Dry cleaning

Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water.

Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent, tetrachloroethylene, known in the industry as "perc", which is the most widely used solvent. Alternative solvents are 1-bromopropane and petroleum spirits.Most natural fibers can be washed in water but some synthetics react poorly with water and must be dry-cleaned.