How Long Does Dry Cleaning Take?

Do you look at the label on new clothes to see how to take care of them? Many kinds of clothes are easy to clean at home, but others need to be dry-cleaned to keep their shape, look, and quality.

Many people think that the process of dry cleaning is mysterious and hard to understand. You walk into the store with a bunch of clothes, leave them at the counter, and leave. When you come back, those same clothes are somehow clean, smooth, and smell great? How does it happen? Why does dry cleaning usually take more than one day?

In this guide, we’ll go over the basic steps of the dry cleaning so you can see why it takes so long. If you want to know, “How long does dry cleaning take?” We’ll give you some general guidelines for the timelines you should expect for different pieces, especially when it comes to a certain item. By the end, you’ll know a lot more about what dry cleaning is and how it works.

What is Dry Cleaning?

Dry cleaning is a way to clean clothes and fabrics that can’t be washed or dried in a regular washing machine and dryer.

In this method, a mild chemical solvent with little or no water is used to remove dirt from the fabric. Because of this, the clothes don’t get wet and become distorted.

Also, if you make a mistake and get stains on them, dry cleaning can get rid of them without changing the color. Since the stains don’t react with water, there’s no way for them to grow or change shape.

Dry cleaners use big, high-tech machines that run the solvent through the clothes while passing it through filters to get rid of dirt. After going through filters, distillation cleans the solvent so that it can be used again.

The Responsibility of the Dry Cleaner

Companies that do dry cleaning do have to let customers know before getting rid of their clothes. Most states require businesses to try as hard as they can to reach their customers. Most of the time, companies have to call the person more than once to get them to pick up the clothes. Most of the time, customers leave their belongings behind because they left the wrong phone number or moved after dropping off their dry cleaning. Sometimes, the customer just doesn’t have time to pick it up. No matter what the reason is, the company will try to get in touch with the customer by phone.

History of Dry Cleaning

In 1855, in France, someone came up with the idea of dry cleaning. One day, Jean Baptiste Jolly, the owner of a dyeing shop, accidentally knocked over a kerosene lamp, which leaked all over a tablecloth. To his great surprise, he didn’t find any stains or damage to the fabric.

Kerosene is made by distilling oil, and it is a good solvent. So, it was the first time anyone ever dry-cleaned something. Even though the service started in France, other countries quickly followed suit.

How Does Dry Cleaning Work?

First of all, dry cleaning isn’t really cleaning that is done “dry.” The dirt doesn’t magically disappear when the air dries it.

The word “dry” comes from the fact that there is no water used in the process. In the dry cleaning process, a certain type of chemical solvent is used instead of water. The solvent doesn’t actually soak into the fibers of the clothes like water would.

So, it doesn’t have that extra risk of getting smaller or bigger. It helps the clothes keep their shape, which is especially important for expensive fitted or tailored clothes. The chemical solvent cleans the surface of the clothes, but it is made in a way that doesn’t mess up the shine or feel of certain fabrics.

1. Tagging

When you bring your clothes to the dry cleaner, each one gets a number tag that shows where it came from and who owns it. Some cleaners use a pin or a staple to attach a paper tag to the inside tag of the garment.

Make sure you don’t keep going to a dry cleaner that pins or staples the tags right to the fabric, which leaves holes. This is not what a good dry cleaner will do. If you go to the dry cleaner often, sometimes they will put a barcoded iron-on strip inside your clothes if you are a regular customer.

2. Clothes Examination

Before deciding what kind of cleaning is needed, the clothes need to be looked at. It may say “dry clean only” on the tag.

Before deciding on the best way to clean, experts will first look at how much wear and damage there is.

3. Pre-treatment

If there are stains on the clothes, you need to use special cleaners to get rid of them. Professional dry cleaners only use safe, high-quality products to do their jobs. They don’t change the way things are built and don’t make people shrink or have allergic reactions.

4. Damage Review

When clothes are brought to the dry cleaner, they are also checked for problems like missing buttons, things in the pockets, or damage like seams that are coming apart or rips. Any problems are taken very seriously. Some places will fix these issues for a small fee, while others will just let the owners know about the problems that were found before cleaning.

5. Dry Cleaning

After the stains are removed by hand, the product is put into special drums. Steam is used to finish the job of cleaning. Also, some solvents that work well are added.

