At room temperature, CO 2 is a gas – the fizz in your soda. By compressing the gas to 650 psi (pounds per square inch) at ambient temperatures, liquid CO 2 is achieved, ready to be used by restaurants, and now by Hangers Cleaners. CO 2 , special detergents and the Micare machines all work together in a patented process that yields superior cleaning results.
Hangers Process
- Up to 60 pounds of clothes are placed inside the MICO 2 machine’s large basket, or wash wheel, which rotates to agitate the clothes. The door is closed, the system is sealed, and a vacuum is applied to remove some of the air.
- The wash wheel is pressurized with CO 2 gas. Liquid carbon dioxide containing specially formulated detergents is added from a working tank, filling the wash wheel to one-third full. The clothes are processed for a desired period of time with a selected degree of agitation, depending on the nature of the garments in the load.
- During the cleaning process, the wash fluid is circulated through a dual filtration system: an ultra-fine particulate filter that captures dirt, lint and loose fibers, and an activated carbon filter to remove dyes and odors.
- The wash fluid also undergoes an automatic distillation process during normal cycles to remove soluble soils.
- When cleaning is completed, the liquid carbon dioxide and detergent mixture is pumped out of the wash wheel and back into the working tank. The machine goes through a gentle spin extract cycle to remove any liquid CO 2 left on the clothes.
- The CO 2 gas is removed from the wash wheel using a compressor and sent back to the storage tank. More than 98 percent of the CO 2 used in the Micare process is recovered for reuse. At the very end of the cycle, the small amount of remaining gas is vented outside the Hangers building.
- The garments are then removed from the wash wheel cool to the touch, fresh, clean and easy to finish.