A Brief Note on Cleaning Processes & Clothing Care

There are various processes that can be used to clean clothes. The basics are hand washing, machine washing, and drycleaning.


Hand Washing involves
soaking the item in water and detergent to gently remove soils from the
fabric. This method is very restrictive, and has very little or no
agitation.

Machine Washing garments
are cleaned in a machine with water and detergent. Bleach and/or other
laundry additives may be used. The garments are subjected to mechanical
action by an agitator. Although there are several different cycles
available on most washing machines, they are not as gentle as hand
washing.

Drycleaning uses
fluids to remove soils and stains from fabric. The term “drycleaning”
is misleading; it is called drycleaning because the fluid contains
little or no water and does not penetrate the fibers like water.
Solvents currently used for drycleaning include perchloroethylene
(“perc” for short) and petroleum. In most cases, garments are cleaned
and dried in the same machine — they go in dry and come out dry. This
process is followed by finishing procedures using special equipment,
such as presses and puff irons.