06/15/2022

What is Professional Wet Cleaning?

When a garment comes into an A Cleaner World location, we do all kinds of things – check the pockets, look for stains, complete the appropriate paperwork.  We also look at the care label, and many times our managers discover that following the directions on the care label could cause damage to the garment.  How can that be? While the FTC requires textile manufacturers, importers, sellers, and distributors to provide care labeling for certain fabric items, they only must share a reasonable basis for care instructions.  

Because of our manager’s training and years of experience, they can identify when a care label might contain an exception.  What happens then?  An alternative cleaning method needs to be used, and an excellent alternative is professional wet cleaning.

Professional wet cleaning isn’t like throwing your favorite t-shirt in the washer with a little bit of detergent.  It’s a specialized and time-consuming process that requires three things – the proper training, the proper equipment, and the proper supplies.  All three components are equally important when using this process.  There is extensive training involved, and you must invest in the right equipment.  But the supplies also play a key role.  Professional wet cleaning detergent contains both polymers, which coat the fibers to protect them and prevent them from drawing up, and conditioners, which soften the fibers leaving them feeling like the garment has been dry cleaned.

Here are some reasons why we might choose to professionally wet clean a garment:

• Garments made with metallic material or with decorative embellishments cannot be dry cleaned.
• Water soluble stains are easier to remove using professional wet cleaning.
• Some garments and fabrics simply respond better to professional wet cleaning.
• Whites turn out whiter and brighter using this process.

We are proud to say that A Cleaner World has been professionally wet cleaning garments since 1995.  You can rest assured that if a garment comes in with an incorrect care label, A Cleaner World has plenty of experience in multiple cleaning methods to ensure that item is returned to you in tip-top shape.