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