When you wash clothes at home in the washing machine, water is the solvent used to do the cleaning. Many types of fabric, however, do not handle water very well. For example, wool and water just don't mix. There are also many types of stains that water is not particularly good at removing.
In dry cleaning, a petroleum solvent is used instead of water. It is "dry" only in the sense that it is not wet with water. In the early days of dry cleaning, this solvent was often kerosene or gasoline. Today the industry uses a solvent called perchloroethylene almost universally.
The clothes are washed in this solvent, and then the solvent is recovered in an extractor so it can be reused (and so that it does not evaporate into the air and cause pollution). Once the clothes are cleaned, they are pressed so they look like new.
Clothing Care Tips!
Don’t over wash your clothes. Washing doesn’t only cleanse the item, but often fades color and removes structure. Items worn carefully and lightly can often be made fresh again by simply airing them out.Denim lasts forever between washes. Denim is super durable and easy to spot clean, but can lose its shape drastically with each wash. With that in mind, try freshening your denim with a nice steam in the dryer, or even hang them over your shower rod for a natural steam.
Organize your laundry. When it is time to do laundry, carefully read the tags on your clothes and divide accordingly. Not only lights with lights and darks with darks, but cool dry with cool dry and gentle rinse cycle with gentle rinse cycle items. The more attention you pay, the longer your clothes will stay looking like new!
Use a mesh bag for washing delicates. Put delicates inside it before washing to prevent them from catching on the washer and other garments.
If something shrinks in the wash, keep it damp and stretch. Often times, damp items can be gently stretched back to shape. After gently stretching the damp and shrunken item with your hands, try wearing it while it dries so it reshapes to your body. This is especially useful for fashion emergency situations!
Avoid the dryer! It is better for you, the environment, and your CLOTHES if you air dry. Dryers not only rapidly dry your clothes, they rapidly wear down your clothes also. Do yourself and your electricity bill a favor and air dry the pieces you want to last. Most pieces can be dried in the sun, but take care to see which clothes need a cool dry (i.e swimsuits or more sensitive fabrics.
NEVER use the dryer on your bras. This will seriously damage the structure and support intended; as will improper storage.
Keep bras organized and folded properly to maintain the cups. Fold padded bras in half with the straps tucked under the cups. This helps them keep their shape.
If you must use the dryer, always clean the lint trap after every load, and use the most gentle setting.
When your clothes are done drying, hang or fold them as soon as you remove them from the heat (sun or dryer). The change in temperature (from warm to cool) will lock in the current state of the clothes, hence why you want them in the most optimal position to not wrinkle. Hanging them is ideal.
Don’t over crowd your closet! Cramming clothes together, not only wrinkles, but wears down sensitive fabrics. Recently I minimized clutter by giving into those velvet (space saving) hangers I see everywhere. You can find these for a reasonable price point at HomeGoods.
Hangers Fold clothes along the seems, to avoid unwanted creases and to maintain the shape of the item.
Avoid wrinkles, by using a handheld steamer! This is my must have when getting ready for an event or shoot. Handheld steamers will save your outfit every time, and will leave your clothes fresh and wrinkle free.
Steamer Always clean seasonal clothes prior to storing. If you ever plan on storing your clothes, know that bugs like dirt, and strong scents like perfum and smoke. To avoid a breach in your seasonal gear, clean them before you store them.
Lastly, treat and maintain your leather items. Leather tends to be the hardest hitting on our finances, so caring for your leather clothes and accessories should be an investment from the start.
Pretreat your items with some type of water resistant formulas. Water can often bring out the worst in leather. Also, be sure to condition your leather to cleanse and maintain this valuable material.
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