| Many people have an issue with the price of | | | | likely be clean and stain-free, and all the |
| professional dry cleaning. This fact alone | | | | wrinkles pressed out. The entire process is |
| has led many to seek out different, less | | | | more precise and thorough than the |
| expensive methods such as home dry cleaning | | | | alternative at-home dry cleaning methods. You |
| treatments. While they provide a cheaper | | | | get what you pay for. Speaking of which, the |
| alternative to professional dry cleaning, | | | | cost of professional dry cleaning is a major |
| many remain skeptical as to how effective | | | | drawback. It's expensive, with prices ranging |
| they really are. | | | | from nearly four dollars to over twenty |
| | | | dollars, depending on the size of the |
| The Process | | | | garment, the fabric and the amount of |
| | | | treatment needed. |
| Regardless of its name, dry cleaning uses | | | | |
| perchloroethylene to remove soil and stains | | | | A little known fact about the process of |
| from fabric. It is able to dissolve greases | | | | professional dry cleaning is that the |
| and oils and prevents shrinkage, loss of | | | | chemical perchloroethylene poses health risks |
| color, and fabric distortion. The process | | | | to both the people handling the garments |
| begins with the pretreatment of spots and | | | | while they are being cleaned, and the |
| stains using special cleaning agents. The | | | | customers who wear the clothes afterward. |
| garments are then loaded into a machine and | | | | |
| washed with perchloroethylene, then pressed | | | | Home dry-cleaning is a cheaper alternative. |
| and packaged. | | | | It costs less than fifty cents per garment to |
| | | | dry clean at home if everything is done |
| Two types of home dry cleaning products | | | | correctly. It also freshens and removes |
| exist: with a dryer bag (i.e. Dryel) and | | | | wrinkles in one simple process without the |
| without a dryer bag (i.e. Dry Cleaner's | | | | use of harmful chemicals. The biggest |
| Secret). Both processes begin with removing | | | | drawback is that home dry cleaning kits |
| spots with the provided spot remover before | | | | cannot remove stains that are larger than a |
| either placing the garments into either the | | | | dime and sometimes need to be touched-up |
| dryer bag or directly into the dryer along | | | | after the first cycle. |
| with the cleaning cloth, depending on the | | | | |
| product. When the garments come out of the | | | | The Verdict |
| dryer they are wrinkle-free and typically | | | | |
| require no other treatment. | | | | The truth of the matter is that deciding |
| | | | between professional dry cleaning and home |
| Benefits and Drawbacks | | | | dry cleaning is a matter preference, budget, |
| | | | and necessity. If you have heavy or large |
| Professional dry cleaning has obvious | | | | stains, professionals can do the best job, |
| benefits, obvious drawbacks, and less obvious | | | | but if you know that your local dry cleaner |
| drawbacks that need to be brought to light. | | | | uses chemicals that may be harmful to your |
| | | | health then you might want to avoid using |
| When you bring your clothes to a professional | | | | their service. If you have smaller stains or |
| dry cleaner, you can typically expect nothing | | | | simply need to refresh a piece of clothing, |
| less than perfect. Your clothes will most | | | | then home dry cleaning is your best bet. |