How to tell if clothes need dry cleaning How to tell if clothes have been dry cleaned

Dry cleaning clothes is not necessary. After all, dry cleaning is quite expensive. When deciding whether to dry clean clothes, you need to consider the material of the clothes. Some clothes need to be dry cleaned, and clothes cannot be worn directly after dry cleaning.

How to tell if clothes need dry cleaning

So when a piece of clothing is labeled "water washable", does it mean that it cannot be dry cleaned? Not entirely. Because clothing care labeling regulations clearly require at least one appropriate care method to be indicated. Laundry shops usually follow the instructions on the label unless the customer requests a different washing method.

How to tell if clothes have been dry cleaned

The method of using a piece of facial tissue to check whether the clothes you send for dry cleaning is: before sending the clothes to the laundry, put a piece of facial tissue flat in the pocket, and then seal the pocket. After the clothes are washed, open the sealed pocket. If the facial tissue is flat as before, it is dry-cleaned. If the facial tissue becomes a ball, it is water-washed. Before sending the clothes for washing, pay attention to whether the "dry cleaning machine" in the dry cleaning shop is running. If it is never running, this equipment is likely to be just a cheap empty shell machine used to deceive consumers, not to mention dry cleaning. You can smell the clothes just taken back from the dry cleaning shop carefully. If there is a slightly pungent smell, this is the smell of tetrachloroethylene left on the clothes, indicating that the clothes have indeed been dry-cleaned instead of water-washed. In addition, paint patterns printed on clothes can be washed off by dry cleaning. If such patterns are still intact on the clothes after dry cleaning, then the clothes have definitely not been dry-cleaned.

How to determine whether to dry clean

1. At present, the dry cleaning agent used by the domestic dry cleaning industry is generally tetrachloroethylene, which is a gas with a pungent odor. Although dry cleaners will use some methods to reduce the amount of tetrachloroethylene remaining on clothes after dry cleaning, it is impossible to completely remove the odor. You can smell the clothes you just got back from the dry cleaning shop carefully. If there is a slightly pungent smell, it means that the clothes have indeed been dry-cleaned instead of washed.

2. Before sending your clothes for cleaning, you should pay attention to the dry cleaning machine in the dry cleaning shop to see if the machine is running. If it is a real dry cleaning machine, there should be liquid dry cleaning agent in the cabin. If it never runs, the machine is likely to be an empty shell machine; if there is only clothes but no liquid, it may also be a dryer in disguise.

3. Dry cleaning agents are organic solvents, and the printed patterns on some clothes will dissolve in dry cleaning agents. Therefore, if you are not sure about a dry cleaning shop, you can use a piece of clothing with paint-like printed patterns to do some "reconnaissance". According to common sense, no matter how you protect it, the patterns printed on the clothes should be "eaten" by dry cleaning agents. If the pattern on the clothes is still intact after "dry cleaning", then the clothes must not have been dry cleaned.

4. Laundry workers must hold a professional qualification certificate issued by the labor department. If the staff cannot produce it, they are not qualified to work. You can also see the clues from the price of laundry. In addition to the equipment, the price of dry cleaning agents is also very high, more than 3,000 yuan per bucket. If the price of dry cleaning and water washing provided by a store is similar, you should also raise a few more questions.

How to eliminate the harm of dry cleaning agents

1. Try to avoid dry cleaning underwear, bed sheets, quilt covers, etc. From a health perspective, these clothes are best made of comfortable and breathable cotton products, so they can be washed directly.

2. Perchloroethylene is volatile and can evaporate in a short time under well-ventilated conditions. Therefore, after taking the dry-cleaned clothes home, do not put them in the cupboard immediately. Instead, let them air-dry on a well-ventilated balcony for 12 to 24 hours. Studies have shown that if they are air-dried for more than 12 hours, the residual perchloroethylene on the clothes can be reduced to trace amounts.

3. Since perchloroethylene is volatile and has a special smell, the amount of perchloroethylene residue on clothing can be determined by smell. Generally, clothes just taken back from dry cleaners often have a pungent smell. After being left out for a period of time, the smell will gradually disappear as the concentration decreases.

4. In addition to paying attention to the direct contact between perchloroethylene on clothing and human skin, you should also pay attention to the pollution of indoor air due to its volatilization. Therefore, dry-cleaned clothes should not be hung indoors. After hanging, these clothes do not need to be separated from other clothes, but the cupboard must be opened for ventilation regularly.