CATIONIC DETERGENTS IN WETCLEANING

Years back wetcleaning was a very minor phase of the drycleaning process. The drycleaner was taught to remove wetside stains on wetcleanable items by using the moisture batch run in the drycleaning machine.

In this process water, detergent and solvent were emulsified in the wheel of the drycleaning machine and garments were batched to remove stains and soil. This process was very effective for stains and soil.

The wetcleaning process at that time was very primitive and ineffective. It involved washing garments by hand or in a washing machine and hanging them up in the boiler room to dry. After drying, the garments were drycleaned to soften them up.

As time passed and EPA stepped in regulating solvents, the need for wetcleaning became important. The problem was, however, that the wetcleaning detergents were not effective on silks, wools and other fabrics where wrinkling, shrinking and feel were factors.

As a professional garment analyst, I was called upon to develop wetcleaning courses and procedures that drycleaners could turn to. I have a very strong relationship with many of the major chemical companies. Some of these companies are Metro Chem, Laidlaw, Stanford and others.

These companies develop cationic detergents that I received for testing. I did extensive comparison testing on many fabrics using the new technology versus the old.

The new cationic detergents gave the cleaner the ability to wetclean wools, silks, rayon and other fabrics with proper feel, luster and reduced shrinkage.

Manufacturers then improved wetcleaning technology with sophisticated wetcleaning machines, dryers and tensioning equipment. This increased the cleaners ability to wetclean more fabrics safely. The drycleaner at one time did less than 1 percent wetcleaning and now has the capability to wetclean 45 to 65 percent of their garments.

Wetcleaning technology is constantly improving and I recently had the opportunity to test the advanced technology of the cationic detergents manufactured by Cleaners Chemical Corp.

What are cationic detergents

Cationic detergents are a classification of detergents with positive ions that have an ability to clean and emulsify soil. They have an ability to stay with the fabric and produce a softer fabric. Many of them contain enzymes which remove soil and stains safely. They are often chemically slightly acid in nature, different from the alkalinity of  built detergents.

How cationic detergents work

The ability to control shrinkage in fabrics means that the detergent should act as a coating on the yarns. For example wool is a fiber which has scales that tend to interlock and mat when subjected to mechanical action and friction.

The cationic detergent coats the yarn which helps reduce the ability of the yarn to mat and shrink. This can be visualized if we picture the yarn as a telescope. If the telescope is lubricated it will readily slide up and down.

Cationic detergents also have a strong affinity for the fabric and some of it stays with the fabric even when rinsed. The acid content of the detergent will aid in setting colors, softening fabrics and helping to prevent shrinkage.

Shrinkage is increased by the alkalinity of a detergent. Cottons, linens and other fabrics also can be wetcleaned with less shrinkage, reduced wrinkling, and softer feel and hand. The reasons why anionic detergents do not work as well is because they do not coat the yarn nor stay with the fabric.

Limitations of cationic detergents

Cationic detergents do not clean as well as anionic detergents, which means that heavily soiled garments should be cleaned using anionic detergents. Detergents with an alkalinity will also have a better cleaning action than acid based detergents.

Cationic detergents will affect glued on trimmings. Spandex yarns may weaken when using cationic detergents, also.

Ski jackets and coated fabrics may streak and form swales using cationic detergents.

Cationic detergents can not be used in conjunction with anionic detergents. For example, if you pre-spot a garment using anionic detergents and clean with cationics it will break down and form rings.

How to use

Cationic agents work best on silk, wool, angora and wetcleanable rayon. They are also used on hard-finished fabrics when softening of the fabric is important.

Classify garments using wetcleanable cycles with minimum mechanical action. Additional softening agents can be used since most softening agents are cationic in nature and will not affect the detergent.

A short drying cycle should be used after wetcleaning to activate the cationic detergent or softening agent. Wools and angoras should not be dried for more than three minutes.

Special offer

My wetcleaning manual, “The Art of Wetcleaning,” is available for purchase. Cleaners Chemical Corp and Laidlaw Chemical will send samples of their wetcleaning products to anyone purchasing my manual. Contact me at the phone or e-mail address below.