We have come a long way from beating garments against rocks by the river or pressing buttons on washing machines. The process of washing clothes in a washer revolves around water and automatic action that involves detergents. The purpose of using detergent in the water is to remove stains and other matter. The dirt from the fabric is extracted and gets flushed away during the rinsing spin and cycle. Where the traditional method uses water as its main agent to clean the garments, dry cleaning is a lot different. On the contrary, as the name suggests the process of dry cleaning does use liquid but just not water. The reason it is called ‘dry’ is that the liquid solvent used for dry cleaning evaporates much quicker than water. While we avail laundry services to save ourselves from the stress of the process and time. It is important for you to first know the behind-the-scenes process that is involved at the dry cleaners. 1. Your clothes are identified and tagged The first step is something done usually infront of the customer, numbers are assigned to the batch of your clothes. Using the tags on your clothing, your batch of garments is separated and labeled so that no mix-up takes place. This step also facilitates the clothing return as the customers ask for their clothes by recalling the assigned number on their clothes. Afterward, the clothes are divided into standard dry clean or delicate fabric. 2. Inspection of forgotten items After the initial division, the pockets of your clothing are again inspected in case you forgot anything that could be damaged during the wash. The items are safely kept to be returned. Be mindful of which laundry service you are availing, as not every service is so accommodating, and a single slip from you can either damage a valuable or you might lose it altogether. Rips, tears, and lost buttons are also noted so no blame falls on the company for reckless handling. 3. Pre-treatment of stains Before the final solvent cleaning process, stains are examined and treated separately. The customer can also let the cleaning professions know what caused the stains, it can make the cleaning process all the more effective. The cleaners have a variety of solvents and formulas that are made specifically for different types of stains. It is wise to alert them of the cause beforehand to get the best results. 4. The machine dry cleaning Stained or soiled garments are then finally placed in a large drum machine and are cleaned using a water-free chemical solution. The garments are gently stressed in the solvent which causes the stains or any matter to extract and loosen from the fabric. The dry cleaning washer is a drum or basket which is operated by a motor, it also has filters, storage tanks, fans and control panels, etc. As the clothes rotate in the stainless steel basket, there is a repeated course of clean solution that sprays into the clothing chamber. This action along with dipping the clothes in the solvent also drops and pounds them against the baffles in the drum. The soiled solution is then drained, filtered and again pumped back with the filtered out solution. The last cycle then repeatedly spins the clothes to remove any left solvent and whatever may have been left is evaporated by the revolving warm air. 5. Recheck for stains Steam, air, water, and vacuum are used if any stain is still left behind. The second check is to make sure there is no mark left. If there are any remaining then they are treated using different chemicals and equipment specified for different types of stains. 6. Final touches The final phase of the dry cleaning process involves making the clothes wearable, it is a process on its own. The clothes are first steamed to soften the fabric, then they are shaped by a quick process of drying them or by ironing, the third step is to remove the steam using air or vacuum, and lastly, the garment is placed under pressure to set its pleats and crease and as a final result a crisp clean clothing comes out.