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Many people have already taken delicate textiles to the dry cleaner. However, only a few know how this works. We explain exactly how professional dry cleaning works.
Dry cleaning: What is it?
Dry cleaning is the most common form of professional cleaning for textiles.
- Instead of water, a liquid or solvent is used in dry cleaning to clean the clothing.
- This prevents the textiles from swelling and the fibers retain their original shape.
- There are different solvents that are suitable for different fibers. The most common are perchloroethylene, fluorochlorohydrocarbon, hydrocarbon and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane.
- “Wet cleaning” was developed by the Miele company in the 1990s as a replacement for dry cleaning. The process requires fewer chemicals, which is why the waste water can be discharged directly into the sewage system. However, wet cleaning is not suitable for all delicate garments and is therefore less common than dry cleaning.
Dry cleaning or washing machine? All the info
Sometimes it’s not entirely clear whether an item of clothing needs dry cleaning or can be put in the washing machine.
- Dry cleaning is always recommended for high-quality wedding dresses and evening dresses.
- Other garments embroidered with beads, sequins or sewn-on buttons should also be dry cleaned.
Dry cleaning will not damage the appliqués and they will not lose their shine. - For stains, you can remember the rule of thumb “like dissolves like”. Oily stains are best removed by dry cleaning, but water-based stains are better removed by normal washing with detergent.
- Which detergents can be used is indicated by the textile care symbol on the garment label.
