Why Dry-Clean

There are reasons for the Dry-Clean only label on garments you purchase.

Color - The dyes used to color your garments sometimes dissolve in water or solvent. A dye which is applied using water can usually come out in water but is colorfast when Dry-Cleaned. There are however items that are labeled to be washed which contain dyes that can weaken in the dry-cleaning process.

Shrinkage – Some materials contain fibers which are made from the hair of different animals. Examples of these are wool, angora and cashmere. The fibers when magnified look similar to the old fashioned antenna’s that you could collapse with one section sliding into the next. These fibers that are prone to shrinkage tend to retract in water unless specially protected with special chemicals. Dry-cleaning does not affect these fibers in a way that causes shrinkage and therefore is a preferred method for cleaning them.

Trim – There are some trims and glues used in manufacturing that can dissolve or be damaged in water. Interfacing that are applied inside some garments may also be affected and come loose or shrink in water.

Pleating – The pleats on some materials are put in using different methods. Some are permanent and others are not. Water causes some pleats to disappear where dry-cleaning is usually safe and will not harm them.