Can dry cleaning shrink clothes?
Under normal conditions, the process of dry cleaning should not shrink your clothes. The process is called ”dry” cleaning, because rather than use water to wash your clothes with, dry cleaners use a chemical solvent in a machine that both washes and dries your clothes. Among other things, these machines are specifically designed to avoid causing fabric shrinkage. In fact, your clothes are much more likely to shrink if they are washed in water.
However, if the dry cleaning machines are not maintained properly or if they malfunction during the cleaning process, shrinkage can occur. Fabric shrinkage during dry cleaning is usually caused by excessive heat or moisture in the solvent.
One component of the dry cleaning machine, called the “chiller”, prevents the dry cleaning solvent from getting too hot. A broken or malfunctioning chiller can cause the solvent to overheat, which may result in fabric shrinkage.
During routine operation, moisture builds up slowly in the dry cleaning solvent. A small amount of moisture in the dry cleaning solvent is actually necessary for the detergent to work effectively. However, too much moisture can cause fabric shrinkage. One component of the dry cleaning machine, called the “water separator”, prevents the moisture content of the solvent from exceeding safe limits. A broken or malfunctioning water separator will allow too much water to build up in the solvent.
Shrinkage can also be caused by garment manufacturing defects. Defective garments will often shrink the first time they are dry cleaned. You can read about the Garment Manufacturer’s Dilemma and find out why manufacturing defects are inevitable in one of my earlier posts.
Tags: clothes shrinking, dry cleaners, fabric shrinkage
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March 29, 2011 at 6:38 PM
Thanks for the great info..
April 25, 2011 at 5:33 PM
I took a pair of expensive white pants to the cleaners and they shrunk. These pants have been dry cleaned several times and I never had a problem. I was told there was a yellow stain and in trying to remove it they have to dry clean several times and that caused them to shrink. They were a bleached white look. I had bought two pair of these pants at the same tim so I was able to compare. Is he being honest with me or did they lander them by mistake?
April 26, 2011 at 9:08 AM
It does sound like the cleaner may have laundered your pants, but if they did, it was most likely intentional. Water based stains do not come out in dry cleaning very easily. To remove a water based stain, the garment must either be laundered or pre-treated with a water based stain remover prior to dry cleaning. If not all of the stain remover is removed from the fabric prior to dry cleaning, the residual moisture can cause fabric damage, dye loss, or shrinking. Regardless of what actually happened, the cleaner appears to be admitting that his efforts to remove the stain resulted in shrinking. So, he should accept at least partial responsibility and offer you a store credit. If you like, I can send you a Claim Form that you can complete and submit to the cleaner.