Clothes are a necessity, even has become a part of identity for some. People are defined by their clothing, i.e. the kind of fabrics they wear and how they style them. Like accessories, perfumes, and pets, clothes are possessions people treasure and they really put a lot of effort into taking care of these possessions to the extent that they would spend a lot of money and time just to prolong their lives.
Clothing is no different, we want the best cleaning service to take care of them. One that is efficient, specifically a service that saves time and money yet gives us a 5-star worthy service quality. Oftentimes the garment itself tells us the kind of cleaning they require. Others prefer strictly dry cleaning and others only hand washing will do but most of them advise the owner to have the garments laundered. What if you suddenly found yourself faced with two options possible for your precious shirt? Will it be dry cleaning or laundry service? Continue reading to help you decide and know what best suits you.
I. How they Works
One way to distinguish between dry cleaning services and laundry services is the use of water. Dry cleaning makes use of chemical solvents in cleaning fabrics unlike in laundry service which uses water in order to do so. Dry cleaning uses chemical solvents like perchloroethylene also known as PERC, hydrocarbon, liquid silicon, or glycol ether while in laundering they use soaps, detergents, and softeners.
Laundry service begins with the mending of the garments which is then followed by pre-treatment of stains. After that, it will be sorted according to colors and materials before it goes into the washing machine. Drying by either spinner or drier will follow and the process will end with packaging the cleaned clothing ready to be sent back to the client.
On the other hand, dry cleaning starts with tagging and inspection of the received garments, followed by pre-treatment of stains. It will then be dry cleaned using a water-free solvent. After that, a post-spotting will be conducted and the process will end with finishing to have the garments ready to be delivered back.
II. Comparison
a. Quality
We mainly base our evaluations of services on the quality of their end results. When it comes to the quality of the cleaned garments dry cleaning has its own advantages and so do laundry services.
They both are effective in removing stains and grease off of the fabrics. We prefer dry cleaning when the clothing has a tough to remove stains because the chemical makes miracles. Also, dry cleaning preserves the original state of the garments unlike in laundering which makes the garments shrink after putting them inside the drier. The detergent also dulls the color of the fabrics and even distorts the designs of some printed shirts.
When it comes to smell, laundry service, without a doubt, wins because it gives freshness to the clothes. This end result, for some, is enough to overshadow all the bad sides of laundering. I mean, who doesn’t want that fresh smell of newly laundered clothes? When the fresh smell instantly hits your nose you’ll suddenly have an outburst of positive vibe like every morning gives you.
One downside of dry cleaning is the chemical odor it gives to the garments, mainly due to the chemical solvent they use. The chemical odor lingers even after properly washing the dry-cleaned clothes. Later when worn, this might trigger bad skin allergies. Trust me, it’s the last thing you’d want.
b. Cost
Dry cleaning is expected to be pricey because it uses expensive chemical solvents. The price difference between dry cleaning and laundry service is estimated to be ranging from $2 up to $5. But when you look at it in the long run, you will actually be able to save more in dry cleaning because laundry service makes you buy and buy more clothes. Laundering makes clothes easily get damaged as stated above (shrunk, distorted, faded color ) unlike in the dry cleaning process that increases the life span of your clothes making you spend less amount on your clothing allowance.
c. Environment Friendly
Most solvents used in dry cleaning are highly toxic to the environment especially that these are chemicals in the first place. They even should hire a hazardous waste company just to dispose of these used solvents. On the other hand, laundry service makes no use of hazardous chemicals. Also, there are several technologies laundry service companies can employ to purify the water mixed with detergent products before disposing it to any body of water so it doesn’t contaminate the habitat of marine animals.
Most important of all, laundry machines only consume 50% less energy than the energy dry cleaning machines use.
III. Conclusion
There are many factors to consider in choosing which type of cleaning service to avail for your precious garments. One is the type of fabrics your clothes have, second is the quality you want as an end result, and lastly is how much you are actually willing to spend. So many things to consider just to have your clothes cleaned! But one thing that can really help you decide is the label sewn on the inside of your shirt which contains the proper taking care of it. You can also consult the service provider as to which type of cleaning service suits best your garments. In the end, it will be you who gets to have the final verdict. Do not be afraid to make mistakes because only then will you be able to decide better the next time.
