Is Dry Cleaning Really Dry?

Many people do not understand the concept behind dry cleaning and assume that dry cleaning is a dry process of cleaning clothes. The truth is dry cleaning is not actually using a dry process to clean clothes. Water is not used during the process of dry cleaning and this might be the reason why many people think dry cleaning is actually fry. There are other cleaning agents that are used in the place of water and detergents. A dry cleaning machine is basically a combination of the normal home washing machine and dry in one.

Here are the reasons why dry cleaning is not actually dry?
Inspection
This is the first step that is done, once dry cleaners receive clothes from their clients. Inspection is an important step to make sure that clothes are cleaned in the right manner. This is because there are different types of fabrics that need different care. To know how to clean clothes it is important to read labels and know about care of clothes. There are some clothes that need special care like wool and silk. This type of clothes are first put aside. 

For clothes that dry cleaners are not sure about care and cleaning method, labels help in a great way. Labels at the back of the clothes advice on cleaning methods and dry cleaners can now know how to handle such clothes. Inspection is also done to remove valuables that may have been left in the pockets to keep them safely for clients. Another benefit of inspection is to identify stubborn stains and look for the best way to remove them.

Stain removal
Dry cleaning is not always the most effective way of cleaning because there are difficult stains that cannot be removed by dry cleaning. Dry cleaners have special stain removal agents that are used to remove stains. Different stain are treated differently and this is why stain removal experts use different methods of stain removal. Most stain removal agent are liquid and this is important step must be done before clothes are taken to the dry cleaning machine. Once stain removal experts ascertain that are stains have been removed, the clothes can now be taken to the dry cleaning machine for further cleaning.

Working of the cleaning solvent
As you already know, during the process of dry cleaning water is not used. A dry cleaning solvent is used in the place of water but it is still in form of a liquid. In the dry cleaning machine, there is a holding chamber, where the cleaning solvent is poured. This is the same place where the dirty clothes are put after inspection. The solvent is the main cleaning agent during the process of dry cleaning although other cleaning agents may still be used. 

Once the clothes are put in the cleaning chamber that contains the dry cleaning agent, cleaning is done through a rotation process. This basically works like the tradition home washing machine until the clothes are cleaned. The process of cleaning in the chamber involves separating the clothes from dirt through filters. It is a very systematic process in such a way that dirt and the cleaning solvent are separated. After all the clothes have been cleaned the solvent is taken back to the holding area that holds the cleaning solvent. The same cleaning solvent will be used to clean the next bunch of clothes at it is maintained after each cleaning process.

Draining of the cleaning solvent
After all the clothes have been cleaned it is now time to drain the solvent. This process separates the cleaning solvent from the clothes. The process of draining solvent is faster than the process of cleaning because the extract has to be removed using a lot of force to ensure all the solvent is drained. The drained solvent goes back to a bare chamber that hold it. After the clothes have been cleaned and dried the cylinder stopped rotating to indicate that the cleaning process is complete.

Purification of the cleaning solvent
Many people may be concerned that the same cleaning solvent is used to clean different bunches of clothes. This is not a problem because purification is done to ensure that by the time the cleaning solvent is used to clean the next bunch it is already purified. Purification is automatically done after each bunch of clothes is cleaned. The solvent is purified through a heating process. The solvent is heated to evaporation state and the vapor is then condensed back to liquid. This process ensures that all the impurities are left behind and only the purest form of the cleaning solvent goes to the next process.

Drying process
During dry cleaning, clothes are dried using warm air. Depending on the type of drying cleaning machine that is being used, there are different places where drying is done. In some machines, drying is done in the same place where cleaning is done while in some machines drying of clothes is done in a separate chamber. The process of drying clothes however using warm air to dry clothes. Warm air is passed through the clothes and this makes the remaining solvent to evaporate from the clothes. The process is repeated until all the clothes are completely dry and all the solvent is evaporated from clothes. 

Aeration process
After clothes are dried using warm air, they may need to be cooled and remove all the remaining traces of solvent that may have been left in the clothes. Unlike drying, aeration is done using cool air. Cool air is passed through the clothes to deodorize them and to make them fresh. This is because the process of dry cleaning is usually warm up to the drying process and it is important to cool clothes at the end. During the aeration process, deodorant may be added to the clothes.

I hope by now you have understand what happens during dry cleaning and the fact that dry cleaning is not dry. The fact that water is not used to clean clothes doesn’t make the process dry.