The History of Dry Cleaning
Nowadays dry cleaning seems to be one of the most common things to do when one of our precious garments is dirty. The history of dry cleaning, however, dates back to the Mycenaean Civilisation (around 1600 B.C.), where ancient dry cleaners supposedly used absorbent earth and powdered meal to draw various kinds of dirt such as sweat, stains and odour from clothing. As time passed, liquid solvents gained the upper hand and the history of dry cleaning took its place.
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Back in the day, people used to reach for chemical substitutes as cleaners (e.g. naphtha, benzene, even grated potatoes) instead of water-based ones, to prevent their garments from shrinkage and warpage.
It is said that in 1825, a Frenchman named Jean-Baptiste Jolly made an innovative discovery when his maid accidentally spilled turpentine on a table cloth, which subsequently became cleaner. Jolly took his chance and rendered dry cleaning services to the public which he then called “nettoyage a sec” – a French equivalent to the term dry cleaning. Shortly afterwards, in 1857, dry cleaning had been introduced to the UK eventually. Despite the fact that Jolly was accredited with the discovery of dry cleaning, it has actually been recorded that turpentine had already been used for spot cleaning since 1720.
As we begin a new decade, the reasons for using dry cleaners have changed to suit the times. People just don’t have the time or the inclination to make laundry a part their hectic lives.
Dirty Laundry Manchester provides the answer – it only takes a minute to drop your washing off and a minute to collect it all freshly laundered or dry cleaned after all.
Part of the community
Our choice of location at 70 Market Street in Droylsden, Manchester is no accident. We’ve roots in the area and it is our intention to provide a service that people from all backgrounds in our community can use and enjoy.
We care
We care about your clothes and delivering a great service, we care about your lifestyle and how busy it can be, we care about our customers and we care about delivering the best value that we can.
Easy to reach
We are situated right next to a bus stop, on the Manchester to Ashton under Lyne tram route and have car parking to the side, so visiting us couldn’t be easier.
Pop in and say hello,
we can’t wait to meet you.
