How Dry Cleaning Really Works

Our dry cleaners category is a relatively new addition to America Top 10. We now have the top 10 dry cleaners in your area and you should check them out. However, I know why you’re here. Maybe you’re still confused how dry cleaning really works. Or maybe you just want to be sure that they don’t harm your thousand dollar suit? Either way here we are again to shed some light about the whole process. It does seem confusing at first but its actually very simple to understand.

A Short History First

The earliest records of professional dry cleaning go all the way back to the Ancient Romans.  Dry cleaning shops were actually discovered in the ruins of Pompeii. The cleaners, known as fullers, used a type of clay known as fuller’s earth along with lye and ammonia in order to remove stains such as dirt and sweat from clothing. However, in 1825 AD, a Frenchman Jean Baptiste Jolly of France discovered the use of a chemical for dry cleaning as we know today. A careless maid knocked over a lamp and spilled turpentine on a dirty tablecloth and Jolly noticed that once the turpentine dried, the stains that had marred the fabric were gone. He conducted an experiment, bathed the entire tablecloth in a bathtub filled with turpentine, and it turned out clean.

Dry Cleaning Today

The problem with Jolly’s use of kerosene is that it is flammable. So solvents less likely to burst into flames came into fashion, and in 1948, cleaners settled on a non-flammable organic halogen compound called perchloroethylene. Here we are now at today where dry cleaning uses “perc” for the same results. This chemical lifts dirt from most fabrics, doesn’t cause clothing to shrink or most dyes to fade, and it can be reused too.

How Dry Cleaning Really Works

When you drop your clothes off at the cleaners, the employees follow a pattern that holds true at just about any dry-cleaning operation running today. It goes something like this:

• The first step is tagging and inspection. The dry cleaner identifies your clothes by tagging so they don’t get mixed up with everyone else’s. Clothes are also examined for missing buttons, tears, etc. that the dry cleaner might get blamed for otherwise.
• The next step is the pre-treatment step. The cleaner looks for stains on your clothes and treats them to make removal easier and more complete.
• Then, actual dry cleaning happens and this is the third step. The cleaner puts the clothes in a machine and cleaned with a solvent, which is usually perc.
• If the cleaner sees any stains after the actual dry clean process, he or she does post-spotting. Here, lingering stains, if there are any, are removed.
• Finally, the finishing step involves pressing, folding, packaging and other finishing touches.

So, see that? Nothing to worry about. Your local dry cleaners will take perfect care of your clothing and fabrics. Another reason not to worry is that we hand-pick these Top 10 Dry Cleaners in your area. They’re the best of the best!