Dry Cleaning is toxic to Teddies

Erika came back from Taiwan with hubby and her favourite Flat Out teddy got dirty and it was dry cleaned.  However, it came back with a DREADFUL chemical smell, and it was VERY strong.

So I rinsed it, but that didn't alter the smell.  Then I washed it with my normal clothes - the smell was still strong.  So I did a rinse and a soak with eucalyptus wash but that didn't budge the smell.  So now I am soaking it in my Rockin' Green nappy powder and see if that makes a difference, but I lifted it out of the bucket after 1 hour and the smell is still there.

So what is that smell?

I didn't know this but Dry Cleaning is done with a petroleum solvent.  In the old days it was done with Kerosene or Gasoline.  These days they use perchloroethylene.  It's dry in the sense that you don't use water.

So they wash the clothes in this solvent and then the solvent is recovered in an extractor so it can be reused.

I got this from Ravefabricare:

One reason your clothes will smell of dry cleaning solvent is if your cleaner shortens the dry and deodorize cycle on his dry cleaning machine.


This often happens at ordinary cleaners where the pressure to "get the garments out" (i.e., into a machine, onto a press and into a bag) is constant and hectic.


But more likely than not, you're not smelling dry cleaning solvent or fluid. You're smelling contaminants in the dry cleaning solvent or fluid.


Let me explain.


Garments and household textiles should always be cleaned in dry cleaning fluid that's both continuously purified and continuously filtered. Every single drop. This way your garments and household textiles are cleaned in dry cleaning solvent or fluid that's absolutely crystal clear. As clear as bottled mountain spring water.  Continuous purification is much like boiling your tap water at home to obtain pure water; continuous filtration is much like filtering your tap water to remove any additional impurities.


Fact is, crystal clear, freshly purified and filtered dry cleaning solvent or fluid is your only guarantee against greyish and dingy whites, creams and pastels; dull and faded colors; and that all-to-familiar "dry cleaning solvent smell."


It's the difference between a black and white TV with mono sound and a high definition screen with surround sound.  Unfortunately, very few ordinary cleaners both continuously purify every single drop of their dry cleaning solvent or fluid before and after each load, and continuously filter every single drop of their dry cleaning solvent or fluid during each load.


So soluble impurities, such as bacteria, residual dyes, body oils, oily-type creams and lotions, and food fats accumulate in the dry cleaning solvent or fluid. And insoluble impurities, such as sand, skin flakes and hair, float around in the dry cleaning solvent or fluid.  These soluble impurities are then absorbed by the fibers of your garments and household textiles during the dry cleaning "wash" cycle. In particular, natural fibers, such as silk, wool, linen and cotton, absorb these impurities like a sponge absorbs liquid. 


Instead of your cleaner continuously purifying and continuously filtering his dry cleaning solvent or fluid, your garments and household textiles are functioning as your cleaner's "cleaning filter."  In effect, your garments and household textiles are being cleaned in "dirty dry cleaning solvent or fluid." It's just like washing your clothes at home and reusing the same dirty water over and over again.


So, what you're smelling is probably not dry cleaning solvent or fluid. It's the accumulated contaminants in your garments and household textiles that you're smelling -- contaminants absorbed from your cleaner's "dirty dry cleaning solvent or fluid."

OK GROSS.  So my daughter's teddy is now absorbed all the crap and filth from all this dry cleaning.  I am in a good mind to throw the teddy out.  The thought of the chemicals and dirt that's now stuck in it makes my stomach lurch.

From now on, if I can help it, NOTHING is going to get dry cleaned.  I think it would be much better done at home with water.  Ugh.

In the meantime, I will see how Teddy goes.  If I can salvage Teddy I will be pleased.

Comments that make you roll your eyes...

Operating today with my orthopaedic surgeon, and his assistant (another orthopod) was trashing the NBN, saying that it will cost lots of money and it's a waste of money.  And that the speeds of sites downloading is dependent on the US servers and not Australian internal networks...

... I immediately said that it's about connecting rural Australia to high speed internet.  And that rural Australia needs the connections for internal things - such as video conferencing, virtual classrooms - geez it's not all about ebay, amazon, apple i-store and youtube!

So he said as well, well don't live in rural Australia, why would anyone want to live there?  I said someone has to grow food for the populace.  He said buy it from overseas, it's cheaper...

