Finally, the Truth about Dry Cleaning

The Clothes Doctor

“Finally, the TRUTH about DRY CLEANING”

We’ve probably all read articles about how dry cleaners have secrets they are keeping from the masses. News stories over the last 10 years have reported dry cleaners treating clothing with carcinogens and using “tricks of the trade” to leverage cost savings- keeping consumers in the dark. You’ve seen the sitcom episodes where the dry cleaning staff “borrows” your fine outfit for a night on the town and then somehow “loses” your garment so insurance can replace it. Perhaps some cleaners really do operate this way, and they should close their doors in shame. It is an ugly blot on the industry as a whole. But What other dry cleaners don’t tell you, Marquard’s will!

So here are five of the most common misnomers about dry cleaning and the truths you need to know about our industry:

Did you know that as much as 25-30% of clothing brought to the dry cleaner is treated with water? True! But this is not a trick of the trade. Not all the tools of a dry cleaner are actually “dry.” Water, when applied properly to the appropriate fabric, is the best solvent for a number of cleaning problems, including perspiration stains. This doesn’t mean chemicals be darned; what it means is there are cases for the use of either one method or the other based on what is best for the need and the best results.

Sometimes damage to dry cleaned clothes is because the dry cleaner treats everything the same, on a vast, speedy, assembly line. This is a falsehood you won’t find at Marquard’s. Any dry cleaner worth their salt will tell you up front the risks to certain types of fabrics which can fade, break down or get damaged by the cleaning process. The best decision is to have agreement with the dry cleaner whether or not to proceed with a cleaning or stain removal after having a solid consultation about it. Accidents and issues still do occur from time to time, but the right dry cleaner has the integrity to make it right.

Women’s clothes cost more to dry clean. This can be true for a number of reasons. Women’s clothing tend to be more delicate material than most men’s clothes and require special treatment such as silk, brocade, lace, ribbon, delicate trim, sequins, and beads. The best dry cleaners will take the time to remove or carefully treat special items to prevent damage, color loss or wear in the cleaning process.

The wave of the future is “green” when it comes to dry cleaning. Future? Perhaps. But in 2016, the majority of troublesome stains simply will not come clean without the use of hydrocarbon or perchloroethylene (perc). Marquard’s uses the right treatment for each need and chooses the friendliest option for both your clothing and the environment by the use of top-of-the-line professional equipment in our plants.

Clothing cleaned with dry cleaning chemicals poses a danger to my health. If you wear clothing that has been dry cleaned, you may be exposed to tetrachloroethylene levels that are slightly higher than what is normally found in the outdoor air, but these amounts are not expected to be hazardous to the average person’s health.

Professional dry cleaners remove tetrachloroethylene from dry cleaned clothes as part of the overall cleaning process. Sounds like dry cleaner jargon, doesn’t it? The proof of this is from a recent study found at www.cancer.org. The conscientious dry cleaning company will have the best equipment and possess the expertise necessary to keep their cleaning process above any health related guidelines as a matter of best practices. Marquard’s has exceeded these standards for many, many years.

To learn more about Marquard’s best practices and high-quality services, visit our services page at marquardscleaners.com/services.