If you're a wardrobe manager on a film, TV or theater set, then you likely have to send a lot of clothes out for dry cleaning. That's where Presso is intended to come in – it's a portable device that dry cleans clothing on-location, in five minutes.
The Presso machine is about the size of a small refrigerator, and is designed to be rolled through regular doorways on its built-in wheels. It doesn't need to be hooked up to anything other than a power source, although it does require a standard 4-prong/30-Amp American dryer outlet.
Once it's in place, users just open its door and hang the item of clothing inside. Depending on what sort of clothing is being cleaned, it can accommodate up to three items at once. Due to the limited interior height, though, it can't be used on longer garments such as robes or gowns. It is compatible with most fabrics, although leather is a no-go.
After the door is shut and the appropriate cycle is selected, Presso proceeds to clean and disinfect the clothing utilizing four jets of steam mixed with an EPA-approved alcohol-based disinfectant. The latter reportedly kills bacteria while not causing skin or eye irritation to the wearer, and without damaging or affecting the color of fabrics.
Additionally, utilizing electrically retractable wires that are clipped to the clothing, Presso gets the wrinkles out by robotically stretching garments as they're being cleaned. This is claimed to result in "dry-cleaning-like pressing quality," but with no risk of shrinkage, color fading or linen loss.
Presso is available to corporate clients on a subscription basis, with fees varying according to usage.
It's demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Presso via IEEE Spectrum
