Dry cleaning is a process that removes dirt and stains from fabrics without washing them in water. Dry cleaning uses little or no water, but in no case is the process dry. Rather, it involves the use of liquid solvents (substances that dissolve other substances).
Dry-cleaning plants clean items that may shrink, fade, or be damaged in some other way if washed in water. These items include certain clothing, such as garments made of wool or silk, and household objects, such as draperies and bedspreads.
Some materials should not be dry cleaned. For example, dry cleaning may cause vinyl or artificial leather to crack or split. Most garments have care labels that tell how to clean them.
Workers begin the dry-cleaning process by sorting the clothes according to color and type of fabric. Workers in a stain-removal department then pretreat garments by brushing or spraying stains and spots with special chemicals. These chemicals loosen or remove spots that might otherwise become permanent later in the process.
Other workers then put the clothes into a large machine that resembles a washing machine used in the home. The dry-cleaning machine has a rotating drum that is filled with a liquid solvent instead of water. Most machines use a synthetic solvent. Others use liquid carbon dioxide as the solvent. Workers usually add a dry-cleaning detergent to the solvent to help remove water-soluble spots. As the drum rotates, the solvent circulates through the garments.
After the cleaning cycle, the solvent drains from the machine. The drum spins rapidly to remove most of the solvent from the clothes. Unlike water used in home washers, the solvent in the dry-cleaning machine is filtered and reused. Workers then tumble dry the clothes, usually in the same machine.
Next, the garments return to the stain-removal department. There, a stain-removal technician examines whatever stains remain. He or she determines which stains can be removed without damage to the fabric or the dye. The stain-removal technician then wets these stains with a steam gun, a nozzle that sprays a jet of water vapor. Finally, the technician treats the spots with chemicals.
From the stain-removal department, the garments go to a presser or finisher. This worker uses presses, hand irons, and steaming equipment to remove wrinkles and restore the shape and texture of the garments.
