Cleaners being taken to the cleaners?(Kalifornia)

Inland Daily Bulletin ^ | 01/29/2007 | Shelli DeRobertis

[Sherman Logan]

Naccara said the ban may force dry-cleaning business owners out of the state

Ludicrous. The cost of new equipment will just be factored into the cost of the service.

As long as the regulations apply to all cleaners, none will have a competitive advantage or disadvantage. Customers will continue to use the service despite the increased price, as the alternative is ruining expensive clothes.

It looks like they're being given a generous change-over period.

[NonValueAdded]

... a nontoxic wet-cleaning method, which uses carbon dioxide ... he was invited to the air resources board's hearing in Sacramento, where he shared the results from his environmentally friendly method.

Hey, wait a minute ... carbon dioxide? environmentally friendly? what about global warming??? what good will clean clothes do when we're all under water? How can this beeeeeeeeeeeeee?

[DB]

It's been 20 years since I had anything dry cleaned.

How do they get these solvents out of the cloths they clean?

[TYVets]

Air Resources Board = Idiots from several villages.

[michigander]

The same way you get water out of the clothes you wash.

The difference is the fluid isn't vented to the atmosphere, it's reclaimed because the machine is a closed system.

Very little fluid is wasted if the process is done properly.

[wolfcreek]

There were a few CO2 cleaners that popped up in Texas after the ban took place. (chemical such as these, once they enter the water system, cannot be removed by ordinary methods) The ones I can recall have either gone out of business or moved. I suspect a lot of these cleaners went back to using the banned chems. at other locations.

[DB]

I'm just wondering how much residue is left.

[TheBattman]

Which is worse for Kalifornia's environment?

The Chemicals used in dry cleaning

or

The millions of illegals who breath the air, pass gas, burn fuels, consume resources, pollute the countryside where they slip across the border, etc... The CO2 emissions alone.....well, anyway...

[Brilliant]

They don't really need clean clothes in California.

[CarrotAndStick]

Got me wondering as well. I figured it was highly volatile, so all of it gets evaporated...but if there's residue that's going to remain, it can't be good.

[michigander]

If done properly, so little that you can't even smell it and perc has a VERY distivctive odor.

It can be nasty stuff if it's not handled properly but it's also quite expensive so it's to the drycleaners advantage to reclaim every bit possible.

[antiRepublicrat]

one reason he switched to a nontoxic wet-cleaning method,

Doesn't California also often have severe droughts? Won't this ban add to the water problem?

[Joe 6-pack]

"Doesn't California also often have severe droughts? Won't this ban add to the water problem?"

The leftist utopian vision for the future of laundry...

[BluH2o]

The cost of new equipment will just be factored into the cost of the service.

Dry cleaning costs are already outrageous. Invest in a high end front loading washing machine, they use less electricity, and the wash cycle is such that most fabrics can be cleaned effectively, many of which are tagged as dry clean only. Suits, sports jackets, etc. still need to be dry cleaned but there are a lot of items that can be effectively cleaned at home.

[KarlInOhio]

It may get to the point where it is cheaper for groups of dry cleaners to bundle their loads, truck them to Nevada and dry clean them there. I don't know how much other chemicals will add to the price vs. shipping them out of state.

[razorback-bert]

As with many reforms today, the cost to the average consumer is irrelevant, because the wealthy(not the rich)will not care if the goods or service costs a $1 or a $100.

Good clean water and improved sanitation has increased the human lifespan more than any other factor.

I am in favor protecting our environment, however I don't trust some of the science offered in support of saving it.

[ASOC]

How bad is the stuff?

Well, you could read the Material Safety Data Sheet for more information.

Looks like it could be nasty in a fire.

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

Uh, whoa!!!

The extent to which the cost of the new equipment will "just be factored into the 'cost' of the service" depends on the relative price elasticities of supply and demand. If supply is very inelastic or demand is very elastic, the supplier would end up eating most of the increase in cost.

I hope they exit the state. The rest of the U.S. has benefited from California's craziness for years. We've gotten some of our best professionals and experts after they fled the Golden State. Why stop with dry cleaning?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

"I just hope there are other alternatives that don't put the cost of dry cleaning out of reach," said Allan, who agrees with the ban because it will be better for the environment.

Fricking idiot. The alternatives will be worse than the product banned.

Junk science rides again.