturers sing the praises of this alternative cleaning process. But some plant owners are also on a mission to "convert" consumers to "green cleaning."
"Our customers prefer it-there’s no odor, the clothes come out cleaner, and people feel good about not contributing to environmental pollution. They go out of their way to find us because we are environmentally friendly," said Deborah Davis, owner of Cleaner By Nature, a 100 percent wetcleaning operation in Southern California.
"A lot of people want to glorify it and say it doesn’t have any problems, but it does have problems," noted Ann Hargrove, a former wetcleaner who has extensive experience as a wetcleaning consultant.
To be fair, both women readily acknowledge the pros and cons of wetcleaning. Referring to the industry standard of returning "like-new" garments to customers, Hargrove said that in many cases, wetcleaning does provide a superior cleaning, such as with fruit and beverage stains that are water-soluble. "When I’m training someone as a wetcleaner, I’m telling them there is less spotting at the spotting board. And many times, your colors are brighter, and the whites are whiter."
But she is quick to add: "The downside of wetcleaning, I never hide that either, and that involves the pressing time." She explained that not every wetcleaned garment requires longer finishing time. But a significant number do, and that translates directly into added labor costs.
Davis doesn?t dispute that point. While conceding that a downside of wetcleaning is that pressing takes longer, she adds, "There are other savings involved [in wetcleaning], so we?re finding that the overall cost structure is comparable to that of drycleaning."
Cleaner by Nature sends just under 1 percent of its volume out for drycleaning. Davis eschews upholstery because "it?s too risky." With several years? experience under her belt, Davis has learned that some dyes pose a high risk of bleeding if they?re wetcleaned, so those are sent out, as well. "And there is some grease that?s really hard to remove on the spotting board," which perc will readily handle, she explained. Wax is another substance where wetcleaning is not effective, but which perc can easily remove.
Sorting the Mix
Wetcleaning partisans such as Deborah Davis assert that experienced operators who properly train their employees can process nearly 100 percent of the garments coming through the front door and make money doing so.
To some extent, changes in fashion have helped wetcleaners. "The garments coming over our counter are different even from 10 or 15 years ago. We are seeing a lot more casual wear; items that say machine-washable." Hargrove said. "Those are no-brainers" for wetcleaning, she added, suggesting they account for up to one-third of all garments.
Hargrove said the next level of wetcleanable garments involve those that "we as cleaners know can be done, even though the label says dryclean only." She cites as examples golf shirts purchased from high-end retailers such as Nieman-Marcus and even Dockers trousers. With these kinds of garments, wetcleaners can comfortably process 60 percent of all garments.
As cleaners attempt to wetclean more than 60 percent of their overall volume, finishing time/costs become a more pronounced issue. Hargrove said that unless cleaners invest in tensioning equipment (to deal with shrinkage), the process is not cost effective as the cleaner attempts to raise the percentage of wetcleaned-processed garments.
Hargrove participated in the Center for Neighborhood Technology?s wetcleaning demonstration project in Chicago, The Greener Cleaner, so she has first-hand experience. "I can walk into any plant probably do 75-80 percent of the garments coming in. She believes that if one were to average out the costs to process these garments, drycleaning versus wetcleaning, "I think it would be a little bit more on the wetcleaning side because of the pressing."
She also thinks a much higher percentage of garments are unsuitable for wetcleaning. Hargrove estimated that up to 90 percent of all garments can be wetcleaned, "it will take you longer, but you can do it. But that last 10 percent is not just cost-effective," period.
Claims for Damages
Davis cited her figures for customer claims, which appear to be in-line with industry averages for drycleaning. "In general, when you?re new to the process, you will have problems. Without experience, you?ll make mistakes. And sure, that was our experience. But you will learn how to identify those garments that can cause you problems, and certainly, we have gotten better with it over the last three years."
"If you?re going to do every single piece, you?re going to have claims," Hargrove said. She advises wetcleaners to identify the garments that will not wetclean well, and send them to a wholesaler for drycleaning. Dye bleeding is one of the most common problems. For example, a cleaner who tests, say, a black dye for bleeding, finds that it bleeds. So, if the garment is wetcleaned, you?ll obviously have a claim. This, then, is an excellent candidate for drycleaning. "The cleaners who are wetcleaning and testing, their claims aren?t any higher," Hargrove said.
Shrinkage is another issue. In wetcleaning, certain fabrics are more susceptible than others. But taking before-cleaning measurements is a sound preventative-claim policy. "When I first started at The Greener Cleaner, we measured everything. If I put a crepe suit in a wetcleaning machine and it’s a size 12, it will come out of the machine a size 8. And crepe is easy to fix; we just relax it at the press, and it will return to its original dimension," Hargrove said.
She cautioned, "Of course, getting them back [to the right size] at the press takes time. Again, is that cost effective?"
Davis said in her shop, the production standards for finisher is form 15 to 20 pieces per hour, depending on the types of garments they‘re pressing. "We pull out wedding gowns and other difficult items [such as pleated skirts whose pleats are sewn at the top], then calculate the average."
Wetcleaning in its various forms has been around for a long time. And it appears that it can serve many, if not most, drycleaners as a viable adjunct process. Despite the pronouncements of wetcleaning’s "missionaries," it’s not clear at this time when or if it will become the nation’s number one process of choice.
Related sites:
Home drycleaning Kits
Gender Pricing Issues
Environmental & Health Issues
Care Labeling
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