Frequently Asked Questions About the Drycleaning Industry 1. What is the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute? WFI is a state trade association of drycleaning firms and allied tradespeople that furnish products and services to drycleaners. WFI is affiliated with the International Fabricare Institute, based in Silver Spring, Maryland. WFI maintains its offices in Greenfield, Wisconsin. 2. What is the size of the industry and of WFI? There are approximately 30,000 drycleaners operating nationwide. Wisconsin has an estimated 700 drycleaning locations, operated by about 370 companies. Multiple location firms usually have a main plant where garments are serviced and a series of "dry stores" which operate as retail outlets. WFI represents some 160 drycleaning firms that account for about 500 of total locations in the state. 3. Is the industry regulated? The drycleaning industry is closely regulated by the EPA, OSHA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It is governed by PEL (permissible exposure levels) standards for both perc and stoddard solvents, NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) rules, CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act), EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act), RCRA (Resources Conservation and Recovery Act) and the Clean Water Act. All Wisconsin drycleaners must dispose of their solvent and other chemical waste materials with a qualified waste hauler. Every Wisconsin drycleaner must also secure a license under the Drycleaner Environmental Response Fund Act (DERF) with monies earmarked for short and long-term contamination clean-up of ground water and soil near or adjacent to a drycleaning plant. 4. What is the industry doing to improve the environment and the quality of its services? Several years ago, the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute (WFI) and its members entered into a Pollution Prevention Partnership with the Wisconsin DNR, the Department of Commerce and the Center for Neighborhood Technology with support from prominent environmental activist groups. Soon thereafter, WFI created, with assistance from the University of Wisconsin Extension Service's Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center, a comprehensive Environmental Certification Program for Drycleaners (WI-CED) as well as a Certified Professional Drycleaner (WI-CPD) Program. Today, some 50 drycleaners are enrolled in the Five Star Environmental Recognition Program, which publicly cites drycleaners for levels of achievement in their environmental efforts to improve the workplace and their community. It is only one of but four such programs underway now in the country. 5. What is the DERF program? The Drycleaners' Environmental Response Fund (DERF) was conceived by WFI as an industry-funded program to assist Wisconsin drycleaners in the clean-ups of contaminated sites. Prior to the creation of Superfund and other federal pollution-abatement and clean-up regulations, drycleaners would routinely (and legally) dispose of solvent cartridges and other chemical waste materials in a trash dumpster or on the ground outside their plant. Neither they nor the scientific community knew at the time that such waste materials might cause irreparable damage to the soil or pose a possible threat to nearby water wells or ground water. When these facts were made public, drycleaners promptly changed their practices of solvent and chemical disposal and took numerous other steps to not only prevention contamination, but lessen its probability by accidental means. The DERF program is designed to address the problems created by accepted past practices and at the same time, allow an average drycleaner to embark on soil and ground-water remediation without going bankrupt in the process. It is a noteworthy program in that it does not place demands on taxpayer funding and it has been designed with industry input and safeguards to preclude future problems as now exist with the PECFA program. 6. What is perc? Perchloroethylene, commonly called perc, is by choice, the most popular solvent used in the drycleaner process. Although it's considered an air pollutant and must be managed as a hazardous waste, about 90 percent of all U.S. drycleaners utilize this solvent. It is expensive and is considered by a scientific panel of the EPA as a "possible" carcinogen. Yet most drycleaners deem it to be the most effective cleaning agent and it has a very low flammability rate. It is the reason however that drycleaners are so tightly regulated. In recent years with the development of new "dry-to-dry" cleaning equipment, improved maintenance, expanded employee training and other industry-promoted management practices, the amount of perc usage has dropped dramatically -- by as much as 60 percent or more. 7. Are there alternatives to perc? While alternative drycleaning methods are in various stages of development, perc will continue as a solvent of choice for the vast majority of drycleaners. Currently drycleaners not using perc typically favor a stoddard (petroleum) solvent. A new, less flammable, petroleum product -- DF-2000 -- is also gaining increased favor in the industry. Under development are at last two systems that rely on CO-2, or carbon dioxide, to clean garments. At the time, however, equipment costs appear to be out of the reach of many drycleaners and the technology is still in its infancy. Environmental activists meanwhile have been enthusiastically promoting wetcleaning as a method of choice. However, this practice, which does not employ a solvent, requires additional labor-intensive pre-cleaning and post-cleaning treatment of garments with chemicals. In some cases, certain fabrics will not respond to cleaning only with water. 8. How can I be sure I'm dealing with a reliable drycleaner? As with any business, there are no guarantees. However, drycleaners that are members of a state and national trade association such as IFI and WFI have a markedly better track record. Typically, they avail themselves and their employees of the various training seminars that are conducted regularly in such specific subject areas as: spotting techniques, pressing, bleaching, equipment maintenance and customer service. They have access to the IFI research lab and the garment analysis service. They receive the latest technology publications and have the opportunity to exchange new ideas with other colleagues in the industry. Many conscientious drycleaners will also carry membership in the Better Business Bureau and will avail their customers of the BBB's claim resolution service. If you have questions about drycleaning or wish to obtain the name of a recommended drycleaner in your area, call the Wisconsin Fabricare Institute at 414/529-4707 or check the WFI website's listing of its members. We further suggest you use our website to link to member drycleaners who in some cases, offer you specific cleaning tips or discount coupons. If your drycleaner is a member of WFI, you can almost always be assured of outstanding professional garment care, responsive service, courteous treatment and competitive pricing.

Copyright ©1999-2003 Wisconsin Fabricare Institute info@wiscleaners.com
Designed and Hosted by Aloha-Terry.com