Dry Cleaning · Complete Guide · The Swiss Laundry
What is dry cleaning — and how does it work?
A complete answer: what dry cleaning is, how it works step by step, what solvent is used, which fabrics need it, how to read the care label symbol, and what to expect at a professional dry cleaner. By The Swiss Laundry, Kolkata — since 2013.
Dry cleaning cleans garments with chemical solvent instead of water. The solvent dissolves oils and soiling without wetting the fabric. Used for silk, wool, velvet and structured garments that water would permanently damage.
The Swiss Laundry · Kasba, Kolkata · Est. 2013Why "dry"? The word dry refers to the absence of water — not the absence of liquid. The chemical solvent is a liquid, but it is non-polar and evaporates completely from the fabric. The garment enters and exits the machine completely dry.
What dry cleaning actually is
Dry cleaning is a method of cleaning clothes, textiles and garments using chemical solvents rather than water. The word "dry" is accurate — no water is used during the cleaning process itself. The garment goes in dry and comes out dry, having been cleaned by a solvent that dissolves the oils, residues and soiling from the fibres.
It is used for fabrics and garments that would be permanently damaged by water — silk, wool, velvet, pashmina, structured tailoring, and heavily embroidered occasion wear. For these materials, dry cleaning is not a luxury option. It is the only safe cleaning method.
What makes it different from laundry: Laundry uses water and detergent to clean garments by agitating them in an aqueous solution. Dry cleaning uses a non-polar organic solvent that dissolves oil and grease without any water contact. The chemistry is different, the equipment is different, and the fabrics it is safe for are largely different.
The dry cleaning process — step by step
The solvent — what it is and why it works
The solvent used in dry cleaning is a non-polar organic compound. The principle is "like dissolves like" — oils and grease are non-polar, so a non-polar solvent dissolves them effectively. Water is polar and cannot dissolve oil — which is why oil-based stains survive a wash but are removed in dry cleaning.
Hydrocarbon solvent — the most common in India. Petroleum-based, gentle on fibres, low odour. Safe for virtually all dry-cleanable fabrics. The standard choice for quality dry cleaners.
Perchloroethylene (Perc) — the older standard. More aggressive cleaning power, stronger odour. Still used by some older dry cleaners. Effective but increasingly replaced by hydrocarbon.
GreenEarth (liquid silicone) — the gentlest option. Odourless and very safe for delicate fabrics. Higher cost, less common in India.
Dry cleaning versus laundry
| Aspect | Dry cleaning | Laundry (washing) |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning agent | Non-polar chemical solvent | Water + detergent |
| Effective on | Oil, grease, protein residues, particulates | Water-soluble soiling, sweat, food |
| Safe for | Silk, wool, velvet, structured garments, embroidered occasion wear | Cotton, linen, synthetic, durable everyday fabrics |
| Risk of shrinkage | None — no water contact | Yes — especially at high temperatures for natural fibres |
| Risk of distortion | Minimal — low agitation | Yes — mechanical agitation can distort delicate fabrics |
| Preserves structure | Yes — canvas and interlining unaffected | No — structured garments delaminate in water |
Which fabrics require dry cleaning
Silk: All silk sarees, silk blouses, silk dupattas. Water denatures the protein surface, permanently dulling the sheen. Any metallic thread (zari) in silk garments tarnishes immediately on water contact.
Wool: Wool suits, blazers, shawls, sweaters. Water and agitation cause felting — the microscopic scales on wool fibres interlock irreversibly, causing permanent shrinkage and structural damage.
Velvet (silk and rayon): Water collapses the pile permanently. The raised texture that defines velvet cannot be restored once flattened by water contact.
Structured tailoring: Suit jackets and blazers contain canvas interlining, shoulder padding and multiple fabric layers. Water causes each layer to shrink at a different rate, destroying the garment's structure irreversibly.
Embroidered and embellished occasion wear: Zardozi, zari, sequins, mirrors and metallic threads are all damaged by water — tarnishing, warping or detaching. Any embellished garment must be dry cleaned.
