Spotty knowledge

Chances are, someone you know has been taken to the cleaners. Though you may do fine when you trust your wardrobe to a dry cleaner, sometimes things do go wrong. Why? The following solutions to some of the most common dry-cleaning problems are sure to improve your odds of going home with the clothes you dropped off – minus only the dirt.

Problem

You’re mystified by the whole process. Is dry cleaning really dry?

Real Simple solution

Actually, it isn’t dry at all. Your clothes get plenty wet in what look like large, front-loading washing machines, explains Steve Boorstein, a Bethesda, Md.-based cleaning expert known as the Clothing Doctor. However, instead of water, the process typically uses a petroleum-based solvent or perchloroethylene (perc), a synthetic solvent. The dry-cleaning solvents remove oily stains without shrinking most fabrics. Over time, though, perc’s aggressive cleaning power can weaken or dissolve fabric glues and finishes. Your clothes are cleaned and dried in the same machine, all in about 55 minutes, after which an employee generally reinspects them for stains. If any remain, he’ll spot-treat and clean the item again before pressing or steaming and then packaging it for pickup or delivery.

Problem

You’re concerned about the chemicals used in dry cleaning.

Real Simple solution

Go organic. Perc’s impact on the environment and on humans (it’s a suspected carcinogen at very high doses) as well as its odor have given rise to three eco-friendly alternatives. The most popular of them, recommended by several experts we spoke to and now used in about 500 locations nationwide, is a silicone-based solvent called GreenEarth that works in modified perc machines. Gentler than perc (though still being tested for cancer hazards), it doesn’t strip clothes of their off-the-rack finishes, says Tim Maxwell, president of GreenEarth Cleaning ( www.greenearthcleaning.com). The second alternative, used by the 70 or so shops in the Hangers Cleaners chain, employs high-pressure machines and liquid carbon dioxide mixed with special detergents. And, finally, there’s “wet cleaning,” in which dry-clean-only fabrics are laundered with plain water in computer-controlled washers. A Consumer Reports test found silicone- and carbon dioxide-based cleaning results superior to those of perc; wet cleaning was a bit spottier.

Problem

Your neighborhood cleaner charges a lot more than the one near your office, and you’re worried you’re paying extra for no good reason.

Real Simple solution

Rest assured, the difference between passable and premium cleaners is evident in the prices they ask – and the results they deliver. Quality cleaners take extra time when handling delicate garments, spot-treating trouble areas, and reinspecting for stains, and they’ll often hand-press clothes for the best drape and body. If an item does not look perfect, they’ll make it right. Any top-notch cleaner, including members of Leading Cleaners Internationale, typically offers a 100 percent safe-cleaning guarantee. That’s why one establishment may charge five times as much as another to clean the same blouse. How do you find a quality dry cleaner? Ask the owner if someone on staff is a certified professional dry cleaner, a certified environmental dry cleaner or a certified professional wet cleaner. Find out if the shop is affiliated with the Better Business Bureau or the International Fabricare Institute. And ask for word-of mouth-recommendations.