What is Dry Cleaning and How is it Different?
Dry cleaning is the cleaning process used on clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent instead of water. It is most often used to clean fabrics that may degrade in water or on delicate fabrics that aren’t suitable for a washing machine or clothes dryer. Dry cleaning replaces labor-intensive hand washing.
Dry Cleaning is not a Dry Process
Unlike what its name implies, dry cleaning is not actually a ‘dry’ process. Clothes are soaked in a different solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically toxic tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), which the industry calls “perc.” Perc is the most widely used solvent across the world, although new solvents have become more popular in the United States and Europe, including hydrocarbons, Green Earth, and Solvon K4.