Liquid CO2 cleaning is, alongside wet cleaning, one of the most environmentally-friendly ways of cleaning clothes currently available in the world.

At BLANC, we are the first in the UK to implement the liquid CO2 dry cleaning technology and are proud to be pioneering yet another element of this non-toxic professional cleaning journey.

The Liquid CO2 Technology

Liquid CO2 is a carbon dioxide-based garment cleaning process and is known to be one of the most eco-friendly processes of cleaning clothes. This is because the CO2 used in this process is captured as a by-product of existing industrial processes. Carbon dioxide is a non-toxic and naturally occurring gas which turns liquid when exposed to high pressure and becomes a super-efficient natural solvent. It’s particularly good at tackling stains and in particular the ones that are oil-based. Because this process is extremely gentle, it minimises the risk of damaging the garments.

The Process

1. Clothes are placed inside the drum, our expert artisans then determine the correct programme for the cycle.

2. The cleaning drum is injected with carbon dioxide in both gas and liquid form. It is then put under very high pressure to condensate the CO2 in gas form into a liquid. Depending on the cycle, the cleaning time varies from 22-45 minutes.

3. When the clothes are cleaned, the liquid CO2 is pumped back into a holding tank to be reused in the following cleaning cycles.

4. The gas in the holding tank goes through different chambers to be stored. The dirt falls to the bottom of the tank and is evacuated through a pipe that is cleaned daily.

The Benefits of LCO2 Dry Cleaning

• Liquid CO2 is completely non-toxic (it is actually used to provide carbonation to soft drinks!) so it means that no toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemicals will come in contact with your skin or your clothes. This makes it perfectly safe for babies, children and allergy sufferers.
• It’s an all-natural process and because of that, it’s not causing any environmental contamination.
• As earlier stated, all the carbon dioxide used is a by-product of existing industrial processes and since the liquid CO2 is being reused, its impact on global warming is minimal. The process involves no water waste. 
• Because of the low operating temperature and gentle cleaning cycle, the clothes run a very low risk of colour-run or shrinkage.
• This process is great to remove oily and greasy stains.

To read more about PERC, toxic dry cleaning and why we make it our mission to tell the world about our alternative technology, click here.