How much time does it take to dry clean clothes?

Surprise! It’s probably a lot longer than you think.

Some dry cleaners offer same-day dry cleaning and others do not. Why is that? Below is a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how your clothes are cleaned and how much time it takes to professionally clean each garment at American Dry Cleaners. We proudly offer same-day dry cleaning service on almost everything we clean.

Step one: Drop off and check in - 3 minutes per garment

Before cleaning, every single garment is barcoded and detailed to include the brand, colors, patterns, fabric, and any cleaning or finishing special instructions are noted. They are also inspected for any damage or stains that may require special attention.

Step two: Processing & Cleaning - 90 to 120 minutes

After check-in is complete, your garments are added the to production queue. Same-day dry cleaning pieces are moved to the front of the line. Before being processed by our cleaning machinery, our spotter inspects the garment again and hand-treats any stains to remove them as much as possible before machine cleaning occurs. Depending on the type of garment, the cleaning cycle may be longer or shorter.

Step three: Pressing - 5 minutes

After the cleaning cycle is complete, garments are moved to the pressing station where they are steamed by machine and then hand-pressed by one of our master pressers. If starch is requested, it is added at this station. Again, same day dry cleaning items are prioritized and pressed first.

Step four: Inspection – 2-5 minutes

Pressed garments are moved to the inspection area where the buttons, stain removal, and the overall cleaning and pressing quality are checked. If the garment does not pass inspection, it is sent back to a workstation to be redone. If any missing or cracked buttons are found, they are replaced automatically and free of charge.

Step five: Assembly - 3-5 minutes +

After a garment passes final inspection, it is sent to assembly. This is where your order is packaged according to your instructions (folded, bagged, boxed, etc). If your order includes more than one garment, this is also where all the pieces in your order are matched back together.

Step 6: Racking or delivery - 2 minutes

After your order has been assembled, it is scanned as complete and placed on a regular rack for pickup, our same day dry cleaning service rack, or placed on our delivery rack. By the way, our regular delivery service is free, so why not try it for yourself too?

Every single garment at American Dry Cleaners passes through each of these stations at least once. A minimum of 6 different people are involved in the cleaning and care of your garment, guaranteeing you the best cleaning experience possible. At a bare minimum, it takes 15 minutes of hands-on activity plus the 90-minute cleaning cycle for one garment to pass through our facility, and could take as much as 140 minutes or more for a larger order.

Now that you know how long each step can take and the number of employees involved, you can better understand why scale is a primary factor in determining a dry cleaner’s ability to offer same-day dry cleaning service. American Dry Cleaners is proud to be one of the only Dry Cleaners in our area to offer same day dry cleaning.