Pashmina and cashmere: The ultra-fine fibres felt in water even with gentle handling. Dry cleaning is the only safe method for pure pashmina.
Reading the dry clean symbol — on a care label
The international care label system (ISO 3758) uses a circle symbol for dry cleaning instructions. These symbols are the same on garments made anywhere in the world.
Plain circle (○): Dry clean with any solvent. The standard instruction for most dry-cleanable garments.
Circle with P (Ⓟ): Dry clean with perchloroethylene or hydrocarbon solvent. This covers the vast majority of dry cleaners in India.
Circle with F: Dry clean with petroleum solvent only. Less common — check with your dry cleaner before dropping off.
Circle with X (✕○): Do not dry clean. Use wet cleaning or specialist treatment instead.
If a garment has no care label, assess by fabric: silk, wool, velvet, structured garments and embroidered occasion wear — dry clean. Plain cotton and synthetic everyday garments — laundry. When uncertain, dry cleaning is always the safer default.
Dry cleaning and stain removal
Dry cleaning removes most common stains effectively — particularly oil-based stains (ghee, cooking oil, makeup, skin oil) which water-based washing cannot dissolve. The combination of targeted pre-spotting and the solvent cycle handles most soiling that a wash cycle would leave behind.
For best stain removal results: Bring the garment to a dry cleaner as soon as possible after the stain occurs. Tell the dry cleaner what the stain is and when it occurred. Fresh stains — particularly protein stains like blood and sweat — have a significantly higher removal rate than stains that have dried and set over days or weeks.
What dry cleaning cannot remove: Some stains that have been heat-set (ironed over), very old oxidised stains, and certain dye stains may not be fully removable even by professional dry cleaning. These are cases where the stain has chemically bonded with the fibre.
Dry cleaning in Kolkata — and in India
In Kolkata, the demand for dry cleaning is driven by a distinctive combination: a culture of fine silk saree wearing year-round, a substantial seasonal wardrobe of wool and occasion wear, and a climate that makes storage — and the pre-storage cleaning that protects garments during storage — particularly important.
The Swiss Laundry has operated in Kolkata since October 2013 — over 13 years of handling the city's Puja wardrobes, wedding seasons, and everyday garment care. The facility is at Kasba Industrial Estate, E.M. Bypass (East), Kolkata 700107. Doorstep pickup and delivery is available across 30+ areas on invoices above ₹1,000.
For bookings: call 9836233354, WhatsApp +91 98362 33354, or use the app. Open Monday to Saturday, 10AM to 6:30PM.
Common questions
Questions about
dry cleaning.
Dry cleaning is a method of cleaning garments using chemical solvents instead of water. The word 'dry' refers to the absence of water — the solvent dissolves oils and soiling without wetting the fabric. Used for silk, wool, velvet, structured garments and embroidered occasion wear.
Garments are tumbled in a sealed machine with chemical solvent. The solvent dissolves stains and residues, is extracted and recovered, and the garments are dried with warm air. Individual stains are pre-treated by hand before the cycle. Afterwards, garments are steam pressed and returned.
The most common in India is hydrocarbon solvent — petroleum-based, gentle, low odour. Some dry cleaners use perchloroethylene (older standard) or GreenEarth liquid silicone (gentlest option). The solvent is filtered and reused after each cycle.
Silk, wool, velvet (silk and rayon), pashmina, structured suits and blazers, embroidered and embellished occasion wear, and any garment with a circle symbol on the care label.
Yes — dry cleaning is generally safer for colours than washing. The solvent does not cause the same dye bleeding that hot-water washing can. Dark and bright colours that might bleed in the wash are usually safe in dry cleaning.
Standard turnaround is 48 hours — inspection, pre-spotting, cleaning cycle, pressing and quality check. Express service (24 hours or less) is available for most garment types at The Swiss Laundry — call 9836233354 to confirm.
Dry cleaning
in Kolkata.
Professional dry cleaning since 2013. Doorstep pickup across 30+ areas. Open Monday–Saturday.