The History of Drycleaning
Drycleaning was discovered by accident in Paris in 1825.
A Frenchman named Jean-Baptiste Jolly knocked over a lamp, spilling spirits of turpentine onto the tablecloth.
Jolly noticed that when the oil evaporated that the area of the cloth was cleaner.
He subsequently immersed the whole tablecloth in a bath of turpentine.
He was so impressed with the result that he decided to exploit his discovery.
Jolly and his son-in-law H. Petite Didier decided they would start a drycleaning business.
However spirits of turpentine are flammable and this meant that precautions had to be taken to reduce the risks of fire.
Whilst the discovery of drycleaning is accredited to Jolly, records show that turpentine had been used for spot cleaning oil type stains since 1720.
Drycleaning was first introduced into the UK in 1857.
A wide range of solvents have been used for the process of drycleaning.
However the major solvent used world-wide continues to be Perchloroethylene which is sometimes referred to as "Perc".
The drycleaning machine has changed significantly since those early days.
The majority of machines in use in the UK are now of the totally enclosed type.
These have provded additional benefits in the form of improved workplace conditions and significantly reduced solvent consumption.
The difference between drycleaning and aqueous is that natural fibres do not distort in solvents unlike in water.
With Thanks to Alex Reid Limited.
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