How to dry clean clothes at home: A step-by-step guide

Usually, we spend a lot of money not just on buying the clothes but on their dry cleaning, but what if someone tells you that dry cleaning can be done at home, with the same effectiveness, which can save a lot of money! While having your blazer properly cleaned by a professional is needed for certain styles, almost 80 per cent of speciality garments, including silk, wool and cashmere, can be successfully washed in your very own laundry room. This step-by-step guide explores the multiple ways to dry clean your clothing.
However, many of the options discussed have proven to be very safe and effective ways to do so. By following these expert-approved recommendations on how to properly maintain your clothing and the tools to properly choose clothing, you will be able to provide superior care for your clothing wear. With the right techniques and a little care, you can extend the life of your favourite garments while keeping them fresh, clean, and well-maintained at home.

You must check whether your clothing can withstand a wash at home.

Tag: Check if the tag states ‘Dry clean’. If it states ‘Dry clean only,' take extreme caution.

Ink test: Locate a concealed part of your clothing through at least one layer (i.e. inside the pants pockets) and dampen it with a white, clean cloth; if any dye comes off onto your dampened cloth, do not wash this item at home and take it to the professional cleaner instead.

Do not attempt to clean any items from the three main categories: leather, suede, and fur, as they cannot be cleaned at home and require specialised oils that professionals typically use.

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Use only cool water: Fill your sink with cold water. The use of hot water will cause the fabric to shrink, and this is particularly important with delicate wool or silk fabrics.
Mind soap: Use a small amount of gentle detergent (liquid) - baby shampoo or wool-proof detergent.
Don’t scrub: Gently spin the clothing around in the water - do not rub or scrub against the other garments in the water, as it can damage the finish on your clothing.
Rinse well: You must thoroughly drain the soapy water out of your sink and then rinse with cool water until the bubbles are completely gone from your clothing items.
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The secret to avoiding losing the shape of your clothing.

Do not wring: Wringing your wet clothing will stretch the fibres by twisting the fabric.

The roll-up method: Place the wet item flat on a clean, dry white towel. Tightly roll this towel with the clothing inside.
Press to absorb water: Press down on the cylindrical towel to allow excess water to be absorbed into the towel.
Lay flat to dry: Unroll the rolled towel and lay it on a clothing rack to dry. Never hang wet clothing over a hanger because this will cause the fabric to develop ‘ears’ around the shoulders.

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If you have a modern washing machine, you can take advantage of the new technology used to shorten your time in the laundry room.
Steam refresh: If the clothes are not dirty but have an odour (due to cooking/smoking), you can select either the Steam Refresh or Air Wash to remove odour from the clothes.
Delicates cycle: When you do wash your delicates in your washing machine, be sure to wash your delicates in a mesh laundry bag and select either the hand-wash setting or delicate setting.

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How a garment looks after it has been washed at home, compared to how it looks after it has been dry cleaned, is how it looks afterwards.
Steam, don’t iron: Using a standard flat iron on silk can cause/leave shiny marks because of the high temperature of the flat iron. Using a hand-held steamer removes wrinkles from fabric and can also sanitise the fabric.
The finishing: The distance that you should steam a fabric from is about 1 inch. As you use the steamer, it will instantly remove wrinkles from the fabric and will also sanitise the fabric.
Cool down process: Let the garment hang out in an open area to cool down before placing it back into your cupboard.
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