What is Dry Cleaning and How Does it Work?

Dry cleaning is a cleaning process that doesn’t use water to clean clothing or other fabrics that may be made of wool, fine fabrics, or other materials that shouldn’t become wet with water. Dry cleaning is also ideal for any fabrics that can’t tolerate excessive heat in the dryer, it won’t cause damage since the fabrics aren’t exposed to high heat during the dry cleaning process.

How Does Dry Cleaning Work?

In place of water to clean these fabrics, Valet Laundry will utilize a liquid solvent that doesn’t involve water. The item will still become wet, however, this is from the cleaning solvent, not from water. Most dry cleaners will utilize synthetic, non-flammable types of solvents and eco-friendly solvents that work just as well, these eco-friendly solvents have a low impact on the environment.

Step 1: The fabrics are loaded into industrial machines that both wash and dry. Solvents are then entered into the cylinder via the holding tank to remove the dirt and other debris.

Step 2: Solvents then reenter the holding tank to begin a secondary cleaning process.

Step 3: An extraction cycle removes the remainder of solvents from a load of laundry. Rotation will increase similar to a spin cycle of a regular washing machine.

Step 4: A load of laundry is then dried in the same machine or a specialized machine. A load of laundry will exit this process completely dry and ready to be pressed or folded and ironed before the return delivery to the customer.

What Are Some Benefits Of Dry Cleaning?

Dry cleaning uses a specialized process to clean fabrics that can’t be exposed to high heat or water without damage.

Sanitizing: Dry cleaning sanitizes fabrics without the damage that water can do to fabrics. Utilizing temperatures of 140 up to 150 degrees F, most viruses are killed during the process of dry cleaning.

Action: The action of dry cleaning via the process of soap and mechanical actions, helps to break down and reduce the incidence of viruses being spread in much the same fashion as washing the hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water. This helps to reduce both germs and pathogens in the fabrics.

Disinfection: Using disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide to kill viruses and bacteria, even if the temperature isn’t as high as 140 to 150 degrees F the fabrics are still disinfected via the process of dry cleaning.

Heat: Dry cleaning doesn’t use the same level of heat that other washing processes use, however, the heat is still high enough at approximately 220 degrees F to ensure that any known viruses are killed off. This, as the final step of the dry cleaning process, ensures that the laundry is clean and sanitary.

Dry cleaning helps to prolong the life of fabrics that shouldn’t be cleaned with regular soap and water in a washing machine. The process ensures that the fabrics are fully cleaned/sanitized, and disinfected so that there is little chance of the fabrics spreading any risk of a virus or disease.

Ready to give us a try? Schedule your pickup today!