Dry Cleaning Machine: How Tide's Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaners Work

Dry cleaners earned a reputation over the years for using dangerous chemicals that harm the environment and for operating machines that produce unsafe waste and emissions.

Tide Cleaners is leading the dry-cleaning industry with an eco-friendly cleaning system.

Tide Cleaners invests in dry-cleaning technology recommended by environmental regulatory agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Our cleaning process reduces waste, and our products are safe for our customers, our cleaners, and our beautiful planet.

We are an advocate for the environment, and we have thoughtfully curated our dry-cleaning process to ensure we are safe and “green.”

A brief history lesson will help explain how Tide Cleaners is leading our industry into the future.

Contrary to popular belief, “dry cleaning” is not a dry process. It gets its confusing name from the process, which uses liquid solvents rather than water to clean delicate clothing.

The most-used solvent among dry cleaners for the past century is called perchloroethylene, commonly referred to as “perc.” While it may be an effective cleaning solution for lifting soils and stains, it’s increasingly criticized as a highly wasteful environmental hazard, and health experts call it a “likely human carcinogen” for its links to cancer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended changes in technology to reduce perc’s hazardous side effects, including machines that reduce waste and emissions of the harmful chemical. Some state governments, including California and Washington, have begun outlawing perc altogether or offering businesses incentives to upgrade to friendlier technology.

At Tide Cleaners, we understand the urgency for change, as human and environmental health is at risk.

Not a single drop of perc is used in any of our more than 185 locations nationwide. Our industry-leading technology is setting a new standard, meeting our customers’ expectations for spotless clothing while using affordable products that protect our people and our planet.

Our commitment to environmental safety begins with the products we use to clean.

Tide Cleaners proudly partners with GreenEarth® Cleaning. GreenEarth offers a solvent that replaces perchloroethylene with liquid silicone. Liquid silicone is an odorless, colorless solution that is an excellent carrier for detergents, it has ideal properties for fabric care, and is better for the environment.

Over $30 million worth of independent testing and research has been done on liquid silicone, often referred to as “D5,” to confirm that it presents no risk to public safety in countless commercial products, including dry cleaning solvents.

The EPA recommends silicone-based cleaning technology as an alternative to perc. Unlike perc, silicone-based products do not contain toxic air pollutants or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

GreenEarth Cleaning was formed in 1999 for the express purpose of providing the dry-cleaning industry with an affordable, more effective alternative to perc. Compared to traditional dry cleaners, Tide Cleaners’ franchisees save money on utilities, supplies, and waste disposal costs.

Much of those cost savings are tied in to the efficient machines we use.

Outdated dry-cleaning machines produce a lot of hazardous waste that businesses historically disposed of improperly, threatening groundwater and residential communities.

Rather than using highly wasteful machines, Each Tide Cleaners location uses what’s called a “closed-loop” silicone-based machine, technology also recommended by the EPA.

The closed-loop system is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and pairs perfectly with our GreenEarth products. In the GreenEarth Cleaning process, silicone is kept inside the machine and continuously recycled, reducing chemical waste.

Liquid silicone is biodegradable. So, while our machines and systems create less waste, if any liquid silicone were introduced to the environment it would safely degrade into its three natural components of sand, water, and carbon dioxide.

Our closed-loop system also saves time and labor costs. Many traditional dry cleaners use out-of-date machines that require clothes to be transferred from one machine to another during the cleaning process.

Our closed-loop machines do it all. Dry clothes are loaded into the machine, and they do not come out until they are cleaned, dried, and ready to press.

Tide Cleaners is committed to customer service, quality, and convenience. Tide Cleaners uses its trusted brand name as a tool for growth, but it also pays attention and utilizes growing trends.

Learn more about our laundry franchise opportunities, and why Tide Cleaners is an industry leader in the growing dry-cleaning franchise and laundry services industry.