To dry clean, or not to dry clean, that is the question! Luckily, you are not required to make wild guesses anymore, as ready-made clothes come with a care tag that says whether or not to dry clean the garment. Here is a compiled list of nine types of clothing that you should make a point to take to a trusted third-party dry cleaning service.
Dry cleaning is essentially a commercial cleaning process where a solvent known as Perchloroethylene (one kind of chemical) is used for cleaning apparels. More popularly known by name PERC among the cleaners; is made to run through the soiled garments and eventually extracted along with particles of dust, food, and dirt; as well as dislodged oils. As soap water is not used for the cleaning job, hence, goes the name dry cleaning. It is imperative for you to make a mental note of all the following items that you should never forget to take to a dry cleaner.
- Anything embellished As embellishments like beads, beads, metal studs and sequins are often stitched to the clothes by hand or simply made to hang with a thread, cleaning such staffs in the home will probably end in a grand disaster. However, making all the garments bedecked with accessories to undergo a deep cleaning cycle at your local dry cleaning service will ensure that everything stays precisely where they are meant to be.
- Dark colored silks Although certain silks can tolerate a powerful hand-wash, the ones with darker shades have a propensity for bleeding and staining the clothes and surfaces. Place a small portion of the silk that you wish to examine, and blot-dry it using a white paper kerchief; if it seemingly leaving any traces of color behind, do take the silk clothing in question to a professional dry cleaner.
- Suits When spot cleaning fails to do the trick, arrange for taking your suits, particularly the woolen ones to an established dry cleaning service. Not only it will keep the jackets and trousers super crisp but will extend their longevity as well.
- Anything with pleating Nothing could ever be simpler than this particular rule of thumb, which states that if something has pleats then it should be taken to a dry cleaning service. An experienced dry cleaner can not only leave your pleats and folds unharmed, but most of them possess re-pleating machines as well to recover any receding ones as an when required.
- Super-stained stuff With an arsenal full of no-nonsense degreasers, strong solvents, and powerful soaps, your friendly, neighborhood dry cleaner is the undisputed master in the intricate art of stubborn stain removal.
- Fragile or synthetic substances Even though a few labels would possibly declare that the particular apparel is safe to be washed by hands, delicate synthetic fabrics, such as chiffon and rayon are pretty much infamous for shrinking when being exposed to heat. Hence, such type of garments should always be taken to a competent dry cleaner near you.
- Anything that comes with a lining The only rule of thumb that is applicable here is similar to the one illustrated for pleats a while ago and says that anything having a proper lining, for instance, skirts, jackets, dresses, etc., are required to be taken to a dry cleaner in your vicinity. As water alone is capable of causing damage to the interlining and ripping them apart, lined clothes should only be cleaned by a professionally trained garment cleaner.
- Leather and suede Taking your leather jacket to a qualified dry cleaner will spare you of shrinkage worries and also minimize the odds of developing shrivels and cracks in the fabric.
- Furs Any fur item having a skin underneath should never be cleaned and washed at home as the skin is going to shrink and eventually dry out when it comes in contact with water. Furthermore, vintage furs like fox stoles or mink coats tend to be pretty delicate, which are likely to become brittle and dry, and therefore should be managed exclusively by a good dry cleaning service.