Dry cleaning uses solvents, not water, to clean clothes. The most common solvent is perchlorethylene (perc), which is filtered and reused. It is necessary for delicate fabrics that don’t react well to soap and water. In the past, petroleum-based solvents were used, which were highly flammable and left an odor on clothes.
Dry cleaning, despite what the average person may think, is actually a bit of a misnomer. There is nothing dry about it. Clothes get as wet as when you wash them. Unlike traditional laundry, however, the cleaning solvent is not water-based, which is how the process got its name.
The dry cleaning process involves the use of solvents to obtain a garment cleaner. In most cases, the vast majority of dry cleaners in the United States and other industrialized nations use a solvent called perchlorethylene (perc). It replaced other harmful chemicals that were not as effective and more dangerous to use.
Just as one can do laundry at home and look for stains and pre-treat them, the same is done before dry cleaning. The pretreatment helps loosen any soil on the fabric so that the solvent can be a more effective cleaner. Once this is complete, the clothing is placed in a machine and the solvent is added. After that, the garment can be inspected again for major blemishes.
During the dry cleaning process, the portion that actually takes place in the machine is very similar to the type of processing that a garment can undergo in a home washing machine. A large steel bucket, which is perforated, allows the solvent to enter and then creates a centrifugal effect to remove the solvent along with the dirt it traps. The solvent, usually perc, is then passed through a filter and can be reused. Thus, the process becomes very economical both for the cleaner and, as a natural result, for the customer.
Dry cleaning is necessary for fabrics that are delicate and may not do well in daily washing. This may be because the fabrics simply don’t react well to soap and water. In some cases, it is possible to dry clean or hand wash the fabrics. Most care labels will offer this option, if recommended. However, in most cases, hand cleaning will not be as effective as dry cleaning, but it will be much cheaper.
In the past, a petroleum-based solvent was used in dry cleaning. However, these solvents posed considerable risks as they were highly flammable. Also, the solvent itself would often leave an odor on the clothes. While there may be cases, even in modern times, when products return from dry cleaners smelling foul, this is a rarity at most dry cleaners.
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