How dry cleaning really works
Doing laundry has been a common household activity for years. Whether you were beating the clothees on rocks in a river or pushing the on button on your washing machine. This method is dependant on water, mechanical action and soap to clean the fabric.
The purpose of the soap in all this is to soften the oils and dislodge ordinary soil and other matter. The soap then holds soil and oils in suspension as it becomes loose during the wash cycle before it is all flushed away during the rinse cycle and spin.The drying process for doing laundry at home is either hanging clothes on a clothesline or tumbling them in a power hungry and expensive to operate or electric-heated dryer.
Dry cleaning is a totally different process as the clothes are cleaned without water. The cleaning fluid that is used is a liquid, and all garments are dipped and subsequently cleaned in this liquid solvent. Because there is no water involved we call the process dry cleaning. Lets take a look at the process.
It works like this: When you drop your times off at the dry cleaners, they are placed in a machine that looks and acts like an over-sized front-load washer. The machine fills with the cleaning liquid or solvent, and the drum rotates, moving your clothes around in the liquid that then loosens the stains and cleans the clothes.
The dirt from the items either ends up in a filter, or is separated from the solvent through a distilling process. The solvent is sealed up in the machine and reused with each wash, transforming from liquid to vapor and back again. When the cycle is finished, the washers take care of the drying stage as well.
It should be boted that this process doesn't always eliminate 100 percent of the dirt and stains. The water-rejecting properties that make the solvents so good for certain fabrics and stains also allow water-soluble marks to remain.
Different chemicals are applied to treat the stains that require water to lift, typically before the machine wash. "Wet" treatments can target water-soluble food and drink stains, starches, fats and oils, and plant-based marks. "Dry" spotting agents for more thoroughly soiled fabrics take aim at oily spots made by fats, waxes, cosmetics, paint, and plastics.
A large pressing machine removes all the wrinkles and the end result is a perfectly clean and pristine item of clothing and this is how. So the next time you drop something off at the dry cleaners at least now you have some more insight into what goes on behind the scenes and how your favourite dress or shirt comes back without the red wine stain.
For any and all of your dry cleaning needs feel free to contact Crisp and Clean on 0861 432 8464 or visit or website http://crispandclean.co.za and get a quote today.