What Are The Best Kept Secrets About Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning is where clothes are cleaned without the use of water. Special solvents are applied to the clothes in a large drum and the clothes are tumbled to absorb the solvent and get them clean. Various types of clothes can be dry cleaned. These can be of any fabric. However, some fabrics need special care while dry cleaning. There are a number of secrets about the process of dry cleaning. They are described below.
1. The clothes actually get wet during dry cleaning
The term dry clean does not mean that the clothes do not come into contact with liquids. It means that they do not come into contact with water. The garments that are submitted to a dry cleaner’s store actually get wet. They get wet with a chemical solvent known as perchloroethylene. Commonly known as perc, this is a solvent that can dissolve any stain. Examples of these stains are tar and dirt. However, for stains caused by materials based on water, some water is actually applied to these stains to get them out.
2. Clothes labeled Dry Clean Only should actually be cleaned at the dry cleaners store
Some clothes have a label on them that indicates dry clean only’. This means that they should not be cleaned in the washing machine. This is because the tumbling of the clothes in the washing machine will shrink the fabric fibers. Moreover, the clothes may bleed if thrown in the washing machine and color other clothes that they tumbled with. Thus, for such clothes, it is best to take them to the dry cleaners’ store. However, if you do not desire to take them there, you can gently hand wash them and then dry them yourself. Take note that velvet and suede fabrics must be cleaned at the dry cleaners’ store.
3. The payments for dry cleaning are worth it
Many people claim that dry cleaning is expensive. This is true but the prices are worth it. The machines the dry cleaners use to get the stains out of the clothes are not cheap. Moreover, there are the electricity bills that the cleaners have to pay as well as purchasing the chemicals that are used to clean clothes. In addition to that, various types of fabrics need unique and special types of solvents to get the stains out of them. As a result, the dry cleaners have to buy a multitude of solvents to clean up the clothes that they get from clients. Also, dry cleaners give a lot of attention to the clothes they get. Sometimes, the buttons of clients’ clothes come off and the dry cleaners actually sew them back on before returning the clothes to the clients. Moreover, when you take your clothes to the dry cleaners’ you expect all the stains to be removed and that’s exactly what you get. Overall, the price that they charge is worth it.
4. The dry cleaners observe the rules for the lifetimes of clothes
Every item of clothing has its set lifetime. These lifetimes are set by the International Fair Claims Guide for Consumer Textile Products. This organization sets the official lifetimes of various clothing items for example dress shirts should last two years and socks should last a year. As such, if you send your clothes to the dry cleaners and they get damaged. If you can prove that your item of clothing was not past its expected lifetime, then you can get cash refund from the dry cleaner’s store.
Benefits of dry cleaning
Dry cleaning has a number of benefits that are not attainable using regular means of washing clothes. One of these is that the dry cleaning process is far less brutal to your clothes than any other method of washing. The solvent that is used to take the stains out does not harm your clothes or cause the fibers of the fabric to wear out. Also, the clothes that you send to the dry cleaners will not shrink and the color will not bleed. This is because no water is used in the process of cleaning.
Dry cleaning is convenient because all the ironing, hanging and folding is done for you by the dry cleaning attendants. Moreover, the attendants make sure that every type of fabric is cleaned using special care. Some fabrics need specialized solvents to clean off the stains that they get. Thus, the attendants look for the right solvents and use these on the right fabrics of the clothes they get. When you send your clothes to the dry cleaners’ they come back smelling fresh as new. This is because the attendants at the store make use of solvents that actively eliminate all sorts of odors no matter how long they have lingered on the clothing. Another interesting benefit of sending your clothes to the dry cleaners is that if you send them by 10.00 am, they will be cleaned, ironed, folded or hanged and delivered to you by the next business day.
During the cleaning process, the clothes that you send to the dry cleaners’ can get loose buttons or lose them altogether. The attendants look for the buttons or get new, identical buttons and sew them back on. The attendants of the dry cleaners’ are trained on how to take treat and clean all sorts of fabrics. This means that no matter what fabric your garment is made of, the dry cleaners’ will clean and take out the stains from it efficiently.
Dry cleaners also clean up other items in addition to clothes. They can clean up household fabrics and items for example carpets, pillows, rugs and curtains too. Dry cleaners can also mothproof your clothes. Moths are notorious for attacking clothes and eating their fabrics. This is highly destructive for clothes especially those that are made using wool as a fabric. The dry cleaners can give your clothes a treatment using special chemicals to protect them from moths. Thus, the dry cleaners are a versatile group who take pains to ensure that your clothes are clean, fresh and protected. When it comes to dry cleaning let professionals do it for you.
