Laundry is an essential and endless task in every household. You can either do it yourself or seek the services of a professional.
Most garments come with tags marked as ‘dry-clean only,’ meaning the clothing requires special treatment and handling. This clearly warns you that the material will deteriorate and lose quality when you use other cleaning methods.
What is Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning is the removal of dirt and stains from clothes without the use of soap and water. However, it is not a dry process, as many people believe, because experts soak the clothes in a particular chemical solvent.
The commonly used solvent is perchloroethylene, with alternatives like trichloroethane and petroleum spirits. Kindly know that the US government approves the use of these chemicals in the laundry.
Some clothes with dry clean only tags can be machine or hand-washed, but there are a handful of fabrics where dry cleaning is the only safe option for cleaning them.
To avoid ruining your clothes, it is essential that you know the material that can only be dry cleaned. Hence, when you invest in these materials, you also need to hook up with a professional cleaner.
1- Silk
Silk is a highly durable fabric that is the preferred material for making parachutes. Due to its strong natural fibers, the fabric does not entirely absorb the dyes applied to color it.
Therefore, dry cleaning is the safest method of cleaning silk to retain its deep colors. Washing silk garments with soap and water will cause the garment to shrink, lose color, and generally distort the fabric.
2- Rayon
Rayon is a semi-synthetic material made of cellulose fiber, which industries use to create silk-like garments that do not hold the coloring dyes well.
Therefore, clothes made of this fabric should not be hand washed with soap and water since the dyes in the clothes will bleed, thus ruining an entire load of laundry. Hand washing will also cause the clothes to shrink and lose shape; thus, dry cleaning remains the only safe option.
3- Linen
Manufacturers use flax fibers to make linen. The material is excellent for making summertime clothing due to its calm and fresh characteristics. You can wash clothes made from linen, but you will have a hard time ironing them after they dry.
The flax fibers also lose shape when exposed to water for a long time, while a lot of heat from ironing might leave scorch marks. No matter how much you iron linens, the fabric will not regain its crisp, clean state; thus, dry cleaning is the best way to preserve your linens.
Although you might prefer to wash your clothes at home, dry clean only fabrics need the touch of a professional laundry shop. The experts not only know how to clean sensitive garments but also how to remove stubborn stains. Having your clothes professionally dry cleaned will help them last longer which will save you money in the long run.
