The Three Cleaning Methods Offered at Crouse’s Cleaners
Often, when someone thinks of the dry cleaners, they assume anything that is dropped off is dry cleaned. That’s not the case! At Crouse’s Cleaners, we have a variety of cleaning options that allow us to choose the best cleaning method for your favorite pieces of clothing.
- Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning uses a solvent in the process, instead of water. At Crouse’s Cleaners, we use two solvents. One is called SOLVON K4. It is a biodegradable corn based solvent. The second is called hydrocarbon, is a petroleum based solvent and is great for cleaning more delicate garments. Dry cleaning is traditionally known to be the best method to clean wool, silk and rayon items. Such as your wool jacket, wool suit, silk blouse or skirt with a rayon lining.
- Wet Cleaning
In wet cleaning, the solvent is water instead of a conventional dry cleaning solvent. When we wet clean a garment, it’s very different than washing in a home washing machine. The commercial machine is specific for wet cleaning. A low level of water is used in the machine to reduce mechanical action. The detergents we use are created to protect the fibres of the garment and are sourced from a supplier that specializes in wet cleaning. There is very little extraction and temperature is well controlled. An integral part of wet cleaning is when the clothing comes out of the machine. We use steam and tension with our finishing equipment to dry the garment. This minimizes the amount of shrinkage in a piece that would traditionally be dry clean only.
- Washing
We also have regular washing machines that can clean what your washing machine at home does. At Crouse’s Cleaners, we are happy to do any of the laundry you don’t want to do at home. Plus, we have a fabulous finishing department that will steam or iron your garments so they look like new. Also, we have washers and dryers that are large enough to fit comforters and sleeping bags. These larger washers and dryers ensure your bedding is washed and dried thoroughly.
Next time you have an item that you aren’t sure how to clean, don’t hesitate to ask us and we will be happy to let you know the best cleaning method for us to use.