The difference between laundry and dry-cleaning is clear and should be identified by their definitions in the order of things. Laundry and dry cleaning are two cleaning methods often used to remove the stains, grease and all other spots on garments. The processes are distinct even though they have the main purpose of cleaning fabrics.
The inability to decipher the main difference between laundry and dry cleaning leads to the inadequate use of the method in cleaning specific clothes. Some clothes are meant for dry cleaning only and, likewise, other fabrics are designed to be laundered only. This article seeks to unveil the key differences between dry cleaning and laundry cleaning.
Difference Between Laundry and Dry-Cleaning
There are major difference between laundry and dry-cleaning which one needs to pay attention to. It is for the need of knowledge and ability to make distinctions.
Laundry Cleaning
Laundry mainly encompasses the immersion of garments in water as the solvent. Laundry cleaning is also capable of removing the tough but not the toughest stains compared to chemical solvents. In laundry, detergents, soap, and water are predominantly used. Other companies use bleach or softeners. Whichever additive used, chemicals are disregarded in laundry cleaning.
Laundry cleaning includes the conventional way of hand washing. Nowadays machines have increased in popularity in many households. Only a few resort to outsourcing laundry services to professionals.
These could be those living a fast-paced corporate life and couldn’t squeeze time to do laundry duties. Whether using machines at home or outsourcing services, the procedure remains the same. The professional cleaners are well-trained to execute the services better as they can even add additives that will provide a long-lasting scent.
During laundry, clothes are inspected manually for the type of stains. Depending on the fabric material, some clothes with the toughest oil stains may be taken for dry cleaning.
After inspecting stains, the computerized mixture of specific measurements of detergents and solvents will be put in the laundry machine. The clothes will then be tumble dried and spun to squeeze out the remaining water. For final removal of moisture, the garments may be hung in direct sunlight. They will turn be ironed and folded for customer collection.
The downsides of laundry include the crumbled or shrunk clothes. The clothes turn to lose color after repeated uses and they can wear and tear prematurely if washed more frequently. Moreover, clothes laundered tend to lose their original texture in a long run.
It is important to check the garment labels to ascertain if a certain garment is designed for laundry washing. Manufacturers recommend either laundry or dry cleaning depending on the type of fabric. Men suits and curtains are often referred to dry cleaning while your everyday cotton wear can be safely laundered.
Some of the Advantages of Laundry Are:
- There are no hazardous chemicals used
- It is much cheaper and consumes 50% less power than what dry cleaning uses
- Garments can be laundered with softeners to give them a long-lasting scent
- Clothes will not irritate the skin because no harmful chemicals used
- One can do laundry at home instead of outsourcing it to professionals
Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning services are rarely done in households as they involve advanced machinery. People often outsource the services to professional cleaners. When undertaking the dry cleaning procedure, garments are inspected manually for the type of stains they have.
The garments are then treated with the chemical solvent and subsequently ran through the tumble drier. The chemical solvent will eventually be filtered and removed from the garments and then recycled.
The clothes will then be dried using dry cleaning machines and then steamed or ironed to remove the wrinkles before the customer collects them. This is how basically the process works in dry cleaning process.
However, not all fabrics are meant for dry cleaning because the chemical solvents may end up damaging them instead of cleaning. Look for the garment’s tag usually at the inner back side to see if the typical cloth is machine-washable or dry cleanable.
The downside of dry cleaning is the hazardous chemical used which turns to be environmentally unfriendly despite the quest to recycle it after use. For those with sensitive skins, the dry cleaned clothes may irritate the skin. Moreover, dry cleaning consumes more power compared to laundry cleaning hence the excessive costs charged.
Some of the Advantages of Dry Cleaning Are:
- Dry cleaning effectively removes the toughest oil stains that water could not succeed in removing
- It retains the original texture of the garment
- It attenuates discoloration
- It prolongs the quality of the garment
- It prevents crumbling and shrinkage of the garments
- Attenuates color bleeding that is a case with laundry cleaning of different colors
Major Differences in the Two
- Cleaning process of Laundry and dry cleaning
Laundry uses water as the solvent in combination with detergents and soaps. Bleach and other softeners can also be used. On the other hand, dry cleaning makes use of the chemical solvents, mostly perchloroethylene as the removal of the toughest stains.
- Safety of Laundry and Dry Cleaning
Laundry is safer because no hazardous chemicals are used. Dry cleaning involves the use of chemicals which can be irritants on sensitive skins.
- Affordability of Laundry and Dry Cleaning
Laundry cleaning is affordable and consumes less electricity while dry cleaning is expensive and consumes more power.
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