Do You Know What Really Happens at the Dry Cleaner? (2024)

Dry cleaning is a process typically used on clothes and fabrics that cannot withstand the rigors of a standard home washer and dryer. But how does dry cleaning work and what does it really do to your clothing? Read on to learn more about the process and follow a garment's journey from start to finish.

What Is Dry Cleaning?

Dry cleaning launders clothes and fabrics using a chemical solvent containing little or no water. Dry cleaning still uses liquid in its solvents, it just does not use water that you use in your traditional at-home wash cycles. A dry cleaning solvent cleans the surface of materials but does not penetrate the fiber as water does in a washing machine.

Some clothes can't be washed in water. For example, non-washable wools will shrink or lose their shape in water. Water temperature and agitation can damage or fade delicate fibers or embellished items, or cause colors to bleed.

To protect your garments, items are inspected and pre-treated before they are "washed" with water-free chemical solvents.

Pros & Cons of Dry Cleaning

There are pros to dry cleaning:

• It can prevent stretching and shrinking.
• The dry heat sanitizes clothing.
• Solvents can effectively remove oil-based stains.
• Dry cleaning can be used on delicate, embellished fabrics that cannot be washed.
• Dry cleaning preserves the shape of certain items, such as lined clothing, outerwear, some costumes, and formal wear.
• Newer green, non-toxic dry cleaning alternatives can be effective.

There are also cons to dry cleaning:

• Certain materials cannot be dry-cleaned, such as fabrics containing plastic.
• Dry cleaning doesn't always remove odors or water-based stains, such as perspiration.
• It's more expensive than home cleaning.
• Solvents can be toxic.
  

Dry Cleaning Solvents

Dry cleaning has existed since Roman times when ammonia was used to clean woolen togas to prevent shrinkage. Cleaners then used petroleum-based solvents like gasoline and kerosene which proved highly flammable and dangerous.

By the 1930s, cleaners began using perchloroethylene, commonly called "perc." Perc has a distinctive chemical odor and is classified as carcinogenic to humans. In the 1990s, the United States Environmental Protection Agency began regulating dry cleaning chemicals and encouraging commercial cleaners to use safer solvents. However, the switchover to more environmentally friendly solvents has been slow.

The Commercial Dry Cleaning Process

Today, most dry cleaners do not have the large and expensive cleaning equipment on-site. Your local dry cleaner usually transports laundry to a central cleaning facility. This is more cost-efficient than having machines at every drop-off location.

There are several steps for each item cleaned during the commercial dry-cleaning process:

1. Garment Tagging

   Every item is tagged with an identification number, which is either a paper tag pinned or stapled to the fabric or an iron-on strip with a barcode. Similar soiled garments from different customers are cleaned together. The tagging process ensures that your clothes are returned to you.

2. Garment Inspection

   Before clothes are cleaned, they are inspected for items left in pockets, rips, tears, and missing buttons. These items are returned to customers and problems are noted before cleaning.

3. Stain Pre-treatment

   As part of the inspection process, the cleaner checks for stains on the clothes and treats them before the solvent-cleaning process. At this stage, a cleaner should also remove or cover delicate buttons and trim to prevent damage.

4. Machine Dry Cleaning

   Soiled clothes are loaded into a large drum machine and cleaned with a water-free chemical solvent. The clothes are gently agitated in the solution to loosen soil. The solvent is then drained, filtered, and recycled and the clothes are "rinsed" in a fresh solvent solution to flush away remaining soil.

5. Post Spotting

   All garments are reviewed for remaining stains. The stains are treated with steam, water, or a vacuum to remove the remaining traces. However, dry cleaning cannot always remove all stains.

6. Finishing

   The final step includes getting the garment ready to wear. This includes steaming or pressing out wrinkles, reattaching buttons, or making repairs. Items are hung or folded to return to the customer. The plastic bags provided protect your clothes. Take the bags off clothes immediately when you get home because any trapped moisture may damage clothing.

   

How to Get the Best Results From Your Dry Cleaner

• Read the labels: Pay attention to your clothing labels and do not tear them out. Your dry cleaner may need to reference the labels before cleaning. However, do not hesitate to point out care directions to ensure proper cleaning, as well.
• Don't try removing stains: It can be tempting to try removing your own stains but it's best to bring the garment right to your dry cleaner instead. You can make a stain much worse by pushing the oil, dye, or food deeper into the fabric, making it difficult or even impossible to remove.
• Point out stains during drop-off: Point out and identify stains so the cleaner can properly mark and pre-treat them.
• Point out special embellishments: Some garments have delicate buttons or embellishments that require special care. Point them out to the cleaner and ask if they can be protected or removed during cleaning and reattached after cleaning.
• Make special care requests up front: Always highlight any stains, delicate fabrics, or embellishments during drop-off. Do not assume the cleaner can see everything. Establish a dialogue with your cleaner for the best results.

Environmentally-Friendly Dry Cleaning Options

Bypass traditional dry cleaning chemicals by looking for a green dry cleaner. However, make sure you feel comfortable having your clothes cleaned with these newer processes.

• Wet cleaning: Water, special detergents, and high-tech washers and dryers remove stains and clean your garments, but it may not be appropriate for all fabrics.
• Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning: Liquid and gas forms of carbon dioxide are used as non-toxic solvents in complex (and costly) cleaning machines that apply pressure to draw the carbon dioxide through fabrics to remove soil. There is no heat involved which also makes the process more gentle to fabrics.
• Silicon-based solvent: This solvent, also known as siloxane, is a chemical-free type of liquified sand that removes stains from fabrics. However, the manufacturing of the product may not be so green because it involves chlorine.
• DF-2000 hydrocarbon solvent: Though this method is touted as organic because the solvent is extracted from the earth, it is a petroleum-based product and may not be as green as you'd prefer.