The present invention provides a method for cleaning fabric articles which comprises the steps of: washing the fabric articles with a cleaning solvent in a rotatable drum; rotating the drum at a high spin speed for a high spin period of time after the performance of said washing step; and heating the fabric articles for at least a period of time during the performance of said rotating step. During the heating step, at least some of the cleaning solvent is removed from the fabric articles in both liquid and vapor phases. Heating the fabric articles decreases attractive forces between the liquid phase cleaning solvent and the fabric articles, facilitating the separation and hence removal of additional quantities of the cleaning solvent from the fabric articles.

A laundry treating apparatus includes a 2-tank structure including a distillation tank and a washing tub. The laundry treating apparatus includes the washing tub that defines an inner space configured to receive laundry, the distillation tank configured to store liquid carbon dioxide, a compressor configured to receive gaseous carbon dioxide evaporated from the liquid carbon dioxide in the distillation tank, the compressor being configured to discharge the gaseous carbon dioxide, a cooler configured to cool the gaseous carbon dioxide discharged from the compressor and to supply the liquid carbon dioxide to the washing tub, and a controller configured to perform a control method. In some cases, a laundry treating apparatus includes a 3-tank structure including a storage tank, a washing tub, and a distillation tank.

A laundry treating apparatus includes a casing, a tub provided in the casing (10), and a rotatable drum (20) provided in the tub. The laundry treating apparatus also includes a water supply part provided in the casing to supply water to the rotatable drum and a solvent supply part supplying dry-cleaning solvent to the rotatable drum. The laundry treating apparatus further includes a condensation device that condenses a gaseous portion of the solvent into a liquid form and supplies the solvent in the liquid form to the solvent supply part.

A distillation unit includes a shell, a heat exchanger disposed inside the shell, and a supporting portion that is disposed inside the shell and receives the heat exchanger. The shell has a cylindrical shape, extends in an axial direction, and includes an opening part that extends in the axial direction. The heat exchanger includes a heat exchange piping, which includes pipes that have horizontal spiral shape and are arranged with respect to each other in a vertical direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the shell. The supporting portion has a plate shape and extends in a direction that intersects the axial direction. The heat exchange piping is disposed along the supporting portion in the axial direction.

One variation of a method for autonomously processing a garment within a kiosk includes: accessing a set of garment characteristics of the garment, the set of garment characteristics including a garment type and a fabric type; based on the set of garment characteristics, selecting a target processing temperature, a target processing humidity, and a set of steam-processing parameters including a steam nozzle path and a steam nozzle speed. This variation of the method also includes: heating air within the kiosk toward the target processing temperature; injecting steam into the kiosk to drive humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; articulating a steam nozzle along the steam nozzle path at the steam nozzle speed to impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment, tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet, and heat local areas of the garment above the transition temperature.

One variation of a method for autonomously processing a garment within a kiosk includes: accessing a set of garment characteristics of the garment, the set of garment characteristics including a garment type and a fabric type; based on the set of garment characteristics, selecting a target processing temperature, a target processing humidity, and a set of steam-processing parameters including a steam nozzle path and a steam nozzle speed. This variation of the method also includes: heating air within the kiosk toward the target processing temperature; injecting steam into the kiosk to drive humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; articulating a steam nozzle along the steam nozzle path at the steam nozzle speed to impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment, tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet, and heat local areas of the garment above the transition temperature.

A method for cleaning and decontaminating apparel includes placing the apparel into a pressurizable cleaning vessel. The cleaning vessel is filled with a solvent comprising a mixture selected from at least one of propylene glycol ether, water, organic acid and carbon dioxide. After the apparel has been in contact with the solvent for a first selected period of time, carbon dioxide gas under pressure is introduced into the cleaning vessel to carbonate the solvent. After appropriate agitation, at least a portion of the solvent is then removed from the cleaning vessel while under pressure. A rinsing solution, comprising liquid carbon dioxide and alcohol, is then introduced into the cleaning vessel under pressure. After a third selected period of time, the rinsing solution is removed from the cleaning vessel under pressure. Finally, the cleaning vessel is depressurized and the apparel is removed from the cleaning vessel.

The present disclosure relates to a laundry treating apparatus including a pressure vessel for accommodating carbon dioxide therein, a storage tank for storing carbon dioxide therein to supply carbon dioxide to the pressure vessel, a distillation tank for storing carbon dioxide discharged from the pressure vessel to remove foreign substances dissolved in carbon dioxide discharged from the pressure vessel, and a gas supply pipe for connecting the distillation tank and the pressure vessel to each other to supply gaseous carbon dioxide stored in the distillation tank to the pressure vessel.