When people look at the tag in their clothing to see the cleaning instructions, many times they will see the “dry clean only” line and be irritated. For many people dry cleaning represents a large inconvenience, and expense that they are not thrilled about. Generally, this notion is unfounded because good dry cleaners will go out of their way to make sure that the service is as convenient as possible, and also within a price range that is affordable. When the clothing was purchased, you realized that it was made out of finer fabrics than street clothing, and as a result was going to need some special care to keep it looking good. While cleaning it in a home washing machine will take out the dirt and odors, it will probably destroy the integrity of the fabrics themselves, making the clothing look older and less sharp. The “dry clean only” instruction is not to inconvenience you, and instead it is the manufacturer providing the recommendation that will keep the garment looking its best as long as possible. The term “dry cleaning” is actually misunderstood by many. It does not mean that no liquid is used in the process of cleaning, but instead it means that water is not used as the cleaning agent. In a home washing machine, water and soap are mixed in an agitation cycle, and then the clothing is spun dry. This is quite hard on the fabrics themselves, so dry cleaning is used as an alternative. In the dry cleaning process, the clothing is submerged in a chemical bath to remove the dirt, then the chemicals are extruded from the clothing using a specialized machine. An industrial iron is used to press the newly cleaned garments, and they are hen placed in plastic bags and hung to preserve their shape. The process cleans dirt and oils as well as removing odors, using a process that does not agitate the garments into losing their shape or weakening the fabrics. Fine clothing are as much about the shape and fit of the fabrics as they are about the look and color, so it is important if you want to keep them looking the way they should to not attempt to clean them at home. Nicer clothes cost a bit more, and are going to take a bit more attention in order to look the way they were designed to look. If the convenience factor is potentially causing you to not dry clean your clothing enough, you may face it being ruined over time by the oils in your skin. Dry cleaning must be done on a regular basis in order to keep your clothing in good shape. The best advice is to find a dry cleaner that offers free pickup and delivery, so that you do not have to actually travel to their location to drop off. Many people will find this to be even more convenient than washing their clothes at home, and since it is free it brings the costs down to a reasonable level.
