Dry Cleaning Near Me
Quality clothing is an investment that will need to be protected overtime. If you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars on a designer coat or blouse, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to properly clean and care for your item. In many cases, this means visiting a dry cleaner. A trip to the dry cleaner used to be reserved for clothing marked “dry clean only” but now people are using dry cleaning services to protect their designer pieces and most beloved clothing items. Dry cleaners are also experts at getting out nearly every type of stain, meaning you’ll no longer have to throw out a shirt or pair of slacks due to a blot of wine.
Are you interested in finding dry cleaning near you? Simply browse dry cleaning near me on the map below and discover a list of dry cleaners located in close proximity to your current location. Need a bit more information on dry cleaning? Read on for interesting facts, trivia, and more!
Dry Cleaning Near Me – Find it on the Map
Dry Cleaning Near Me – Dry Cleaning Trivia
True or false: The modern history of dry cleaning began with an accident.
If you’re familiar with the phrase “happy accident” then you know that sometimes the best ideas are bred from what could otherwise be deemed as a big mistake. Dry cleaning is no exception! Consider this as you search dry cleaning near me. According to historians, the modern history of dry cleaning all began with a clumsy maid servant. In the 1840s, a French textile maker named Jean-Baptiste Jolly employed a maid to help clean his apartment. It was during her employment for Jolly, that the maid accidently knocked over Jolly’s kerosene lamp right onto a linen tablecloth. Jolly should have been furious, but instead he was fascinated. He quickly found that the linen in the spot where the kerosene was spilled suddenly became much cleaner than the rest of the tablecloth. With entrepreneurial spirit, Jolly quickly turned this happy accident into an extension of his business, and the firm of Jolly-Belin was officially formed as the very first dry cleaning business in Paris. What was the cleaning material used at this dry cleaner? Kerosene of course! No word on if the maid got a cut of the profits from her fortuitous slip of the hand.
Who invented the first non-gasoline dry cleaning solution?
Kerosene may have proved a highly effective cleaning agent, but it wasn’t exactly safe or environmentally friendly. This lead many inventors to attempt their hand at finding a solution that would clean as well as kerosene but without increasing costs or putting the dry cleaners at risk. So who invented the first non-gasoline based solvent? Consider this as you search dry cleaning near me. American dry cleaner William Joseph Stoddard is largely credited as being the first to develop a successful non-gasoline based solvent in the 1920s. Instead of a kerosene based solvent, Stoddard utilized a chlorine based solvent and found great success with a compound comprised of carbon and chlorine atoms. Also known as tetrachloroethylene, the compound was first discovered by Michael Faraday, who was one of the most prominent and renowned chemists in the history of science. The solvent to this day remains one of the most commonly used solvents by dry cleaners worldwide. Other competing solvents and more environmentally friendly alternatives have also been introduced, but none have proven better or safer than tetrachloroethylene.
Dry Cleaning Near Me – Dry Cleaning Facts
How often should you have an item dry cleaned?
One question you may have while searching dry cleaning near me is exactly how often you should have an item dry cleaned. Most of us are guilty of dry cleaning our delicate clothing items a little too often. Experts agree, this is unnecessary and can actually shorten the life of the item rather than extending it. When it comes to many dry clean only items such as jackets and wool suits, hanging them in a well ventilated area can usually air out any odors caused by light smoke or food. So can using a fabric safe odor eliminator such as Febreeze. If you’re prone to spilling food or drink on your dry clean only items, you can always first spot clean the item by gently blotting the fabric with clean water. Stains that require the quickest attend are mustard and red wine, especially on light colored or silk fabrics. If you do spill wine or mustard on a garment and spot cleaning doesn’t do the trick , take the garment to the cleaners as quickly as possible. Avoid home remedies such as club soda and salt on fabric that can’t be washed on water. This will damage the fabric and cause irreversible damage. So how often should you have your clothing items dry cleaned? Here’s some guidelines:
1. Shirts, evening wear, and blouses should be washed every 1-2 wears
2. Sweaters, skirts, pants, everyday dresses, and suits should be dry cleaned every 1-3 wears.
3. Throw Pillows, comforters, duvet covers, and bed spreads should be dry cleaned every 3 months.
4. Outdoor jackets and frequently worn coats should be dry cleaned once every season.
5. Curtains should be dry cleaned once a year.
Training Matters
One thing to consider when choosing a dry cleaner and searching dry cleaning near me is the level of experience your dry cleaner has. When you go ahead and hand over that beautiful silk shirt and ask for it to be dry cleaned, your leaving the life of your garment in the hands of another. You want the person taking care of your item to be properly trained in how to handle every type of garment and fabric. Don’t be afraid to ask about a dry cleaners years of training, their knowledge of the cleaning process, and how long they’ve been cleaning. It might seem awkward at first, but most qualified dry cleaners are more than happy to answer any questions and earn your respect. After all, they’re looking for repeat customers who will leave good online reviews. If it takes an extra few minutes and brings you peace of mind, go ahead and ask!