Dry Cleaning at Home?

K.,
There is a product called Dryel that you can find in the grocery store. It includes a large, zippered bag that can hold up to four garments. The kit has sheets pre-moistened with cleaning chemicals that you add to the bag and put in the dryer on medium heat for 30 minutes. There is also a bottle of spot-cleaner. I've used this - it works fairly well.

Other than that, I have had some luck hand washing dry cleanables, when the fabric has cotton or other natural fibers. If the garment is all synthetic, it may not work so well. I once shrunk a rayon skirt down to doll-sized just by getting it wet!

Anyway, I now check labels and try to only buy washable clothing. Dry cleaning is too expensive, and the chemicals are so very toxic that it's worth the effort to avoid those clothes as much as possible.

E.

1 mom found this helpful

I've seen a few of those gadgets on tv (Steam Shark I believe) that say you can dry/steam clean your clothes at home. Me personally I disregard the tag, I put anything in the washing machine whether it's dry clean only or tennis shoes or whatever and I've never had a problem. They come out clean, the creases don't get washed away and then I put the dryer on professional press so I rarely have to iron them. A while ago one of the news stations went undercover and found that the dry cleaners do actually wash some clothes that are 'supposed' to be dry clean only in their washing machine. HTH.

1 mom found this helpful

I have used Dryel before with pretty good results. It is a product that you use in your clothes dryer. It has a special bag and a pad that you put in the bag with the clothes and then put it in the dryer. I think it has a spot treater in the kit but I haven't used that. I trust a real professional dry cleaner to get my stains out, but to just wash the "dry-clean-only" clothes I have used Dryel.
Also, if the reason you are looking for an at-home option is the inconvenience of running the errand, there are services that will pick up and drop off your clothes to you. Just a thought. Good luck!

There is a product called Dryell that does exactly what you are looking for. It has a spot-cleaner and then it also has a cleaner (If I remember correctly, it's like a dryer sheet) and it comes with a special bag that you put into the dryer. Everything comes out smelling great. Hope this works for you.

I use a product called Dryel -- it works in the dryer and does really well.

Hi K.,

I have had great sucess using the dryell dry clean at home system. It has spot treater as well as a whole sheet that you put with the clothes into the dryer and let it tumble around. I use this for my husband's ties and suits. Any fabrics that will get water marks on them, silk, satin, some suit material should be cleaned at home this way.

Things like sweaters, dresses, my husband's dress shirts, my dress shirts and pants all of these I will wash in my washing machine on delicate or handwash and cold water. Most dry clean only clothes if washed in the washer should be laid flat or hung up to dry. Dont put them in the dryer wet. If you want to soften up the clothes after they have air dried then put them in the dryer on air fluff for 10 minutes after they are already dry.

I think both Dryel and Woolite have home dry cleaning systems. Look it up on their websites. As I recall, it's a kind of bag that you put in your dryer with your clothes and some kind of freshening sheet in it after spot treating. Anwyas, check it out.

Hi K.,
There are dry cleaning kits you can buy at Walmart or any other large department store. They consist of a bag and damp cloths that go in it. You just put your clothes in, toss it in the dryer, and it gets clean. I believe they have some sort of spot cleaning stuff that comes with the kit as well.
Good Luck
N.

I used to be follow the labels completely - I thought if the label said dry clean that is what I had to do. But then I started not liking the cost, smell or inconvience of sending clothes to the dry cleaner so I started washing most items. As a previous post stated just be careful with items with linings or maybe wool. Otherwise use the gentle wash and maybe air dry vice using the dryer and you should be fine. It also made me feel like the clothes were much cleaner. I have also tried dryell that is sold in grocery stores and that seemed to work fine too.

I have used Dryel (http://www.dryel.com/) at home before and it worked....you can use those Tide spot pens if you have a stain...http://www.drugstore.com/qxp182543_333181_sespider/tide/t....

I have washed dry clean only clothes on delicate/hand wash in the washing machine. I have been successful at the items becoming clean. I have been selective as to what I wash like that and there is a chance of shrinkage after constant washing. I have also tried those towelettes that you can put in a bag of dry clean only clothers. That did not work well for me.

I have used the dryer sheets for dry cleaning with the bag and the one that goes into your dryer. If you have your own dryer they both work really well. I like the bag one better and I do everything but suit jackets or clothes that I have perspired in more than normal (take these to the cleaners (on 236 before Roberts Rd they only charge $1.99 a pc). I put it into the dryer on permanent press for 10 min and then let hang out while I'm washing other loads. Hope this helps.

R.

I am sooo sorry, because I'm not here to give an advice, but to THANK all the other ladies for THEIR ADVICE.

I have been wondering about DRYEL for months, since I've seen the commercial, infomercial, and then in the stores. Now that I've heard nothing but positive comments about the product I will go to the store today and give it a try. Because I've had this pile of clothes I've been meaning to get to dry cleaners for a while now (normally costs me $50).

I just love, love, love Mamasource!! Thank you, ladies!

There are probably a number of items that you can hand wash at home. From personal experience though, the clothes to be careful with are the formal pants, skirts, suits that have linings. I accidentally put one of my suit skirts in the wash on a hand wash cycle and the outside material shrank considerably and the inside lining stayed the same so the shape and everything was all just weird...it was not even salvageable for someone who was a smaller size to wear it.

Good luck!