Don't Be Afraid of "Dry Clean Only" Clothes
"Dry clean only" don't have to be the three terrifying words of your life. While there are some fabrics that truly need dry cleaning, others can simply be hand washed or washed in the machine off course with a little extra care.
If you understand what dry cleaning is and how Miami dry cleaners clean the fabrics, it will help you to understand how dry cleaning can be beneficial for your garments. It will also help you to understand which garment really needs dry cleaning and which one can do without it.
Dry Cleaning: What Is It?
Dry cleaning is actually a cleaning procedure which involves the use of a solvent instead of water. Since the inception of dry cleaning various solvents have been used to clean fabrics. Dry cleaning started in the middle of 19th century. In the earlier days dry cleaners used to clean fabrics with gasoline or kerosene. But using these chemicals was not safe. In fact many a time using these dangerous chemicals had resulted in explosions.
After World War 1 more and more dry cleaners started using tetrachloroethylene which is not as dangerous as gasoline or kerosene. During the 1930s tetrachloroethylene became very popular as a cleaning solvent. It is nonflammable and gentle on fabrics. Tetrachloroethylene is more popularly known as perchloroethylene or perc.
However researches proved that perc is also not quite safe to use because it has harmful effects on the environment as well as human health. Recently liquid CO2 has gained popularity as the safest solvent for dry cleaning. If you are opting for professional Dry Cleaning Services Miami, make sure the service provider uses liquid CO2 and perc.
Can "Dry Clean Only" Clothes Be Washed?
There are many fabrics that simply can not be washed. Using water may damage them and using harsh detergent may completely spoil the fabric. The chemicals cause the fabric to shrink. But there are a few materials that can be washed despite of their "dry clean only" label. But you need to take extra care of these garments.
If you are going to hand wash them, make sure to use cool water and mild detergent. Washing "dry clean only" clothes in hot or warm water can damage the fabric completely. On the other hand if you are going to wash them in machine you should place the garments on a delicate cycle. You can also put them a lingerie bag to protect them.
Whether you opt for dry cleaning or hand washing, following the right procedure and cleaning agent is important.