Dry cleaning isn’t only offered at residential laundry services. A lower cost option, home dry cleaning kits, allows you to dry clean your delicates at home by turning your drying machine into a dry cleaner.

What are home kits?

Home kits are curated for people who want the convenience of at-home dry cleaning. They are less costly than using a laundry service, safe for most fabrics, and only take about 30 minutes per cycle. A typical kit consists of a stain remover, an odor and wrinkle releaser, heat-activated dryer sheets, and a reusable garment bag. Some home kits also have absorbent pads for the stain remover solution.

How do you use home kits?

A typical home kit has instructions similar to the following:

1. Pretreat any stains on your garments with the stain remover.
2. Spray the garments with the odor and wrinkle releaser, particularly focusing on foul-smelling areas.
3. Put up to five garments in the reusable bag. Insert one of the dryer sheets inside, then seal the bag and put it in your dryer.
4. Tumble in a medium-heat setting for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how deep a clean you want.
5. Immediately hang your garments after dry cleaning them.

Each home kit is different, but they all have instructions. Always follow them to get the best out of the kit, as you may not have the expertise of professional laundry services to determine if deviating from the instructions will help.

Should you use home kits or dry cleaning?

Home kits are great for people who don’t have many garments to dry clean at a time. If you have a couple dress shirts or you don’t often wear dry-clean only clothing, you’ll enjoy the convenience. Additionally, if you’re not bothered by possibly ruining your dry clean clothes because you can easily replace them, you might prefer home kits.

The biggest advantage of dry cleaning provided by residential laundry services is that you’ll get the best cleaning possible. At home kits are fast and convenient, but professional services know how to safely and deeply clean. They also have tools and solutions that can’t be packed into a small home kit.

Home kits aren’t the best choice for heavy stains, and don’t work with all materials. They can damage clothes that would be otherwise fine at a laundry service. If your garments are made of leather, silk, or velvet, you need professional dry cleaning.

Unable to use a home kit for your dress shirts, blouses, and other delicates? Laundry Care Express offers laundry and dry cleaning services to residents in the Santa Cruz and San Jose areas. Schedule a laundry pick up to get started today.