ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an outline and brief discussions of the fundamental and applied principles of nonaqueous detergency in dry cleaning. The solution behavior of nonaqueous surfactants has recently been summarized by K. L. Mittal and E. J. Fendler. It is now well established that the surfactants in dry-cleaning detergents form micelles above a certain concentration in the nonpolar solvents used in dry cleaning. The literature on soil removal and redeposition in nonaqueous systems is not very extensive. The role of solvents and detergents in the context of solvent-soluble soils has not been addressed in the literature. The addition of surfactants to commercial dry-cleaning solvents clearly improves detergency of particulate (pigment) soil. Wendell carried out a series of laboratory experiments with anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants of different hydrophilelypophile balance. Laboratory evaluation of many commercial dry-cleaning detergents indicates that all commercial products improve the pigment soil detergency of the pure solvents.
