From Urine to PERC: Learn About Commercial Cleaners

A Brief History of Commercial Cleaners Before and After the Invention of Soap

Before the invention of modern surfactants (surface active agents, like synthetic shampoos and soaps), humans got rid of oily and dirty residues using natural materials such as:

Urine

brewminate.com/the-fulleries-of-ostia-taking-clothes-to-the-cleaner-in-ancient-rome

Fullones, or fullers were the workers in ancient Rome who had the difficult, profitable and distasteful job of cleaning Roman apparel such as the classic togas as well as readying newly woven wool to be made into fabric by removing its oily lanolin content. Pots were to be found on the streets of Rome into which men could relieve themselves. Fullers collected these urine pots¹. Once allowed to stand, urea degrades into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Indeed the characteristic smell of urine is partly due to ammonia. A solution of ammonia in water is alkaline and alkaline solutions are effective cleaning agents because they can break down fats into soluble fatty acids and glycerol. In ancient Rome, clothing was placed in a tub of well-aged urine and fuller’s earth, where it was trodden upon by the barefooted fullers. The ammonia broke down grease, with the remnants being absorbed by the fuller’s earth, which also acted as a scouring powder. Finally, the clothing was rinsed in clean water and sometimes placed on a wicker frame over a pot of burning Sulphur. As Sulphur burns it produces Sulphur dioxide, an effective bleaching agent.

The occupation was among the most profitable businesses that supported prominent families like Cicero’s. Fullers are also mentioned in the Bible where, among other references, fullers are cited in the Transfiguration of Jesus in Mark 9:3 when his robes become a dazzling white "as no fuller on earth can white them."…..

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Saponin in Plants

Soap-like organic compounds called saponins have an amphiphilic character (affinity to both oily and watery substances) and can therefore act like a soap and also disrupt cellular membranes of insects. Saponins are present in the form of triterpenoid glycosides or steroids in plant-based foods. Triterpenoid saponins can be found in legumes such as alfalfa, chickpeas, broad beans, soybean, lentils, kidney beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, ginseng roots, horse chestnut, tea leaves, spinach leaves, quinoa seeds, sugar beets and other alliums species, whereas steroidal saponins are found in Yucca, tomato seeds, ginseng roots, yam, eggplants, fenugreek seeds, asparagus, capsicum peppers. Other well-known saponin-rich plants are soapwort, English ivy, horse chestnut, soap nuts, California Soaproot and flowers like Clematis. Saponins have shown insecticidal effects against aphids, beetles, weevils, leafhoppers, worms and moths as I discussed in my recent article.

The Modern Soap Alternative to Avoid

You may feel disgusted by the thought of urine soaking your clothes but actually what should disgust you is the petroleum-based chemicals used by the modern so-called “dry cleaners” to soak your clothes in. “Dry cleaning” is somewhat of a misnomer. It means solvents other than water have been used. The main chemical solvent that the vast majority of America’s 34,000 dry cleaners use is tetrachloroethylene, or “perc” (short for another one of its names, perchloroethylene), which has been officially identified by EPA as a “likely human carcinogen.” Perchloroethylene is one of the first 10 chemicals that the EPA is planning to regulate under revisions made to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 2016. So far, the agency has proposed regulations for only two other substances—asbestos and methylene chloride. The agency is years behind schedule and has repeatedly told Congress that it can’t meet its statutory deadlines without additional resources.

https://1stopwash.com/dry-cleaning/what-is-perc-and-why-it-is-harmful/

PERC has found its way into soil, streams, and even drinking water. Some states like California have banned the use of PERC but other states still allow it. In 2007, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health recommended federal action to phase out the carcinogenic chemical. But Environment Canada has yet to act to ban PERC.

There are now nontoxic dry cleaners that either use a method called “wet cleaning” (involves different water-based soaps and machine settings for various fabric types) or liquid pressurized carbon dioxide as the cleaning agent. Nevertheless, I still prefer to use old-fashioned soaps and water (not fancy and expensive dry or wet cleaning methods) to clean my clothes.

1. Urine from healthy people is aseptic (germ-free)