You must have heard about dry cleaning. You may already know that not all fabrics can be washed in water. But have you thought about what happens behind the scenes in dry cleaning facilities? It is a straightforward process but is significantly different from water washing. Here, we will look at the steps followed by the dry cleaners in NYC to handle your delicate garments.
What Is Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning is a waterless approach to cleaning garments. Dirty clothes are soaked in a solvent. These solvents are able to disintegrate stains and dirt. This means that cleaning is done without causing much agitation.
Now let’s talk about traditional cleaning. Clothes are dipped and washed in water instead of letting stains break down in chemicals. Water-washing typically involves scrubbing and rinsing.
Delicate fabrics can get damaged by scrubbing and rinsing. This is why they are soaked in a chemical solvent that simply dissolves all the stains. Water also causes many types of fabrics to expand or shrink. Chemical solvents do not have such an effect on fabrics.
Here is a quick overview of the differences:
| Water washing | Dry cleaning | |
| Cleaning liquid | Water and detergent | Chlorinated/petrochemical solvents |
| Agitation level | High to extreme | Low |
| Stains removed | Almost all | Oily and greasy, anything tough to remove |
| Liquid penetration | Soaked in fabric | Cleans surface |
| Risk of colour bleed | Yes | No |
| Risk of wrinkle/shrinking | Yes | No |
| Risk of fabric damage | Yes | No |
| Process convenience | Low | High |
| Process control | High | Mild |
| Time saving | No | Yes |
| Require professionals | No | Yes |
Now let’s talk about the fabrics or garments that you must dry clean.
Which Fabrics Require Dry Cleaning?
Some fabrics must only be dry cleaned. Others can be water-washed but dry cleaning is recommended to prevent damage.
Must Be Dry Cleaned
Wool: Wool is a durable fabric. But water can make wool shrink. Dry cleaning will help you prevent shrinkage. it will make your woolen garment last longer.
Silk: Silk is also a strong fabric. But it is not good at absorbing dyes completely. Your silk garments will lose colour if washed with detergent and water. The fabric will also wrap and shrink. Dry cleaning will help you keep your silk garments vibrant and undamaged.
Leather: Cleaning leather garments requires strictly following special care instructions. Leather garments are only dry cleaned for fixing extreme stains.
Suede: Suede is a different type of leather. It is hard-to-maintain as well as expensive. This type of leather is affected by wetness and sunlight. It has sensitivity to both chemical and water-based cleaners. Dry cleaners in NYC use non-toxic chemical solvents on suedes.
Recommended For Dry Cleaning
Denim: Denim is durable. It can be washed in cold water. But it is not recommended to use a dryer on denim. Also, high-quality denim will stay better for longer if dry cleaned.
Linen: Linen is a strong fabric that is good at absorbing. Therefore, you can air dry as well as hand wash linen. It does require ironing. But your linen garments will no longer feel crispy if not handled properly. Dry cleaning is recommended to prevent the fabric’s quality from deteriorating.
Rayon: Rayon is a semi-synthetic textile. Washing in warm water causes rayon clothing to lose colour. Your rayon garments will also shrink if washed in warm water. The textile can be hand washed using cold water and detergent. However, dry cleaning is recommended for safety.
Garments That Must Be Dry Cleaned
Vintage clothes: Vintage clothes must be dry cleaned. You want to preserve the colour and texture of your vintage clothes. Dry cleaning will be gentler on your vintage collections compared to water washing.
Embroidered clothes: The agitation of washing with detergent and water can cause damage to the embroidered work on your clothes. Dry cleaning such garments can prevent damage to the embroidery stitches.
Delicates: Delicates like silk, wool and cashmere must be dry cleaned. Water washing damages such fabrics. Water also makes these fabrics shrink. The colour of your delicates will fade and the shape will be distorted. Have your dirty delicates handled by the dry cleaners in NYC for safety.
Anything with lace/trimmings/buttons: Garments with decorative details would get severely damaged if not cleaned gently. There will be the risk of embellishments tearing off if hand washing is done. Dry cleaning is gentle enough to keep the laces and buttons on your clothes intact. The best dry cleaners in NYC also perform pre-treatment before cleaning to protect buttons and trimmings from any damage.
What Supplies Are Used For Dry Cleaning?
Appropriate solvents and machines are needed for professional dry cleaning.
Spotting Table
A spotting table is used to explore and treat stains. This must be done before your garment can be cleaned. Steaming and vacuuming tools are often attached with a spotting table. Steam helps loosen stains. Vacuuming is done to get out excess cleaning agents and moisture from the clothes. The spotting table may also have a hot air gun equipped to dry garments after a steaming session.
