Dry cleaning in The Ohio State University

Any items made of natural fibers should benefit from a dry cleaning service, but you should check the care label of the items to make sure they are suitable for this. Even if dry cleaning is usually a safe option for most of the garments, not all items will react well to this cleaning process.

1. A dye that is soluble in dry cleaning may fade during care. If two or more dyes have been used and only one is soluble, there is a good possibility of a dramatic color change. For example, if a yellow dye component of a green garment were to break down, you could be left with a blue garment. There is no way of knowing this in advance.
2. Fading may occur in household items such as bedspreads and curtains/draperies. Often the fading may not be noticeable until the item is compared with a matching item. We recommend that all matching items be dry cleaned or laundered at the same time to ensure color uniformity.
3. Most dyes eventually fade with exposure to sun or artificial light. Color failure may occur rapidly on exposed areas of garments such as shoulders, collars, and sleeves. Particularly sensitive are blue, green, and lavender dyes, especially those used on silk or wool fabrics.