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" Steve Boorstein, who ran a high-end dry-cleaning company for 16 years, dishes the dirt about what really happens when you hand over your clothes\u2014and offers a few must-know tips.   Do Your Homework    &amp;quot;Dry cleaners are not mind readers, and they&amp;#039;re not perfect,&amp;quot; he cautions. Every dry cleaner will treat your garment a little differently. &amp;quot;Some will inspect it thoroughly, others won&amp;#039;t. Some read labels, some just say, &amp;#039;Well, it looks like a dry-cleanable material.&amp;#039;&amp;quot; To get the best care, read your labels beforehand, make sure the dry cleaner is aware of the fabrication, and point out any issues (especially stains) you need him to focus on.   Know How They Work    Dry cleaners put items into a front-loading machine that uses dry cleaning solution and detergent. None of the cleansers are water-based; instead, they use an oilbased or chlorinated solvent that flushes out greasy, waxy buildup (body oils, machine oils, food grease). (Some cleaners are becoming more eco-friendly by switching to less toxic and polluting solvents, like one based on CO2.) Stain deterrents, water repellents and sizing (a chemical finish used for crispness) may be added. Because only a trace amount of water is used, fading and shrinking aren&amp;#039;t an issue\u2014and clothes come out dry. Cleaners inspect items, press and steam them, reinspect and bag them.   Don&amp;#039;t Expect Miracles    While your dry cleaner only needs 10 or 20 minutes to get out a grease stain that might take you 50 washes at home, it&amp;#039;s harder for dry cleaning to remove serious body odor and water-based stains (sweat, coffee). Show him these messes anyway; he&amp;#039;ll likely steam them or use a water-based chemical, but the results may still not be 100 percent. &amp;quot;The industry is working harder to make solutions more effective,&amp;quot; says Boorstein.   Ditch the Plastic    Although the plastic bag is meant to protect clothes, you should remove it as soon as you get home. &amp;quot;Plastic traps odors, moisture and humidity,&amp;quot; explains Boorstein. &amp;quot;If there&amp;#039;s a latent, clear or invisible stain on the garment, it can get worse inside the bag, because a lack of oxygen can cause some stains to oxidize and become more visible.&amp;quot; Water-based drinks with a sugar base (white wine, clear soda) and oil-based blotches (french-fry grease) age especially quickly.   Can You DIY?    &amp;quot;Dry clean&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;dry clean only&amp;quot; describe the best way to treat garments. &amp;quot;If the testing lab says it can be dry-cleaned, manufacturers opt for that, as it keeps people from ruining clothing,&amp;quot; Boorstein says. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s all about whether you feel confident going against the care label.&amp;quot; If you see &amp;quot;dry clean only,&amp;quot; drop it off. But for &amp;quot;dry clean,&amp;quot; consider: Is it valuable? Could it fade or shrink? Does it have complex construction, heavy lining, dyed silk, oily stains? If you answer yes to any of the above, or if you&amp;#039;re hesitant about self-cleaning, take it in.   Get more laundry tips at WomansDay.com:   Everything You Need to Know About Laundry   10 Things Your Dry Cleaner Won&amp;#039;t Tell You   5 Ways to Get Whites Whiter "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/home/organizing-cleaning/advice/a4773/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dry-cleaning-105759/>