Dry cleaning…

Dry cleaning refers to cleaning clothes without the use of water, hence the term “dry” cleaning. However, while water is not used in dry cleaning, a liquid cleaning fluid is used to clean clothing. The clothing garments are completely immersed into this liquid cleaning fluid. Before you dry clean clothing, you should take a look at the garment’s tag for instructions. For more information, you should refer to this guide on dry cleaning.

HOW OFTEN TO DRY CLEAN

Many people harbor the misconception that the more often clothes are dry cleaned, the better. The truth is having a clothing garment dry cleaned unnecessarily can shorten the lifespan of the garment. How often you dry clean your clothing garments should depend on the material. For example, you should not be dry cleaning your wool sports jacket twice a week. In fact, many times, a simple brushing of the wool sports jacket is completely adequate. If you’re worried about lingering odors on clothing, you can hang the garments in a well ventilated area.

Dry Cleaning Garments

Ideally, you should only dry clean a garment when it’s soiled. However, if you soil a garment with food or drink, you should try cleaning it with water and cotton or wool fabric. However, if the stain requires immediate attention, you should have the garment dry cleaned as soon as possible. Mustard stains, blood stains, and red wine stains are examples of stains that require immediate attention. Don’t use home remedies and avoid rubbing stains, or else you risk damaging the fabric. This is especially true if the fabric is fragile.

HOW TO PICK A DRY CLEANER

The quality of dry cleaning largely depends on the dry cleaner you choose. Therefore, you should take the time and effort to choose carefully. Take a look at the BBB reviews to gauge the reputation of a dry cleaner business. Ensure that the dry cleaner you select has good customer service. You should stick with the dry cleaners that have been in business for at least half a decade. Dry cleaners that ruin expensive clothing tend to go out of business very quickly. When you try a dry cleaner for the first time, you should send in a test garment. The garment should be “dry clean only” but it shouldn’t be a garment that you would regret losing or having destroyed.

HOW TO PREVENT CLOTHING DAMAGE OR LOSS

No matter how much research you conduct when it comes to selecting a dry cleaner, there is still a chance that your garment will either be returned to you damaged, or won’t be returned to you at all. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to prevent clothing damage or loss. Try not to send delicate clothing to the dry cleaners frequently. You should also stick with dry cleaners known to providing generous rights to their customers. This gives employees an incentive to be careful with the clothing garments.

You should also take a look at the dry cleaner’s lost/damaged clothing garment policy. It’s worthwhile to spend a few extra dollars with a dry cleaner that has a fair lost/damaged clothing garment policy. Some dry cleaners replace the clothing garment fully while others give the customer the depreciated value of the clothing garment. The International Fabricare Institute’s Fair Claims Guide lists the depreciated values of various clothing garments.

Red Hanger follows the care label instructions unless otherwise requested. Please let us know if you have any other special requests. Also, feel free to read our published blog post to learn more about how dry cleaning is environmentally friendly.