No wonder people think doctors are idiots.  I wonder if there anybody out there thinks like me, that food produced in Australia will support our local economy, and that with a strong local economy that DOESN'T rely heavily on mining, logging and whatever unrenewable resources there are around as primary industry will build a stronger country for us all.  I think patriotism is something that people don't believe in these days.  I have taught Erika the Australian national anthem and I will make sure my daughter understands the importance of showing support for your country, local business and jobs.  Geez even now I think orthopods are idiots (though you really shouldn't be biting the hand that feeds you if you know what I mean).

Also when I was at Liverpool I have people going on and on at me about voting Greens/Labor.  "They'll take all your money", "They want to support all the dole bludgers", "We'll have an emissions trading scheme coming in and that's bad!"

Why shouldn't we have some environmental conscience?  Why shouldn't you pay more tax if you earn more money?  Perhaps it's unfair for the lower income people to be slugged with the high energy bills, but perhaps if you invest more money in green and renewable energy or subsidise it then perhaps we can have better electricity for everybody.  I am still struggling to come up with a concept that would make electricity more affordable to lower income populations, sometimes I think I'd like to put solar panels on my investment properties so that the electricity bills there would be smaller and have a smaller carbon footprint.  But I don't know, I can't go around saving the world, I'm just one person, with grand ideas and no possible way to carry them out!

More ARGH!!! Husband whinge No #2

So annoying!  Hubby brought kids home and then got fed up of them coz they were crying when trying to be fed.  So poor Julian was crying while trying to be fed so I put him to bed.  I said but he hasn't had dinner, and husband said feed him dinner in an hour.

So Erika was whinging and crying while being fed and he got fed up and stomped off.  So I coaxed her to eat congee and some fried rice.  She even drank a little bit of Ribena and I took her to poo.  And then I told husband to go get Julian and he said after putting Erika to bed.  So I put her to bed and I fell asleep as well.

It's 924pm now and I went to check Julian but he's sound asleep.  So I told husband why didn't you feed him dinner?  And he says oh well I didn't know I was supposed to feed him dinner.  What has he been doing?? Playing playstation!!!  So I said well you can get up and feed him then when he cries tomorrow morning, and he says well that's fine I can wake him up later.  GRRRRR!!!  I am really cross with that.  And I have to change Julian's nappy to his night nappy.  AND I'm on call, it's Friday, at Liverpool.  You'd think that would mean something, at least help wise but NOOOOO.  I was going to let Julian sleep but with the nappy thing I'd better get him up.  Geez.

Husbands!!! They can sometimes be so GRRRR!!!!

ARGH!

This is a venting post so please do not read on if you don't want to be offended!

Today, 1st July, my husband did the most UNREASONABLE thing!  A very good friend of mine asked me to pick up his contract from work (I happen to work there also) and I was going to see him the next day.  So the next day he signs the contract, and asks me if I can take it back to work.  But we had a better idea, another friend, who is a colleague who works in the same field as my friend lives in my street, only about 12 houses down or so.  So I was going to drop the contract off at his house.  I got side tracked playing PS3 and forgot to do it until about 7pm and I thought I'd better do it now because if I don't I'll forget and I'll be online playing World of Warcraft and won't be able to do it for ages after that.

Julian was put in bed by me already, so I ask Erika if she wants to go for a walk - she doesn't. So I left her at home at 6.55pm.  Halfway there I get a call from my husband saying why didn't I take Erika, she's crying and wants mama.  So I came home, and asked her if she wanted to go, tried to pick her up and she's crying again, saying No No No so I left her at home. It's now 7pm.  Walked to the colleague's house and they invited me in for a drink, so I had a glass of coke and was chatting when the phone rings and it's my husband saying what are you doing hurry up and come home, and hung up.  Rude.  So I make my apologies, wash my glass and go home.  It's 7.12pm when I get home.  When I get home Julian is on the floor, Erika is on the toilet and my husband starts yelling at me saying your STUPID friend is too lazy to use 60c to post his contract and I have to put up with 2 screaming kids, I don't want to see your friend, I don't want to MEET your friend!  Totally unreasonable.  So I tell my husband he's an idiot, pick up my soon, cuddle him and kiss him and put him back into bed.  Then I go get my daughter, take her off the toilet, change her into her nappy and pyjamas and put her in bed after I lie down with her for a while.  By the time I'm done it's 7.40pm.  MEN!  Such a huge drama about nothing!  Anyway men are idiots, and I'm just glad I have the patience of Job!  And a blog to whinge about stuff in!