Chemical solvents are used to clean and remove stains from clothes by people working in the laundry room. It doesn’t take long to do this.

6. Drying things

The clothes are dried after being cleaned with chemicals. Drying temperatures can range from +25°C to 50°C, depending on the fabric of the clothes. This dry cleaning cycle ensures a high level of safety and is good for the environment.

7. Cleaning Phase

The clothes are then put into a machine that moves them gently through the chemical solvent. Dirt and other small pieces are moved around by the quiet motion. After this slow, careful “washing,” the solvent and all of the dirt are drained away. In a kind of “rinse” cycle, the machine gets a fresh flow of chemical solvent, and the clothes are gently stirred again.

8. Finishing

The products are then processed, pressed, steamed, and ironed, which is the last step. Also, clothing may need repairs.

The plan shown is the best way to get your clothes and other materials to look their best when you dry clean them.

Things You Can Wash At Home

Now let’s look at some exceptions! Cotton and linen clothes can be washed at home in a washing machine with either cool or warm water. Acrylic, polyester, nylon, and similar synthetic fabrics are also fine to wash in the washing machine. To keep their shape, you may want to lay them flat to dry or hang them to dry. Silks with light colors can also be washed by hand in the sink with cool water, but dry cleaning is the best way to clean them.

How Often to Dry Clean Suit?

You might ask, “How often should I dry clean my suit?” Well, it depends on how often you wear them. Look closely at what you wear and how you live. If you wear it often, like three or four times a week, you should dry clean it often.

Once or twice a month will do. Of course, you won’t need them as often if you only wear them sometimes. Then do it once a year.

When brushing, letting them air out, and treating stains doesn’t get rid of the smell, dirt, or stains, it’s time to send them to be dry cleaned.

How Long Does It Take to Dry Clean a Dress?

A dry cleaning session usually takes between twenty-four and forty-eight hours to finish. This is enough time to clean anything. But dry cleaning might take longer if the item to be cleaned is made of a certain material, like leather or suede, which is most of the time.

When it comes to dresses, you can expect them to be cleaned after 24 hours.

But of course, the waiting time can be up to 48 hours longer if the item was very dirty or needed a deeper clean for any reason.

Wrapping It Up

Now that you know how long dry cleaning takes, you can go ahead and have your clothes cleaned in this way. The process is fun and will help your clothes stay in good condition. Don’t you want that?

I hope this article was fun to read. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to say so. We like talking with our readers and finding ways to help them.

Conclusion

If you know what clothes to put in the dry cleaner, you can save money on dry cleaning. You can also spend some time learning how to clean a suit jacket at home and save money on dry cleaning. First, make sure you know how to get rid of wrinkles and stains the right way.

If you don’t clean your suits or other clothes, they will wear out faster than they should. If you feel like you can’t handle all this information, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Our team would love to help make your life easier if we could. We are here to help you figure out which things need help from a professional and how often.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) About How Long Does Dry Cleaning Take?

Can something be dry cleaned in one day?

You can get your clothes dry-cleaned, your blankets and comforters washed, and your shirts washed and folded all in the same day.

Why does it take so long to dry clean?

Since there are a lot of steps and steps to the process, it makes sense that dry cleaning different pieces of clothing takes a while. Some things can be turned around quickly, while others may take longer.

Does dry cleaning fully clean?

Laundering, also called washing, is a way to clean things with water. Most of the time, a washer/dryer combo and a washing detergent are used. Like its name suggests, dry cleaning doesn’t use water, but it is a thorough process that cleans clothes just as well.

Is dry clean only really necessary?

Most people send things to be dry cleaned because they are wrinkled or don’t smell fresh anymore. If the item isn’t really dirty, you don’t have to take it to the dry cleaners. Instead, you can save money and wear on the item by freshening it up between cleanings. Steaming is a good way to do this.

Is water used in dry cleaning?

When clothes and other textiles are cleaned with something other than water, this is called “dry cleaning.” Dry cleaning still uses liquid, but clothes are soaked in tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), also called “perc” in the industry, which is the most commonly used liquid solvent.

What exactly does dry cleaning do?

Clothes and fabrics are cleaned with a chemical solvent that has little or no water. The solvent cleans the surface of things, but it doesn’t get into the fibers like water does in a washing machine. It also keeps the fabric from getting bigger or smaller.

How Long Does Dry Cleaning Take