Dry Cleaning Service 101

Dry Cleaning Know-How

Get the Most Out of Dry Cleaning Services

Dry cleaning is an easy way to maintain some of your more costly garments. Some garments we buy have labels that clearly indicate they need to be dry cleaned. There are some important things to keep in mind when deciding on what items to send out to dry cleaning.

What Does “Dry Clean Only” Really Mean?
Manufacturers are only required to list one cleaning method on the care label of a garment even if other methods exist. So, manufacturers will typically indicate the easiest method that is least likely to cause any damage to the garment. Dry cleaning is usually a safe option, but many items whose care labels say “Dry Clean Only” can actually be hand washed at home.


Do It Together
One mistake many consumers make with dry cleaning is with two-pieced suits. Females sometimes send out the tops or blazers of two-pieced suits in order to save some money on their dry cleaning bills. Since tops can soil more quickly from perspiration than pants or skirts, they simply have the tops cleaned after every wearing and send out the pants after multiple wearings. This can create a problem because the color of the items that are more frequently dry cleaned might pale a little in comparison to their matching pants or skirts. This attempt to save money might actually cost you in the long run if you have to buy new clothes sooner because of the discoloration. If you have a two-piece set in the same color, make sure you send out both items together for dry cleaning.

Watch What You Buy
If you want to reduce the number of items that you send out for dry cleaning, consider your clothing purchases more thoroughly prior to purchase. Technology has kept up with consumer demand, and there are many clothing items on the market that can be machine washed but that look very presentable and dressy. Some sweaters that have labels requiring dry cleaning can sometimes be washed by hand.


Store Them Properly
Another important tip to keep in mind concerns how you store your clothes once you bring them home from the cleaners. Do not store your clothing in the plastic bags that the dry cleaner uses. These plastic bags can damage or cause your garment to yellow and decrease the life of your garments. The above tips can allow you to get the most out of the dry cleaning services you use, and you should find them very helpful.

MORE DRY CLEANING TIPS

The term "dry cleaning" is actually a little misleading. This technique coats clothes in a chemical -- usually perchloroethylene (PERC) -- that tends to be better for cleaning delicate fabrics, such as silk and cashmere, than regular soap and water.

Unfortunately, PERC has been linked to cancer and a number of other health problems. Many cleaners actually send their clothes to dry-cleaning plants, which can release huge amounts of PERC into the earth, air, and water. Workers in these buildings are exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis. PERC can also affect customers who regularly dry-clean clothes and bring the toxic chemical into their homes, where it lingers and they breathe it in -- even while not wearing the clothing.

Careful
Dry-clean as few items as possible. Remove the plastic bag and hang any dry-cleaned clothes outside (or in a mudroom or garage) to air out before wearing or hanging in your closet. Recycle the bags along with your grocery-store plastic bags (visit plasticbagrecycling.org to find drop-off locations), and return the hangers to the dry cleaner.

More Careful
You may have noticed the proliferation of "green" or "organic" dry cleaners lately. Instead of PERC, these companies usually use liquid carbon dioxide (CO2), silicon-based solvent, or wet cleaning," which uses water and nontoxic detergents in technologically advanced machines that clean even delicate clothing.

Most Careful
Avoid purchasing items that must be dry-cleaned. The texture of some fabrics (such as certain silks) changes if they're washed in water, but many items labeled "dry clean only" can be washed by hand with cool water and very mild detergent, then laid flat to dry.

Always check that your garment is suitable for dry-cleaning by checking the fabric care label. Do not rely on the dry-cleaner to reject an item that should not be dry-cleaned.


Dry-cleaning guarantees to remove all general grime and dirt, but may not remove some specific stains. If your clothes have a stain, always point it out in advance and tell the cleaner what it is, if you know. You may have to accept that they can only do their best.


Before you leave the shop with your cleaned garments, always check that they are in fact clean and that any particular stain that the dry-cleaner has agreed to remove has gone. If you have to remove packaging to do so, don't be put off. If the item still has a stain, ask them to do it again.


There will be some solvent smell initially in newly dry-cleaned clothes, but if your garment is damp or still has an excessive smell of solvent (or other resinous smell), complain and do not take it away. This is due to faulty processing, and the garment should be cleaned again.


Do not take a cleaned garment inside a closed car - the solvent fumes may make you unfit to drive. Open a window. When you get home, remove the packaging and hang your clean clothes up for a short while in a place where there is fresh air.

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