What to look for in a quality dry cleaners

Dry cleaning is a must if you own a closet full of clothing. It’s important to maintain your wardrobe and have special pieces done by a professional to ensure the longevity of your clothing. Did you know that many of the tags on your sweaters, shirts, and suits declare that they are “Dry Clean Only”? Are you wondering what exactly that means and why is it necessary? Don't just go to the nearest dry cleaners to you, go to the experts who get the job done right. 

In this guide, we will explore what dry cleaning is, why you need it, and how often you need it.

What Is Dry Cleaning?

Dry cleaning is the process of cleaning textiles without the use of water. Despite the name, the process isn’t dry; in fact, the garments are soaked in a solvent and then spun and steamed to remove the solvent. At La Mar Dry Cleaners, we use an eco friendly solvent.

The cleaning process itself looks just like a regular washer and dryer set up. The difference is that it exchanges water and detergent for a solvent. Machines that look like modified drum washers are front-loaded with similar clothing collected from a number of patrons. Clothing is agitated in the drum with the solvent to remove dirt and stains and is then rinsed with fresh solvent. The solvent is then drained and extracted using a spin cycle. Finally, the garments are dried using hot steam, which vaporizes the remaining solvent completely.

Where should I do my dry-cleaning?

There are two kinds of dry-cleaning establishments, and they are differentiated by where the actual cleaning takes place. At a “dry store,” the only function of the retail location is to gather, sort, and price out dry cleaning services to customers; no dry cleaning actually takes place on the premises. These operations will send all of their dry cleaning to a central plant that can be shared by many other dry stores, sometimes even those from competing businesses.

The advantage of a dry store is that the service tends to be less expensive and more price competitive.  On the other hand, they have less control over the final result because they are the middlemen, and it can increase the likelihood that something will get lost forever among thousands of other garments at a large facility.

At La Mar Dry Cleaners, we do everything directly on-premises to ensure quality control by our team as the production is getting completed. At our plant, we use the latest technology and finishing equipment to provide our customers with the quality dry cleaning and service they deserve, we do not outsource any of our services. We also provide customers with same day service for dry cleaning, one hour press, and more!

The convenience of dry cleaning

It's important to know that dry cleaning is necessary for your everyday wardrobe or special pieces, but you don't have to waste time to actually drive, drop off and pick up your clothes. Some dry cleaners offer pickup and delivery services at an extra cost which bring the convenience of dry cleaning to you. La Mar Dry Cleaners offers FREE pickup and delivery, and everything is done on premises at our plant. You don't have to worry about getting in the car to take care of your garments, and you will know they are in good hands by our experienced staff.

Why Do You Need Dry Cleaning?

Dry cleaning is necessary to protect fabrics that would be damaged by the heat or water of your traditional washer and dryer. Also, dry cleaning is essential in order to remove stains that are not removed by a “wet” cleaning process, such as grease and oil. Our eco-friendly solvents lift up stains and dirt easily and without damaging a garment.

Heat and water can damage delicate fabrics by altering their structure during the cleaning process. Water can swell and stretch fibers, which can cause the fiber to lose its original shape. In addition, stain removal often requires a water-based detergent and a high degree of heat to dissolve stains effectively, further increasing the potential to damage the fabric. 

Dry cleaning is the appropriate cleaning method for delicate or stained fabrics that shouldn’t come in contact with water.

Pressing

Dry cleaning services often come with the option to have a garment pressed. “Pressing” technically refers to the process of lifting and pressing on clothing. Pressing in dry cleaning stores is almost always completed with large machines, which are not nearly as precise in terms of the finish as a hand-guided iron is. Some cleaners may offer a “by hand” service, but it pays to check if that means that they operate the pressing machine by hand or if they use an actual iron.

Here at La Mar dry cleaners, we use the latest pressing technology that comes equipped with finishing material to be able to hand guide and iron certain parts of a garment to ensure it comes out perfect.

What To Look For in a Great Dry Cleaner

A good dry cleaner will:

• Ask for your preference, such as pressing/starch.
• Where you are in contact with the staff that does the actual cleaning
• Ask what stains are present and pre-treat them accordingly
• Indicate if trims, zippers, buttons or any of the garment’s details might be harmed by the dry cleaning process
• Have a written, fair policy regarding damaged or lost garments
• Indicate if your garment is likely to have issues in the dry cleaning process, such as shrinkage
• Have reasonable pricing, this is not a situation in which you want the cheapest or fastest service
• Have good reviews, every establishment will have an upset customer or two, but overall, their ratings should indicate quality service.

If you’re looking for a local cleaner that will pick-up and deliver your South Florida Dry Cleaning, visit LaMarDryCleaners.com or call 954-983-7519 today.

We offer organic wash and fold services, eco friendly dry cleaning, dry cleaning pickup and delivery.

We offer FREE pickup and delivery. Same day service,1-hour press, and 1-hour dry cleaning only available in-store.