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dry cleaner

/draɪ ˌklinər/
/draɪ ˈklinə/
IPA guide

Other forms: dry cleaners

A dry cleaner is someone whose job or business is laundering clothes using a chemical solvent rather than soap and water. Instead of tossing your new suede jacket in the washing machine, you should take it to a dry cleaner!

Dry cleaners use water-free solvents to clean fabrics — such as wool and silk — that might be damaged by being fully saturated. These chemical substances pull dirt and stains out of the material while protecting delicate fabrics from fading, shrinking, or deforming. You can refer to the business where you'd drop off a wedding gown, formal suit, or leather coat that needs to be cleaned as a dry cleaner, as well as anyone who works there.

Definitions of dry cleaner
  1. noun
    a person who works at a shop that specializes in washing fabric without water
    synonyms: cleaner
    see moresee less
    type of:
    market keeper, shopkeeper, storekeeper, tradesman
    a merchant who owns or manages a shop
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