Most dry cleaning still runs on a chemical called perchloroethylene, or PERC – a solvent that has been the industry standard for decades. We have never used it, and liquid CO2 is the main reason why.

Carbon dioxide is not unusual or exotic. It is the same gas in the air around us, compressed under pressure until it behaves as a liquid rather than a gas. In that liquid state it dissolves oils, dirt and everyday soiling from fabric in much the same way a conventional solvent does, but without the harsh chemistry that comes with PERC.

The practical difference shows up in three places. First, temperature: liquid CO2 cleaning happens at close to room temperature, so there is no heat stress on delicate fibres the way there can be with steam-based finishing. Second, residue: because CO2 simply returns to its gas state at the end of the cycle, there is nothing left behind in the fabric – no chemical smell, no film, nothing for sensitive skin to react to. Third, and the reason we adopted it in the first place, is what it does not put into the air and water: PERC is a regulated solvent that requires careful handling and disposal, while the CO2 used in this process is captured and reused rather than released.

None of that means CO2 is a universal answer. Certain heavily soiled or structured garments still benefit from professional wet cleaning, using biodegradable detergents and controlled drying, and our specialists choose between the two methods garment by garment rather than defaulting to one. A silk blouse and a wool overcoat are rarely cleaned the same way, even within the same load.

We made the switch away from PERC when the studio first opened on George Street, at a time when most cleaners had not, because it matched what we wanted the business to be: careful with clothes, and careful with everything the clothes touch on the way back to you. It costs more to run a studio this way. We have kept it that way regardless.