Back in the day getting clothes dry cleaned from the dry cleaners was considered an expensive task that was mainly conducted by the upper class. Thanks to vast technical developments, dry cleaners began offering their dry cleaning services at lower rates. But unfortunately today, due to a hike in prices, people once again are moving towards the practice of washing their clothes at home.
That said, here are some factors that are helpful in understanding the basic difference between washing your clothes at home versus at a dry cleaner.
Dry Cleaning Your Clothes
1. At the dry cleaners, the dry-cleaning worker first looks at your clothes to see if there are any tears, stains, or missing buttons. They then tag them with an identification mark so they don’t mix up your clothes from the other customers’.
2. After you leave, the dry-cleaning worker starts the laundry-cleaning process, which begins by removing any stains with help of a stain remover.
3. After removing any stains, the dry-cleaning worker cleans the clothes in the dry-cleaning machine. During this process, a solvent is added, which helps remove stubborn stains from the clothes. Once the clothes are dried, the the dry-cleaning worker irons and packs your clothing. You can then pick your clothes up!
Washing Your Clothes At Home
If you plan to clean your clothes at home, you may need to buy a kit that includes stain removers, dryer activated cloths and a reusable dryer bag. The process is similar to dry cleaning your clothes at the dry cleaners without, of course, making the heavy machines.
When dry cleaning clothes at home, you will also be required to remove stains with a stain remover solvent and rub the clothes when removing those stains. When doing this you need to be cautious when applying the solvent on the cloth. You should only apply a small portion of solvent to the cloth.
After doing this exercise, you will have to put your clothes in a dryer for at least thirty minutes. During the course, you will be required to put small amount of water, perfume and emulsifier in the dryer. The heat from the dryer will help clean your clothes and possibly further remove any stains, making them look clean, shiny and new.
After your clothes have dried, iron out any wrinkles and fold them. If you have lots of laundry to do throughout the week, your washing machine at home may not be big enough, resulting in multiple loads which can become frustrating. You may not have a dryer, which means more time spent hanging clothes on a clothes line or drying rack.
Conclusion
Although both cleaning processes get the job done, today people have less time to spend cleaning their clothes at home. While dry cleaning seems more expensive up front, it actually is cost effective in the long run because of how much time it saves you. All you have to do is drop your clothes off and then you can go back to work, run more errands, spend time with your friends and family… Besides that, there are various fabrics like bed sheets, curtains, suits, etc… which are not possible to clean at home. Remember this is a professional service you are paying for. This means the people who work at the dry cleaners are experts. They have pretty much dealt with every stain, tear and/or missing button, so your clothes will be well taken care of. For these reasons, the dry cleaners is a more preferable choice than washing your clothes at home.
Hopefully from this post, you now understand the differences between cleaning your clothes at home versus having them cleaned at the dry cleaners, and why the dry cleaners is the preferred choice. Happy clothes cleaning!
