Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning is very similar to regular home laundering, but a liquid solvent is used to clean your clothes instead of water and detergent. The solvent contains little or no water, hence the term “dry cleaning”.
Dry cleaners use very large and technically advanced computer-controlled dry cleaning machines. Your clothes do get wet, but the liquid solvent used evaporates much more quickly than water. Since solvent is used instead of water, it is not drained and disposed of as a washing machine does with soiled water.
The solvent is re-circulated through filters throughout the entire cleaning cycle to remove impurities loosened during the cleaning process. Then the solvent is distilled to be crystal clear and totally purifed before it is used again.
Drycleaning has two distinct advantages over cleaning with water or “wet” cleaning: Water swells the fibres. It is this swelling action which causes shrinkage and dye fading in many garments. Drycleaning solvents are much more superior to water in the removal of oily or greasy residues which are the base component of many stains.
After your clothes have been properly cleaned, your cleaner “finishes” (presses) your garments using specialized finishing equipment. Finishing processes used vary, depending on the garments being processed, but generally involve steaming and pressing.