If you’ve been bored enough to check the tag of your clothes on the inner neck or side part of the fabric, you’ll notice that there are laundry instructions. It also specifies whether they should be washed or dry cleaned only. If the tag says “Dry Clean Only”, make sure to choose a dry cleaning shop in Santa Monica, CA, that cares about your clothes.

However, if there are no laundry instructions on your clothes’ tags, how will you know if your clothes should be dry-cleaned or not? As mentioned in our title, we’ll be talking about which types of clothes shouldn’t be dry-cleaned.

What is Dry Cleaning?

Despite its name, dry cleaning actually uses a bit of liquid, such as solvents, to remove dirt, stains, and odors without damaging the fabric. Your garments will be placed inside a machine (similar to a regular washing machine but bigger) with solvent during the cleaning cycle, and then during the spin cycle, this solvent will be drained and extracted from the fabric.

Warm air will then circulate in the machine to vaporize the solvent left on the clothes, leaving no liquid or odor behind.

5 Types of Garments that Shouldn’t be Dry Cleaned

• Cotton Clothes

Cotton clothes are durable, so they can withstand being exposed to detergents, water, and a dryer machine. Most laundromats offer wash, dry, and fold services in Santa Monica, CA. This type of clothing can be easily washed at home, so dry cleaning isn’t necessary.

• Cashmere

Soft and natural fibers like cashmere and other fine-haired wools are prone to damage by harsh dry cleaning chemicals. Therefore, it would be better if they were hand-washed with mild detergent.

• Denim

You might be a bit surprised to see denim on the list, but it is also among the clothes that shouldn’t be brought to your local dry cleaner. This is because dry-cleaned denim will have a starchy and creased texture after the cleaning process. So to be safe, just hand wash or machine wash your denim as you would with your other clothes.

• Synthetic Fibers

Synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, spandex, and acrylic can be machine or hand-washed. Dry cleaning them is unnecessary to avoid causing damage. If you prefer washing them at home, make sure to avoid using hot water for washing.

• Linen

Just like cotton, you can easily wash linen by hand or machine without causing any damage. Since dry cleaning solutions are a bit harsh on linen, it would be best to machine or hand wash your linen clothes.

Then, What Type of Clothes Can I Bring to the Dry Cleaners?

The types of clothes you can bring to your local dry cleaning shop in Santa Monica, CA, are silk, velvet, suede, leather, rayon, and wool (labeled as dry cleaning only) to avoid the risks of shrinkage, losing shape, or cracks. 

Are you looking for a dry cleaning shop that provides quality services and excellent customer service? Drop by here at Star One Cleaners!