The world behind the dry cleaner’s counter is a mystery to most. This leads to not-entirely-accurate information being spread about dry cleaning. The dangerous part is many of these misconceptions can actually damage your clothes. To help protect your wardrobe, don’t fall victim to believing these misconceptions.
1. Dry Cleaners Don’t Use Liquids
As we’ve said before, it’s called ‘dry cleaning’ because there is an absence of water. However, the cleaning solvent is still liquid. This solvent is often a petroleum-based liquid, perchloroethylene, which dry cleaners refer to as ‘Perc.’ It is a popular option, but we at Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners don’t use that human carcinogen, and instead use our EcoTech System to maintain your clothes.
2. Use Club Soda Instead – It’s Cheaper!
Club soda may be touted as a miracle hack for treating serious clothing stains at home, but it is in no way a substitute for your local dry cleaners. In many cases, it can often make a stain worse. If you encounter a stain, gently dab the excess away and bring the item in to the cleaner as soon as possible. Let them know what happened and they will be able to help.
3. Store Your Clothes in the Bag from the Cleaners
This isn’t necessary. The bag is just to protect your clothes on the trip back to your closet, whether you’re picking them up or having them delivered. Your clothes will come back clean and dry, but the bag may trap residual heat, making the air humid and hostile towards certain garments. Our bags are not meant for long-term storage.
4. Only Clothes Labeled “Dry Clean Only” Should Go to The Cleaners
While your local cleaner may have specialized processes for those clothes that should not go in a domestic drying machine, many offer services for your other clothes. Any garment that you want to last and maintain its quality should be taken to your cleaners.
5. Wait as Long as Possible Before Taking Your Clothes to The Dry Cleaners
This misconception stems from the idea that dry cleaning actually harms your clothes and that it should not be done as frequently as you do your own washing at home. This assumption is false and prolonging the time in between visits can be a costly mistake. Waiting to take your clothes in means wearing them multiple times. This can compound stains and smells that latch onto your clothes, making them more difficult to get out, even at the hands of an expert cleaner. Don’t wait to take your clothes to the cleaners.
There are many bits of common knowledge about dry cleaners that stem from misplaced assumptions. Don’t fall into believing them or your clothes could suffer. Trust your local dry cleaner to help your clothes last and keep you looking smart.
You’re not the first to ask this question, and you won’t be the last. With unfamiliar machinery and a process that shrouded behind other people’s laundry, it’s hard to guess at how dry cleaning works. While it might be mysterious, the process is actually very simple.
1. Your clothes get tagged.
When you first drop your clothes off (or have them picked up), the dry cleaners tag and inspect them. The tags help ensure your clothes stay and are washed together. It also helps in retrieving your clothes once they’re ready for pick up/drop off.
Tagging allows the dry cleaning staff to clear your pockets of anything you wouldn’t want washed (Hello, missing airpods!) and note any pre-existing damage such as missing buttons. We take it a step further at Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners to note specific details about the garment, such as the clothing brand and color, which is packed into a barcode unique to that item.
2. Your clothes are pretreated.
If, during the inspection, the cleaner notices any stains, this is when they will be pretreated. It’s best if you alert your cleaner to the stain and, if possible, let them know the cause so they know how best to treat it.
3. Your clothes are washed.
This is where we tell you the “dry” part of “dry cleaning” isn’t entirely true. Clothes do become wet at the dry cleaners, but it is due to a cleaning solvent, not water. This solvent can differ from place to place, like how Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners use GreenEarth, a solvent free of “perc” or perchloroethylene, a human carcinogen.
To clean your clothes, dry cleaners load your garments into their washing machine and rinse it through with their solvent. This gentle cleaner will remove surface stains as well as prevent any stretching or shrinking like a domestic washing machine might cause.
4. Your clothes are checked.
While the washing process is gentler than the machine found in most homes, there is still a chance of a button getting lost or a thread being snagged. After they come out of the machine, clothes are inspected for such damage, but also any remaining stains.
5. Your clothes are pressed.
Once they pass quality control, your clothes are pressed to remove wrinkles. Sometimes this is simple ironing, but other times, special forms are used to help important garments keep their shape.
These general steps aren’t specific to Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners. Most dry cleaners will stick with this process to best care for your clothes. However, if you have special care instructions for your garments, it’s worth investigating what makes your local dry cleaner unique.
There are many factors to consider when choosing your dry cleaner, including the quality of the service, location, and pricing. Among all of these other factors, however, it is important to keep the environmental impact of dry cleaning in mind, and consider whether your dry cleaner engages in eco-friendly practices. We’re here to explain the process and benefits of eco-friendly dry cleaning.
How is eco-friendly dry cleaning different?
Chemicals such as perchlorethylene that are used by some dry cleaners come with potential health risks to you and your family. This alone should encourage you to search for a dry cleaner that does not use such products to clean your family’s items. The EcoTech System we use at Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners ensures that each of your garments will be cleaned thoroughly and safely.
How else can dry cleaning be more eco-friendly?
Sustainable dry cleaning practices go beyond the cleaning process itself. As with any business, every part of operating a dry cleaner involves consumption. At Crest, we try our best to make all of our activities as eco-friendly as possible. For example, unlike many traditional dry cleaners, the bags in which we return your clothes to you are both reusable and recyclable.
Why does this matter?
The health of our families is at the forefront of all of our minds. If there is a possibility that the harsh chemicals used by some dry cleaners can be harmful, it is best to search for alternatives. Furthermore, supporting initiatives that will benefit the environment as a whole are worth making the switch.
If you are located near one of our Crest Advanced Dry Cleaning locations and are searching for a dry cleaner that cares about the safety of your family and the environment, consider choosing Crest! To make accessing dry cleaning even easier — and to reduce the number of cars on the road — Crest also offers a free home delivery service. Getting your clothes cleaned has never been so simple! Contact us for more information about our services and our commitment to providing an eco-friendly service.
Why choose Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners?
