Why gentle matters in garment care

Internationally, manufacturer care instructions for high quality, dry clean  garments are increasingly recommending GreenEarth Cleaning.  Our gentle technology is ideally suited for the care of any garment but is an especially welcomed solution to the problem of damage risk caused by traditional, more aggressive dry cleaning methods. 

Problem items are no problem at all  

Garments with made with specialty fibers, ornamentation and components are ideally suited for GreenEarth Cleaning.   This is because liquid silicone is chemically inert, with very low surface tension and a much lower Kauri-Butanol Value (KBV) than petrochemical-based cleaning solvents.  This combination of characteristics allows the GreenEarth solution to safely penetrate fabric fibers and carry away soils without being abrasive or aggressive, leaching dyes or damaging delicate ornamentation.

Virtually any item can be safely cleaned with GreenEarth:

• Beads, sequins and other paillettes
• Ornamentation made of plastic, metal or glass
• Leather and fur or faux fur trims, sleeves and bodices
• Vinyl, rubber, elastic, acetate, triacetate, polyeurethane, silk, natural skins and plasticizers
• Sizing, specialty linings, coatings and backings
• Mixed construction of fibers and components
• Vibrant colors and graphic prints
• Antique and museum quality pieces

How garments and manufacturers benefit

GreenEarth can safely clean garments that would be damaged by perc or petroleum-based dry cleaning methods.  It is no longer necessary to create care labels that say "Dry clean exclusive of trim."  Clothes will also look newer longer. Colors stay bright and vivid.  Whites are whiter, and repeated cleanings won’t cause yellowing over time.  And unlike other alternatives, GreenEarth doesn’t cause shrinkage. Clothes always retain their correct size and shape no matter how many times they are cleaned. Garments come out of a GreenEarth bath with very little wrinkling, no static and a soft hand so they need less ironing and finishing, which also means less wear and tear on clothes. 

GreenEarth is the solution that the fashion industry has been looking for. With the huge influx of delicately embroidered and highly embellished styles, "problem items" damaged by both washing and traditional dry cleaning methods, more and more textile and garment manufacturers are specifically requesting the GreenEarth Cleaning method. Traditionally, garment manufacturers and dry cleaners have been in conflict with each other, each side predisposed to viewing the other as the party deserving of blame in cleaning damage claims.  Manufacturers can trust that a GreenEarth licensed dry cleaner is using a gentle process that does not pose risk of damage, so they can work as a team on behalf of the consumer.  

Environmental benefits are another important benefit of the GreenEarth Cleaning system.  Sustainability is increasingly important to garment manufacturers, and our method of care offers a more positive environmental footprint.  More and more, garment care instructions suggest the GreenEarth cleaning method of care. 

Our efforts with the FTC

The FTC is currently looking at revising its guidelines, last updated over ten years ago, to better address the evolution of textiles and cleaning processes over the past decade. 

In September of 2011, we proposed broad changes to the Care Labeling Rule.  Our recommendation was for care instructions to indicate whether a garment can be cleaned by "Any method" or by a "Gentle" method, e.g. solvents with Kauri-Butanol Value (KBV) under 35.  KBV is a measure of solvent aggressiveness and widely recognized as having the greatest influence on the processing of textiles.  The KBV of GreenEarth solution is less than 20, perchlorethylene solvent has a KBV of 90. 

We believe consumers are best protected by care instructions keyed to the characteristics of cleaning solvents rather than the specific type of solvent, this would allow the instructions to be followed regardless of what solvents are available in the market.  The current labeling rule, for example, has a labeling symbol for a solvent mandated out of service back in 1989. Our 2011 FTC submission can be viewed here. 

Although the FTC's proposed changes to the Care Labeling Rule do not incorporate our initial suggestions, they are planning to recognize GreenEarth's silicone solvent in their revised definitions of dry cleaning, and we remain committed to the principle of consumer-centric care instructions. Our most recent submission to the FTC can be viewed here.

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