GreenEarth™ Cleaning System

GreenEarth Cleaning LLC has patented the process which uses this exciting solution. We, along with other cleaners, have formed a network of
affiliated GreenEarth Cleaners to bring this GreenEarth Cleaning System
to our industry and to our customers.

Why it's Good for Everybody?
The new GreenEarth solution is good for you, our customers, because it is
an odorless and leaves your clothes feeling and looking like new.

It is good for our industry because it is not toxic and can be handled easily and safely.

It is good for all of us and our employees since it is affordable, can be used
by large and small drycleaners, and provides a safe workplace.

It is good for everybody around the world since it is an enviromentally
friendly product and process!

How Dry Cleaning Came to Be

Drycleaning is a term that is applied to washing fabrics in a liquid other than water. Using water as the washing agent is termed wetcleaning. This is the process that most of us use in our homes and which is used in commercial laundries.

Legend has it that drycleaning was discovered accidentally in France during the late 1800's. Apparently, someone spilled turpentine on a tablecloth that had numerous stains that could not be removed by washing, but which came out in the areas contacted by the turpentine. Thus, the idea of "washing" fabric in a liquid other than water was born.

Turpentine and some other early liquids used in drycleaning posed threats, however. Most were flammable at relatively low temperatures and gave off vapors that were dangerous to breathe. These two issues have always been present when considering various fluids for drycleaning.

The Evolution of Drycleaning

In the first quarter of the 1900's, a petroleum-based fluid termed Stoddard solvent was widely chosen because it cleaned well, it could be made widely available, and it was more economical to use than other solvents. However, it had a low flashpoint and caused many explosions and fires in the early drycleaning plants.

In the 1930's, perchlorethylene (or perc for short) was introduced to the industry as an alternative to the Stoddard solvent. It was also based upon carbon chemistry. Perc was a superior cleaning agent and had no flashpoint, thereby reducing fire hazard. It rapidly became the solvent of choice for the drycleaning industry. Currently, perc is used by 85% of the drycleaners in the United States and around the world.

The Challenges Posed

Perc, however, is heavily regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) due to environmental concerns. Further, it has caused the drycleaning industry damage due to the costs of cleaning up sites that have been contaminated, the ongoing expenses and surcharges attached to buying and disposing of the product, and the public policy issues associated with using the solvent.

As a result, over the past several years there have been many significant attempts to find alternative solvents that would be suitable for use by all of us in the drycleaning industry. We in the industry have certainly wanted another way to meet the needs of our customers as well as protect the communities in which we live. We have gone to great effort and expense to handle perc responsibly, while continuing to hope for and explore possible alternative solvents to perc.

The GreenEarth Solution is based on silicone chemistry, not on carbon-backbone chemistry. The GreenEarth Solution has undergone extensive testing and has demonstrated no significant adverse health or environmental effects.

The Solution acts as a buoyant carrier, just as water does, rather than a chemically aggressive solvent. It carries detergent towards garments and carries dirt away from them. The Solution significantly reduces dye pull for greater color retention in the drycleaning process.

The GreenEarth Solution is odorless. No odor is left on the garments after the drying cycle is completed. This means no odor in shoulder pads of suit coats or in cotton sweaters where you would normally expect it.

The hand of the garments is excellent. Some who have observed it have said it looks as though the garments had gone through a mineral bath. This, along with garments that are wrinkle-free and static-free, allows for greater ease in finishing.

The specific gravity of the Solution is .95. It weighs 7.9 pounds per gallon. It is very close to water. The flashpoint of the solution is about 170 F. This qualifies for Class II and Class IIIA machines since they require a flashpoint between 100 to 200 F.

Prestige Cleaners in Sacramento became the first Alpha/Beta test site using the GreenEarth Solution in November 1998. The California Air District in Sacramento found that no permitting would be required. Prestige Cleaners has been processing an average of 3,000 pounds of textiles per week solely in the GreenEarth Solution.

The performance of the GreenEarth Solution has been outstanding. All who have seen it, including experienced drycleaners, industry regulators, leaders of our trade associations, and our customers, believe it is superior in every way. "It really is good for everybody!"

Rynex

The alternative solvent that's in a class by itself!

Your business is cleaning clothes to satisfy your customers and you've always relied on Perc to do the job. Now you can depend on Rynex to give you the same results.

Rynex is different. It cleans as well or better than Perc. It removes more stains in normal cycling so there's less pre- or post spotting. That should be the most important factor in choosing an alternative solvent. But, there are more.

Rynex has a higher falshpoint. Most hydrocarbon solvents have a flashpoint under 150°F; silicon solvents have a flashpoint of 170°F. Rynex has a flashpoint over 200°F. That makes it safer.


Rynex is enviromentally friendly. It is not regulated under California Prop 65, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act or as a hazardous air pollutant(HAP). It is non-carcinogenic, biodegradable and has low toxicity. It is also not classified as hazardous waste material.

Rynex can be used in any hydrocarbon machine. If you already own a hydrocarbon machine, you're set. If you are considering a new machine, most manufacturers now offer Rynex-ready machines with capacities to meet every need.

Rynex is proven effective, economical. Cleaners just like you - large and small - are profiting by using Rynex. Let us prove it to you.

Please visit our website www.rynex.com