by B. Leslie Baird

Created on: March 08, 2013

Dry-cleaning your own items at home can provide you with significant cost savings and reduce trips to a laundry mat. While these kits may not work for all items, or all stains, they do offer an excellent alternative for inexpensive and fast results at home.

Home dry cleaning products

Kit sizes vary in the number of items you can dry clean at one time and the number of uses per package.

Dryel® offers a starter kit, refill package and 3-IN-1 touch up spray. The spray is designed to freshen items without dryer use. The starter and refill kits include a boosting spray for use as a pre-cleaning treatment. The dryer bags are designed to last for 25 uses.

Dry Cleaner’s Secret is manufactured by Woolite. This product comes with a stain removal treatment in the form of a pre-saturated cloth that can be blotted on the stain. The cloth also goes into the dryer with the garments you want to dry clean. No container bag is used with the Woolite process.

When a kit offers a separate stain removal liquid, it should be used before the dryer process. Follow the directions carefully to avoid damage. In most cases, you will place a pad under the stain and gently apply the stain remover to the top of the stain. Use a light rubbing motion and pressure to force the stain through the fabric to the pad underneath. Many home use products are better for freshening items than they are at removing stains.

Tips for using your dryer to do home dry cleaning

Do not overload the dry cleaning bag or dryer. Your items need to tumble properly, with good air circulation, for the cleaning process to work. Do not exceed the recommended heat or drying time. Too much heat can damage delicate items. Overuse of the pre-spotting liquid may also damage your items.

Remove your laundry as soon as the drying cycle is complete. You should be able to remove any wrinkles by hand. Keep in mind that some of your clothing will need ironing after the dry cleaning process.

Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for product use. Also, follow any specific care instructions on the items you want to dry clean. You should try the product on items that are not delicate first, to get a feel for how your clothing turns out.

Home dry cleaning kits will not normally work for extremely large items. They may also not be as effective on stubborn or large stains. Expensive or difficult to clean clothing may be better off taken for professional cleaning. Velvet, fur, leather and suede items should be taken to a dry cleaner.

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