Several people are not aware that there’s a distinct and proper way of washing their clothes. Some immediately place their dirty laundry inside the washing machine without looking at its wash label.
If you know when to choose dry cleaning over laundry wash, then that’s good! You are probably doing your laundry right. But, if you need some clarifications over it, let’s discuss the difference between dry cleaning and laundry wash.
Check the Wash Label First
Whether you are a novice or a laundry expert, you need to check the clothing label. It contains the guidelines on how you should wash your garments. If the label says dry clean only, you can either follow the wash guideline properly or hand them over to a dry cleaning expert.
Ask Yourself These Questions
If you are uncertain and more comfortable with handing your garments to the experts, ask yourself these questions. The moment you have yes as an answer to these questions, you should bring your garment to a professional dry cleaner.
- Do your clothes have stubborn stains or spots that you do not know how to remove?
- What is the garment made of is it from acetate, rayon, or triacetate? You can hand wash these fabrics in cold water. However, there’s a possibility that the fabric will shrink or misshapen in water. Thus, dry cleaning is the best option.
- Does your garment have a unique finish? If your cloth is made of stiff fabrics, it’s a finish that helps hold its shape. Laundry wash or excessive agitation may ruin the stiff fabric.
- Is it difficult to iron? Some clothes with pleats or tucks are difficult to iron, and you cannot bring back their crisp look again.
- Is it a structured or tailored-like jacket? These clothes have a washable external fabric, but their interfaces give shoulders and lapels to give it shape.
- Does the cloth fabric prone to color bleeding when it gets wet? You should do a colorfast test. The colorfast test rubs a cotton swab with plain water and rubs it on the inside of the cloth. If the color comes off of the fabric, it needs dry cleaning or special laundry treatment.
- How old is the garment? Some old garments have a unique look that’s headed out of style, and you might not want to risk them by washing. Consider the value of the garment before doing the laundry wash.
- Is it made of a fabric that you are not familiar with?
- Lastly, is the garment have a sentimental value to you? Is it expensive? If you ruin it, will it upset you? You have to remember that unfortunate things happen during laundry, and they can be irreversible. Thus, be careful of what to choose between the two options.
These are the things you should ask yourself to tell whether you need dry cleaning or it’s doable with laundry wash. You need to know these things before sending your garments for laundry or deciding to wash them on your own.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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