Straight Talk About Dry cleaning

There is no real mystery about dry cleaning. Dry cleaning is simply the use of solvents to remove soil and stains from fabric. It is called "dry cleaning" because the solvents contain little or no water and do not penetrate the fibers as water does.

    Dry cleaning solvents are fluids that actually dissolve grease and oils and remove them from the garment. Water cannot do this. Natural fibers such as wool, silk and cotton will often shrink, distort, and loose color when washed in water, but dry clean beautifully. Synthetic fibers such as polyester also respond well to dry cleaning. These fibers often retain oily stains after washing, but dry cleaning will most often remove them.

    A dry cleaning machine looks much like a very large front loading home washer. It produces a similar mechanical action to loosen embedded dirt. At the same time the solvent is filtered and distilled continuously to ensure its clarity.

Copied from International Fabricare Institute Brochure