What’s the Difference Between a Laundromat and a Dry Cleaner?

The Difference Between Dry Cleaning and Laundry

Many people don’t fully understand the difference between dry cleaning and laundry cleaning. If you don’t know which one is best for you, you’re not alone. While both methods of cleaning are effective, there are times when using one of the methods may damage your garment. If you have a busy schedule, it may make sense to outsource the responsibility of laundry to a professional who can save you time and resources. Before you opt for a dry cleaner or a laundromat in Chula Vista, be sure you know the differences and what is right for your clothing.

Laundromat

Laundering garments involved the conventional cleaning of clothes with water, detergent, and softener. It is also called wet cleaning and it can be used for a number of different fabrics. This process involved the immersion of the garments in water, along with detergent, soap, and possibly fabric softener.

This type of wet cleaning involves water, which is undoubtedly effective at cleaning and restoring freshness on garments. There is no use of harmful chemicals, making it more environmentally friendly than dry cleaning. Additionally, it’s more energy efficient and cheaper since it uses a simple detergent and softeners along with water.

Benefits of using a laundromat:

• It is safe for the environment – It doesn’t use harmful or toxic chemicals.
• It’s more affordable than dry cleaning clothes.
• The cleaning company may add some sweet-smelling fragrances to the washing cycle, helping to get rid of bad odors.
• Laundry cleaning can save up to 50 percent of the energy that is used in dry cleaning.

Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning refers to cleaning using solvent without eh use of water. The process involved pre-treating stains, grease, and spots with the chemical perchloroethylene, (PERC), and then machine tumbled for washing. After washing, the solvent or chemical used for pre-treatment is removed, filtered, and then recycled. Afterwards, the clothes will be put in a specialized machine for the dry cleaning process. Later on, they will be steamed and ironed to get rid of the creases.

Benefits of dry cleaning:

• This process helps to get rid of every type of grease and oil stain on garments.
• Good for fabrics such as wool, silk, as well as long furnishings such as curtains.
• The PERC chemical will be gentle on both the fabric and the color, so there will be limited cases of fading of the clothes. 

Each of these cleaning methods is effective and useful in their own right. Nonetheless, we recommend contacting a professional that will help you decide what cleaning service is best for your garments. Give the team at Fresh & Clean Laundry a call at 619-691-7626 to learn more about how we can help you with your laundry-related needs.