Many people know only two things about dry cleaning: its name and that you need a professional to do it. This mysterious laundry method has many of us confused—how can you possibly wash clothes without water? We’re here to clarify the basics of how dry cleaning works and when to use it. Read on to elevate your laundry game!
What Is Dry Cleaning?
Dry cleaning is a laundry process that doesn’t use water. Instead, it uses chemical solvents to remove stains, dirt, and odors from garments without compromising their shape or texture. The term dry cleaning is a bit misleading since clothes do get wet during the process—just not with water.
This is important because some fabrics respond poorly to water and detergent. They might shrink, stretch, or lose color with a traditional wash. Dry cleaning thoroughly removes odors, sweat, and stains from apparel without harming its integrity.
What’s the Process for Dry Cleaning?
When you take your clothing to the dry cleaner, what happens behind the scenes? The main steps include inspection, pre-treatment, cleaning, post-treatment, and pressing.
Inspection and Tagging
When you drop off your clothes, the dry cleaner tags each piece to keep track of it. This is also when you note any stains, damage, or special instructions you want to make sure the cleaner knows about.
Pre-Treatment
The dry cleaner starts the process by spot-treating stains with specialized cleaning agents to loosen them from the fibers.
Cleaning
Next, the dry cleaner puts your garments in a machine filled with a chemical solvent. Traditionally, this solvent is perchloroethylene (known as perc), but the EPA placed a ban on this substance in January of 2025 due to its health and environmental concerns. However, businesses have 3 to 10 years to comply, depending on how old and how effective their machines are at storing and recycling perc. Therefore, make sure to check with your dry cleaner about the solvent they use if you’re concerned about perc exposure.
Post-Treatment
After soaking in the solvent, your clothes receive post-treatment applications if any stains remain.
Pressing and Finishing
Finally, the dry cleaner steams and presses your garments. This gives them the fresh, crisp look people love about dry-cleaned clothes.
When Should You Use Dry Cleaning?
The main use of dry cleaning is for delicate fabrics that don’t tend to fare well in the wash. For example, if you need to clean your cashmere clothing, dry cleaning is an excellent way to go. Likewise, wool, silk, velvet, and leather also benefit from the process.
Even if your clothing’s fabric isn’t delicate, its structure might be. Suits and formal gowns, for instance, do best with dry cleaning. Furthermore, some stains are just too tough for your home’s washer and dryer, and they require the professional touch of a dry cleaner.
If in doubt, always check the care label on your garments. If it says “dry-clean only,” take that seriously! Some clothes need special care to stay in top shape.
Now you know what dry cleaning is and when to use it. Do you have any apparel in your closet due for professional laundering? Use this newfound knowledge to give your clothes the care they deserve.
