# Dry cleaning

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 3, 2000, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813 "2000-12-03T08:35:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813/1 "2000-12-03T08:35:58Z")

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What does the process of dry cleaning involve? Every time I go to the cleaners, I walk through the back. It seems like everything is dumped into a washer, and then neatly pressed.

What does the cleaner do that is different than your standard washer/dryer?

What would happen if you washed/dried your suits?

What is the difference between “laundered” and “dry cleaned?”

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**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813/2 "2000-12-03T10:27:03Z")

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Dry cleaning uses something other than water. I think it’s called tricholorethelyne or something like that. Also known as “dry cleaning fluid” – note the word “fluid”.

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**Author:** ![Timothy\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Timothy\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timothy_Campbell)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813/3 "2000-12-03T10:29:34Z")

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Ooops … I just checked, and it’s trichlorOethylene.

Sorry about the spelling mistake.

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**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813/4 "2000-12-03T10:30:03Z")

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[http://www.peruohc.com/drycleaning.htm](http://www.peruohc.com/drycleaning.htm)

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**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2000, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-cleaning/43813/5 "2000-12-04T14:40:03Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Timothy Campbell \*  
> \*\*Ooops … I just checked, and it’s trichlorOethylene.
> 
> Sorry about the spelling mistake. \*\*

yep, trichloroethylene (a.k.a., trichloroethene, TCE). Also, I think tetrachloroethylene (a.k.a., perchloroethylene, PCE) may be used too.

These are industrial solvents that are also used to degrease engines, etc. These solvents remove the grime and then the residual in the clothes evaporates quickly.

They’re also nice cancer-causing chemicals that contaminate lots of groundwater in our country because of people dumping it on the ground.