The Stages Of Dry Cleaning (2024)

By seo_admin

When you take your clothing to your local dry cleaner in order to have the delicate materials cleaned and pressed, you see the rows of bagged customer clothes on hangers, hear the machines and potentially even smell the chemicals that are involved in the process, but you probably have almost no idea what steps actually are involved in the process. What you expect of your dry cleaner is to remove stains from clothing, clean any dirt, debris or odors from the garments, press them to remove wrinkles and present them to you for pickup in a neat plastic bag that protects them after they have been cleaned. However there is far more to the process than just the obvious things that you see, and great care is taken to not only present you with clothing that looks like new but also to not damage your garments in the process. Dry cleaning can be seen as several steps in a process from the time you drop off your clothes until the time you pick them up, and understanding the process will probably give you a better idea as to why there are costs. The process is far more complicated than just dropping your clothes into a washing machine and then pressing them with an iron, and as a matter of fact the entire industry of dry cleaning is in place because certain garments are made of materials that cannot effectively be washed with water without being damaged. The process is actually not “dry” as the name would infer, but instead involves the utilization of specific chemicals that will not damage the threads of the garment.

The stages of the dry cleaning process:

Step one: Detailing. The garments that you have dropped off at the dry cleaner are prepared for the process. This will generally mean that they are measured from the blocking and any ornamental buttons are either protected or removed. The entire garment is evaluated to determine if they can be effectively cleaned without creating damage.

Step two: Stain Removal. The dry cleaner will use a variety of stain removal techniques depending on the nature and composition of the stain as well as the fabric that the garment is constructed with. The most common stain removal technique is soaking in specialized cleaners.

Step three: Cleaning. The dry cleaner will use a variety of pure solvents to remove dirt and debris as well as odors from your garments. The type of cleaning process used can range from dry to wet cleaning, and is dependant upon garment evaluation, makeup, staining and level of fragility.

Step four: Hand Finishing. Each garment is then finished by hand sing our professional pressing machinery.

Step five: Minor Repair if Requested. If you want your garment to be repaired beyond the cleaning process it will be completed at this stage. We can repair loose hems, fix open seams and re-attach loose or missing buttons as well as a variety of other repairs.

Step six: Inspection. Each garment that has been trusted with our care is individually inspected in order to assure that all requested processes have been completed to the most professional standards. Your satisfaction is our goal.

Step seven: Packaging. Each garment is placed in a specialized poly garment bag which will minimize any wrinkling and retain the freshness that the dry cleaning process produces.

The Stages Of Dry Cleaning (2024)

FAQs

What is the process of dry cleaning? ›

Dry cleaning uses a waterless cleaning process to remove dirt and debris from clothing. Dry cleaning uses a specialized, large machine that cleans clothing using a solvent. The solvent is then extracted from the clothes, and they are air-dried and pressed.

Is dry cleaning really dry explain your answer? ›

Despite its name, dry cleaning is actually not a “dry” process at all. A more accurate term would be “water-free” cleaning. Dry cleaners do, in fact, clean fabrics by exposing them to liquids – specifically, liquid solvents such as heated hydrocarbon solvents.

What are dry methods of cleaning? ›

Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent (usually non-polar, as opposed to water which is a polar solvent). Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in the industry as "perc", is the most widely used solvent.

What are the 6 steps in the dry cleaning process? ›

The 6 Steps to our Dry-Cleaning Process
  • STEP 1: TAGGING. Your clothes are tagged to ensure they can easily be traced while they are in the cleaning process. ...
  • STEP 2: INSPECTION. ...
  • STEP 3: STAIN PRE-SPOTTING AND TREATMENT. ...
  • STEP 4: THE DRY CLEANING. ...
  • STEP 5: POST-SPOTTING. ...
  • STEP 6: FINISHING AND PACKAGING.
May 3, 2021

What does P mean on a washing label? ›

The letters A, F or P inside a circle on your garment's care tag indicates that the item should be dry cleaned and instructs the dry cleaner what type of cleaner to use. An A means they can use any solvent, an F means any solvent except Trichloroethylene and a P directs them to use petroleum solvents only. Dry Clean.

What happens if you wash dry clean only pants? ›

Dry clean only clothes should not be washed in a regular washing machine as it can cause shrinkage, color bleeding, and fabric distortion. Ignoring the dry clean only instructions can lead to costly consequences such as damage that may require expensive repairs or replacement of the garment.

Is air wash same as dry clean? ›

What is 'air washing' and how does it work? The Air Wash technology in Samsung heat pump dryers allows you to refresh clothes without the water, detergent or wash time of regular laundry. It's not dry cleaning, because it doesn't tackle heavy soiling, but you could think of it as 'dry freshening'.

Does dry cleaning remove smell? ›

Dry cleaning may not be as effective as regular washing when it comes to removing the stench from your everyday clothes. If the clothing you dry-cleaned still smells of sweat, perfume, or smoke after you get it back, then you might need to take some extra steps to remove the odours.

Why is it called dry cleaning? ›

Despite the name, dry cleaning is called that primarily due to the fact that no water is used during the cleaning process. The purpose of dry cleaning is to remove dirt out of garments without harming the individual garment fibers. This is accomplished through the use of a cleaning solvent instead of soap and water.

What does dry clean only mean? ›

"Dry clean only" means the item should be dry cleaned, as it may have sensitivity to water exposure. "Dry clean recommended" means you may be able to wash the item at home, but we highly recommend performing a wash test before you proceed with washing.

Is dry cleaning better than wet cleaning? ›

It can be used for various fabrics and textiles of different sizes. However, dry cleaning has some drawbacks. It is often more expensive than wet cleaning, uses many hazardous solvents, is not considered sustainable, and may not completely remove certain types of stains, as well as not removing odors.

What are the 7 seven effective steps in cleaning and sanitizing? ›

The Seven-Step Approach to Cleaning and Sanitizing
  • Remove Debris. Using a lint-free cloth or wipe, physically remove soil deposits off of food contact surfaces. ...
  • Rinse All Residues. ...
  • Apply Detergent and a Good Scrubbing. ...
  • Give a Thorough Rinse. ...
  • Take a Closer Look. ...
  • Sanitize or Disinfect. ...
  • Dry.

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