Are you always trying to make a choice between dry cleaning and hand washing your clothes?
Do you feel like you are wasting too much water with handwashing? If you are in doubt about cleaning your clothes with water or chemical solvents, then it is time for you to understand the difference between the two techniques.
Hand Washing clothes is pretty simple. It involves rinsing the clothes with water and detergent powder.
On the other hand, dry cleaning clothes can be slightly tricky. Dry cleaning of clothes is done with chemical solvents.
Clothes that may get damaged by water are cleaned with mild chemical solvents.
While cotton clothes can be safely cleaned with water, clothes of leather, suede, silk, and satin should be dry cleaned for preserving the quality of the fabric.
If you are new to dry cleaning or hand washing clothes, then you may opt for a laundry and dry cleaning service in London.
Hello Laundry of London offers the best and most affordable laundry services. However, if you would rather clean your clothes at home, then read on to find out more about handwashing and dry cleaning clothes right here.
What is dry cleaning of clothes?
Dry cleaning is the process of rinsing clothes with chemical solvents. During the process, the soiled clothes are dipped in a tub of chemical solvents for getting rid of stains and dirt.
There is no use of water in dry cleaning. One may dry clean clothes in a washing machine by filling the laundry tub of the machine with the chemical solvent.
The clothes may be agitated and washed on a medium cycle for proper cleaning and elimination of stains. Some of the chemical solvents that are used for dry cleaning clothes at platforms of dry cleaning in London are listed below:
Glycol ether: Glycol ether is known for its eco-friendly nature. Clothes can become spotless and bright after being cleaned with Dipropylene glycol tertiary butyl ether.
Liquid Silicone: Liquid Silicone is a gentle chemical. One may use liquid silicone chemical solvent to wash clothes of sensitive fabric like silk and satin. Liquid silicone also helps in preventing the bleeding of colors while dry cleaning clothes.
Hydrocarbon solvents
Hydrocarbon solvents are mild. Such solvents are ideal for cleaning apparel and shoes of suede or leather.
Liquid carbon dioxide
Although liquid carbon dioxide is better than industrial dry cleaning compounds, the chemical has a very low cleansing ability.
Moreover, the use of liquid carbon dioxide for dry cleaning clothes requires heavy investment in complex machinery. As such, this chemical may not be ideal for dry cleaning clothes at home.
What is hand washing of clothes?
Handwashing refers to the process of rinsing clothes by hand using water and detergent soap.
One simply has to fill a basin with cold water and then stir in a few tablespoons of detergent powder to create a soapy solution.
The soiled laundry is then washed in soapy water for the removal of dirt and stains.
After rinsing with soapy water, the soap suds are washed off with clean water. The wet clothes are then hung in the Sun and open air to dry.
Hand Washing clothes leads to excessive use and the wastage of water. The discharge of soapy water also pollutes the environment.
As such, dry cleaning of clothes is preferred to handwashing with water. Besides, hand washing clothes with water is not safe for fabrics like wool, silk, cashmere, satin, leather, and suede.
For such materials, it is essential to use chemical solvents for maintaining the cleanliness and shine of the clothes.
The steps followed for hand washing clothes with water are mentioned below:
- Pre-treat the stains with baking soda. Brush the stains off with a solution of baking soda and water. Baking soda helps in wiping out the yellowish color of the stains.
- Wash the clothes with soap and water. Make sure that the water is cold and the detergent soap is not too harsh.
- Rinse the soapy water off with plain water. Wash the clothes twice with plain water to make sure that no soap remains in the clothes.
- Aerate the wet clothes in the Sun for drying clothes.
What is the difference between handwashing and dry cleaning clothes?
The only difference between hand washing and dry cleaning processes lies in the usage of water.
While hand washing is done with water, dry cleaning is done with chemical solvents.
The dry cleaning process is usually for sensitive fabrics like wool, satin, silk, suede, and leather, whereas handwashing is for fabrics like cotton and synthetic fibers.
For professional dry cleaning, one may avail of services offered by Hello Laundry – your mobile dry cleaner in London.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of the differences between dry cleaning and handwashing, it is time to get down to business.
An easy way to choose between dry cleaning and handwashing is to follow the instructions given in the tags that come with the clothes.
Follow the instructions on the label and clean the clothes with water or chemical solvent accordingly.
Get your clothes dry cleaned by professionals at platforms of dry cleaning in London.