Drying wet cleaned clothes

I talked about drying methods last November. I would like to expand on it this month. If you used a proper drying method, you shouldn’t be able to see a difference from dry cleaned clothes. A proper drying technique enhances quality and makes finishing much easier. But more attention is paid to wet cleaning than to drying. When you do that, clothes come out rough, wrinkled and hard to press. When someone says wet cleaning is difficult, drying is usually the culprit. I have always emphasized that drying is important, maybe even more important than wet cleaning itself. So, let’s see what is involved in proper drying technique.

1. Temperature

Wet cleaner’s drying temperature is between 45°C and 52°C. At this temperature, fabrics don’t shrink and stay safe. When you start the drying cycle and clothes are very wet, you can start at a higher temperature and lower it to 40°C at the end. Of course, you need a programmable dryer to do that. If not, maintain 50°C from the start.

Not all items need to be dried at a lower temperature. For example, padded jacket or parkas can be dried at a higher temperature.

2. Dry all the way

Many wet cleaners don’t dry clothes all the way and send moist clothes to the pressers. This can result in puckered seams and shoulder line and makes pressing harder. Some avoid drying all the way for fears of over drying. But if you maintain proper temperature, over drying won’t happen.

3. Tumble drying is essential

After hang-drying clothes overnight, put it in the tumble dryer before sending them to the pressers. Tumble drying makes pressing easier and better. Tumble drying is essential in overall production speed and quality.

To a wet cleaner, tumble drying serves a different purpose. The conditioner need tumble drying to work. The heat activates it and remove wrinkles, improves feel and surface sheen.

Some items should not be tumble dried. Hand washed silks, neckties, curtain with paper fusing, delicate beads can be damaged during tumble drying.

4. Minimize time in the dryer

When you tumble dry wet clothes, you need to minimize the time. When fabrics are wet, they become weaker because the twisted yarn gets loose. When yarns loose its twist, mechanical actions can cause many problems. Wools can get pills, Silks can lose its sheen and color. That’s why a wet cleaners hang dry first and tumble dry second. Sometimes when you have a rush item, you skip hang drying part. It’s OK as an exception but if you will have created small degree of damage that shouldn’t be allowed to accumulate.

5. Tumble dry when clothes have moisture

I touched on this point many times. Once clothes are completely dry, tumble drying won’t remove wrinkles and improve feel. You need some moisture. When remaining moisture evaporates, wrinkles are removed. Thin fabrics sometimes dry completely overnight. In such a case, spray some water before tumble drying.

6. Separate thick clothes

If you put thick clothes with thin ones, drying will take longer. Thin clothes will dry first but thick clothes will wet them again. So, dry thin ones first and thick ones later.

7. Minimize lint as much as possible

Wet cleaning produces far less lint. Most of the lint are removed when you drain wash water and vent drying air. And the conditioner removes static so lint doesn’t stick too much. As a rule, lint rollers last much longer at a wet cleaner. But with items like sweaters and thick woolen clothes, lint can’t be avoided. So, it’s best to dry them separately. There is no sense in drying bright colored sweater with dark suits.

8. Clothes with decorations

Some clothes have beads, trims, horn buttons and etc. These decoration items can break in the tumble drier. Dry cleaners will experience the same problem. If the item is small, maybe a net bag is useful. If it’s large, turn inside out and dry. If a party dress has thin base fabric with a lot of decorations, just hang dry.

9. Thick wool suits and coats

Thick wool fabric usually has a coarse weave so its tensile strength is not too great. Since wool can absorb so much water, wet wool becomes much weaker and can be damaged by mechanical actions. If you dry wool the wrong way, you’ll have a lot of pilling on the surface and sometimes seams open up. Items like this should be hand dried longer. Wool is so good at absorbing water, sometimes it feels dry when you touch. Once you hang dry them long enough, they can safely tumble dried. Of course, you will still need some moisture for this process.

An experienced wet cleaner will understand why someone would say drying is as important as cleaning. Even though you are new to the game, as long as you follow these simple guidelines, you will not only avoid problems but also improve quality.