Quick answer
Mineral turpentine oil (MTO) is a petroleum solvent from the kerosene family that many small dry cleaners in India use because it is cheap and easy to buy. When it is reused without distillation and garments are not dried properly, clothes can come back greyish and smelling of kerosene, and the solvent is flammable and can irritate skin. Swan Clean does not use MTO: our dry cleaning is Green Earth Cleaning certified.
Key takeaways
- MTO is a petroleum distillate, close to kerosene, widely used for "petrol wash" dry cleaning in India.
- It is flammable and its vapour and residue can irritate skin, eyes and lungs, according to supplier safety data sheets.
- Reused, undistilled solvent can redeposit dirt, leaving whites dull and colours greyish.
- A kerosene smell on a garment usually means solvent residue was left behind.
- Swan Clean uses Green Earth Cleaning on German Seitz equipment instead of MTO.
What is MTO?
Mineral turpentine oil, usually shortened to MTO, is a petroleum distillate in the same family as kerosene. It is sold by oil companies as an industrial solvent for paints and thinners, and many neighbourhood dry cleaners use it in simple washers because it is inexpensive and dissolves grease. You may have heard it called a “petrol wash”.
The problems with MTO dry cleaning
- The smell. MTO has a strong kerosene odour. If garments are not dried completely, the smell stays in the fabric, especially in wool, padding and heavy embroidery.
- Fire risk. MTO is flammable. Open machines and poor ventilation in small shops add to the risk.
- Skin and breathing. Supplier safety data sheets warn that MTO can irritate skin and eyes, and that breathing its vapour can cause headaches and dizziness. Residue left in a garment touches your skin all day.
- Dull, greyish results. When the same solvent is reused again and again without filtering and distillation, the dirt it has picked up can settle back on the next load.
- Harder on delicate work. Harsh handling and dirty solvent can dull zari, sequins and silk.
How to tell if your clothes were cleaned with MTO
- A kerosene or petrol smell when you open the cover
- Whites that look slightly grey after a few cleanings
- An oily feel on linings or padding
If you notice these, air the garment well and ask your cleaner which solvent they use.
What Swan Clean does instead
All our dry cleaning happens at our own plant in Sector 82, Mohali, on German Seitz equipment, with Green Earth Cleaning, a silicone-based process that is odour-free and gentle on fabric. Every garment is tagged, inspected and checked before packing, and covered by the Swan Guarantee.
See how the main solvents compare in our solvent guide.
