WASHING VS DRY CLEANING: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

WA S H I N G VS D R Y C L E A N I N G : W H AT ARE THE DIFFERENCES? Wet washing and dry cleaning of your fabric-made items are two of the most effective and popular ways of keeping them free from dirt, germs, stain, and unwanted odour.

However, some materials can both be washed and dry cleaned. Here are the most notable differences between washing vs dry cleaning: 1. Solvents (Chemicals) Used 2. Drying Methods 3. Process 4. Stain Removal

THE MAIN SOLVENT USED Traditional laundry washing uses water as the main solvent to dissolve detergent or soap, which in turn will clean your fabric. On the other hand, dry cleaning involves special, water-free chemical solvents or solutions. Thus, the term “dry” entails the absence of water but not of other fluids.

DRYING METHOD Since both methods use solvents, every fabric you wash or dry clean would require drying so that you can remove excess water or solution.

For wet washing, you either wring and then hang or spin dry the washed item. You can also place the fabric in a tumble dry machine. On the

contrary, dry cleaned items are completely dried using a special drying machine.

THE GENERAL PROCESS In wet washing, you usually pre-wash the fabric with water to remove dirt partially and then place it in water with detergent or soap. You either hand-wash or machine-wash using the appropriate setting to remove any remaining dirt completely. Then, they undergo rinsing and drying. Finally, you can iron the fabric to remove creases and wrinkles. At times, fabrics with stain require spot removal before pre-rinsing them.

On the other side of the spectrum, fabrics for dry cleaning are treated with solvents to remove stains, grease, dirt, and more. Then, they undergo the “wash” and tumble cycle followed by solvent removal, filtration, and recycling. After that, they’re dried in the machine and then undergo steaming or ironing for wrinkle and crease removal.

STAIN REMOVAL Looking at the general process for both techniques, it’s obvious that they can effectively remove stains. The difference is in the type of stain.

Washing is perfect for organic stains, namely urine, mildew, sweat, food coloring, and beverages like tea and coffee. It goes without saying that it’s the technique of choice for general or daily stains.

That’s because water is a universal solvent, so it can dissolve most stains.

Basic science tells us that water doesn’t combine with oil, while chemicals combine with certain chemicals, depending on their affinity.

Therefore, dry cleaning is recommended for oil-based or grease stains and chemical stains like ink.