Dry Cleaning Isn’t Really Dry: The Dry Cleaning Process Explained

Most households today have an in-house washing machine and dryer that the majority of your clothes can be washed and dried in as often as you’d like. The process uses water and a soap or other alkaline detergent to remove soils from your clothes. More delicate garments, however, typically have to be dry cleaned to preserve their quality.

So, since it’s different from household laundry, what exactly does the dry cleaning process entail? The first thing to note is that dry cleaning is not very dry at all! Rather, the word “dry” in “dry cleaning” comes from the lack of water used during the process. Instead of water, garments are soaked in a liquid solvent that removes soils.

If you need to take your clothing to dry cleaners in Scottsdale, AZ but aren’t sure what the process entails, here’s a quick explanation.

Dry cleaning basics

Dry cleaning is often used on garments made of wool, silk and synthetic materials due to these fabrics’ ability to degrade or fade in water. The liquid solvents used during the dry cleaning process help preserve these garments. Additionally, some garments are too delicate to go through a traditional tumble wash-and-dry cycle and are better off being gently cleaned by dry cleaners in Scottsdale, AZ.

A liquid solvent is used to lift stains and soils from garments. The most common liquid solvent used by dry cleaning services today is perchloroethylene, or “perc.” However, some dry cleaners use organic, non-toxic solvents instead of perc because it can be dangerous to handle.

The dry cleaning process

When you initially drop your clothing off, each garment will be tagged with an identification number by either stapling or pinning it on. This ID number ensures each customer will receive their proper clothing items after cleaning.

After the items are tagged, the dry cleaners in Scottsdale, AZ will inspect each garment to check that no items were left in pockets; if they find anything, the items left behind will be returned to the customer. They will also check for any signs of damage such as tears or missing buttons and will log them before the cleaning process begins.

Next, the dry cleaner will check your garments for stains. A pre-treatment is applied to some stains so they are more easily removed while being cleaned. These pre-treatments may be water or chemical based; water-based treatments can help remove water-soluble stains from food, drinks and plants, whereas chemical-based treatments will target stains caused by fats, waxes and plastics.

Once pre-treatment is complete, the machine cleaning step can begin. Your dry cleaner will load your garments into a large drum machine to be soaked with liquid solvent and gently agitated to loosen soils. The solvent is typically drained from the machine and filtered to be used again. Your clothes will then be “rinsed” with fresh solvent to ensure all soils have been washed away.

Once removed from the machine, your garments will be inspected again for any stains left behind. The dry cleaner may spot-treat these stains using steam, water or a vacuum to remove any trace of soils.

Finally, your garments will be steamed, repaired if damaged and hung or folded in preparation to be returned to you. All wrinkles will be removed and your garments will be completely ready for wear as soon as you pick them up or have them delivered by your dry cleaning service.

For reliable and organic dry cleaning solutions, visit Organic Dry Cleaners and Laundry! For over 25 years, our full-service dry cleaning and laundry company has offered customers top-quality service using all-organic, non-toxic, hydrocarbon solvents. We even offer laundry pickup and delivery, making us one of the leading dry cleaners in Scottsdale, AZ! Visit us today!

Categorised in: Dry Cleaners

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