Chemical Solvents and Agents
A solvent other than water is needed for dry cleaning. Perchloroethylene (perc) is used most commonly. Trichloroethane is another alternative chlorinated solvent. Petroleum spirits can also be used as dry-cleaning solvents. The best dry cleaners in NYC are experts in deciding the right solvent for your fabric.
The solvents get dirty as more stains dissolve in them with every dry cleaning session. The dirty solvent is collected for reuse in the next batch of cleaning. It just has to go through a distillation and purification process. Specific chemical agents are used for pre-treating certain stains.
Dry-To-Dry Machine
Dry cleaning is done using dry-cleaning machines. These machines are programmable. It means that you can control the fabric chemistry, temperature, and cleaning times on dry-cleaning machines. The best dry cleaners in NYC are accustomed to configuring the machines according to the type of fabric to be cleaned.
Garments can be dried in the machines after cleaning is complete. Also, the machines come with built-in distillation units. It means that there is no need to install separate units to remove the dissolved stains from the cleaning solvent.
Pressing Equipment
Pressing or ironing is necessary for finishing up a cleaning process. Pressing will make your clothes crisper after they go through the cleaning process. Dry cleaners in NYC will not hand you over wrinkled clothes. Steam treatment will be done in case your clothes are not meant to be ironed.
Now that you know what tools and supplies are needed, let’s go through the steps in dry cleaning.
Steps In The Dry Cleaning Process
Dry cleaning processes typically involve six steps. You can also check out this video to better understand the steps presented below.
Step 1: Cloth Tagging
The dry cleaning process starts with tagging the garments with an identification number. Dry cleaners in NYC generally staple or pin a paper tag or barcode strip to the clothes. The purpose of tagging is to make sure that all your clothes are returned to you. Similar garments from the same customers are put into dry cleaning machines together.
Step 2: Garment Inspection
The best dry cleaners in NYC don’t rush straight into the cleaning process. Your garments will be inspected first. Professional spotters will search for any item you left in your pocket. They will also spot any existing tears or rips before cleaning. They will also make note of missing buttons.
Garment inspection is important as items left in your pocket may damage costly cleaning equipment. You would also want to have your forgotten belongings back intact.
Step 3: Stain Pre-Treatment
The cleaners will check for stains on your clothes. They will try to figure out the nature of the stains. Dry cleaners in NYC treat these stains first before sending the clothes for solvent-based cleaning. Trims and frail buttons are also covered or detached during the pre-treatment stage. The purpose of this is to prevent damage to the supplementary and aesthetic materials of your garments.
Step 4: Dry Cleaning
Your inspected and pre-treated dirty clothes are loaded into a dry cleaning machine. These machines contain a drum filled with chemical solvent. The dry cleaners in NYC will carefully control the agitation in the solvent. The agitation is gentle, just enough to loosen stains and dirt from the fabric.
The solvent is drained once the stains break down in it. The solvent is passed through a distiller. This allows recycling the solvent for further use. Fresh solvent is then filled into the machine to flush away any remaining dirt from the clothes. So now your clothes are cleaned.
Step 5: Post-Spotting
The best dry cleaners in NYC will not rest after cleaning. They will further check your clothes to spot any persistent stains. Steam or vacuum treatment will be done if stains remain. However, you must know that not all stains can be removed by dry cleaning. The chemical solvents can only clean the surface of materials.
Unlike water, the chemical solvents don’t penetrate the fiber. So remember that dry cleaning mostly clears stains of a greasy or oily nature. It is difficult to remove a stain that strongly sets into your clothes. But you also cannot wet clean all fabrics. So, you will have no other choice than sending them for dry cleaning anyway.
Step 6: Finishing
Dry cleaners in NYC will deliver your clothes in a ready-to-wear condition. Your cleaned garment will be pressed or steamed as required by the type of fabric. Buttons will be reattached. Repairs will also be made. Your clothes will be folded neatly. The items found in your pockets will also be added to your bag of clothes.
Conclusion
Dry cleaning is a gentle cleaning process while water washing is harsh on your clothes. Hence, not all garments are meant for traditional water-based washing. You don’t want your clothes to shrink and tear. You also don’t want the colour to fade. Dry cleaning eliminates the risk of damage to clothes.
Tags on your clothes reveal if it must be dry cleaned or can be water washed. Dry cleaners in NYC know how to follow the special care instructions. Hence, your vintage collections and delegates will last for longer with professional dry cleaning. Dry cleaning may not remove all kinds of stains. But water washing is also not the recommended way to clean all garments and fabrics. If you want to remove specific stains from your non-washable clothes, the dry cleaners in NYC can help. They will inspect your fabric and find the right cleaning agents to pre-treat your garments. So sort your garments and book with the best dry cleaners in NYC now.
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