CARE LABELLING
In Australia, care instructions must be permanently attached to articles, be written in English, and be appropriate for the care of the article (and not like the examples above)! Additional symbols may be used to clarify the instructions but symbols alone are not sufficient. As a minimum, laundering instructions include (in order) four symbols: washing, bleaching, drying, and ironing. Drycleaning instructions include one symbol. Professional Wet Cleaning symbols are included for information only, as they are not currently recognised in Australia.
WHAT IS DRY CLEANING?
Drycleaning is very similar to regular home laundering, but a liquid solvent is used to clean your clothes instead of water and detergent. The solvent contains little or no water, hence the term "dry cleaning".
Drycleaners use very large and technically advanced computer-controlled dry cleaning machines. Your clothes do get wet, but the liquid solvent used evaporates much more quickly than water. Since solvent is used instead of water, it is not drained and disposed of as a washing machine does with soiled water. The solvent is re-circulated through filters throughout the entire cleaning cycle to remove impurities loosened during the cleaning process. The solvent is then distilled to be crystal clear and totally purifed before it is used again.
Drycleaning has two distinct advantages over cleaning with water or "wet" cleaning: Water swells the fibres. It is this swelling action which causes shrinkage and dye fading in many garments. Drycleaning solvents are much more superior to water in the removal of oily or greasy residues which are the base component of many stains.
After your clothes have been properly cleaned, we "finish" (press) your garments using specialized finishing equipment.
Finishing processes used, vary depending on the garments being processed, but generally involve steaming and pressing.
HELP US DO A BETTER JOB
When you bring your garments in, please:
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Tell us of any stains that are on the garment & any actions you may have taken to remove the stains.
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Tell us about any special concerns you may have about buttons, broken zippers, tears, etc.
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Point out any issues of wear and tear you have about the garment.
This information is a great help in assisting the drycleaner to care for your garments.