What Dry Cleaning Is and How It Works | Todd Fennell Pittsburgh

Todd Fennell Pittsburgh Reveals History of Dry Cleaning

Historically, dry cleaning has been used for

Thomas Jennings, a New York tailor, developed a way to clean delicate clothing without damaging it in 1820. In the following year, he filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent Office for a process he called “dry scouring.” According to IPOEF, this makes Jennings the first African American to hold a U.S. patent. It was destroyed in a fire in 1836, but modern-day dry cleaners use a similar method.

Garment tagging.

Each item of clothing you drop off at the dry cleaner is tagged with a unique number to identify it.

Pre-treatment of stained sections.

Visual inspection is performed on all garments, and stains are identified and treated. Various kinds of stains and fabrics are treated with special chemicals.

A dry cleaning machine is used.

Dry cleaning is used to clean soiled clothing. As the clothing is gently agitated with the organic solvent of choice, or water in the case of wet cleaning, the solvent is pumped into the machine.

This is a second inspection.

After the dry cleaning cycle has been completed, the garments are inspected again to ensure all stains are removed. In addition, buttons, accessories, and seams are inspected for integrity

The finishing touches.

To remove wrinkles, the dry cleaner will now press, iron, or steam each garment.