Is wet cleaning the same as washing at home?

No. It uses water, but with controlled temperature and agitation, specialist detergents and professional finishing equipment that restores the garment's shape.

Is it safe for 'dry clean only' labels?

Many of them, yes — but not all. We assess the fibre, construction and trim before choosing the process.

Is it better for the environment?

Generally yes, since it avoids solvent. It's also better for people sensitive to solvent residue.

Which is better for sweat and odour?

Wet cleaning. Water-soluble soils like sweat and deodorant don't release well in solvent.

Do I choose, or do you?

We choose per garment, based on fibre and soil. Tell us anything you'd rather we knew and we'll factor it in.

Will my garment shrink?

Not in a controlled process. Shrinking happens when heat and agitation are uncontrolled, which is exactly what a home machine can't manage.

Does it take longer than dry cleaning?

No. Same turnaround options either way, including same-day if it's in by 10am.

Can you wet clean a suit?

Often, but not always. Structured tailoring sometimes does better in solvent, so we assess the jacket's construction first.

Close view of a dryer drum at Oz Laundry in Decatur

Explained

What wet cleaning is

Professional cleaning in water rather than solvent — controlled, gentle, and often the better choice for sweat, odour and modern blends.

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The short version

Dry cleaning uses a chemical solvent. Wet cleaning uses water, but nothing about it resembles a home wash: temperature, agitation and moisture are all controlled tightly, the detergents are built for the fibre, and the garment is finished on shaped forms afterwards.

The result is a garment that is genuinely clean rather than merely de-greased — which matters, because most of what makes clothes smell is water-soluble.

Best candidates for wet cleaning

Sweat, deodorant and perfume build-up
Cottons, linens and many washable silks
Modern synthetic blends and knits
Garments worn against the skin all day
Anyone sensitive to solvent residue
Items where solvent has left a lingering smell

Compare

Three ways to clean a delicate garment

Each of these is the right answer for something. Knowing which is which is most of the job.

	Traditional dry cleaning	Wet cleaning at Oz	Your home washer
What does the cleaning	Chemical solvent	Water, tuned per fabric	Tap water, one setting
Control over the process	Set by the solvent cycle	Temperature, agitation and moisture set per garment	Whatever the dial says
Sweat, deodorant and body odour	Poor — these soils don't dissolve in solvent	Excellent	Good
Oil and grease stains	Excellent	Fair	Poor
Structured tailoring — suit shoulders, interlinings	Excellent	Good on many pieces, not all	Usually ruins them
Wool, silk and cashmere	Good	Good, with fabric-specific settings	High risk of shrinking and felting
Solvent smell left behind	Possible	None	None
Finishing	Professional press	Professional press on our Presso forms	A home iron
Best for	Structured tailoring, oil-based stains, certain interlinings	Sweat and odour, modern blends, anyone sensitive to solvent residue	Everyday basics that aren't labelled dry clean only

Traditional dry cleaning

What does the cleaning: Chemical solvent
Control over the process: Set by the solvent cycle
Sweat, deodorant and body odour: Poor — these soils don't dissolve in solvent
Oil and grease stains: Excellent
Structured tailoring — suit shoulders, interlinings: Excellent
Wool, silk and cashmere: Good
Solvent smell left behind: Possible
Finishing: Professional press
Best for: Structured tailoring, oil-based stains, certain interlinings

Wet cleaning at Oz

What does the cleaning: Water, tuned per fabric
Control over the process: Temperature, agitation and moisture set per garment
Sweat, deodorant and body odour: Excellent
Oil and grease stains: Fair
Structured tailoring — suit shoulders, interlinings: Good on many pieces, not all
Wool, silk and cashmere: Good, with fabric-specific settings
Solvent smell left behind: None
Finishing: Professional press on our Presso forms
Best for: Sweat and odour, modern blends, anyone sensitive to solvent residue

Your home washer

What does the cleaning: Tap water, one setting
Control over the process: Whatever the dial says
Sweat, deodorant and body odour: Good
Oil and grease stains: Poor
Structured tailoring — suit shoulders, interlinings: Usually ruins them
Wool, silk and cashmere: High risk of shrinking and felting
Solvent smell left behind: None
Finishing: A home iron
Best for: Everyday basics that aren't labelled dry clean only

We choose the process per garment, not per customer. If solvent is the right call for your piece, that's what we'll use.

Why it's worth knowing about

Better for you, your clothes, and the water it goes back into

Gentle on skin

No solvent residue left in the fibres, which matters if solvent smell or irritation has ever bothered you.

Nothing left behind

Garments come back smelling of nothing at all, rather than of the cleaning.

Easier on the water

A water-based process with no solvent to recover or dispose of.

Kinder to fibres over time

Controlled moisture and agitation means less stress on the cloth with every clean.

Fabrics

Built for the pieces you actually care about.

Wool
Silk and washable silks
Cashmere and fine knits
Linen
Cotton worn against the skin
Modern synthetic blends
Activewear and performance fabric
Embellished and beaded pieces

Anything unusual — beading, leather trim, an unlabelled vintage piece — we look at before committing.

The process

How a wet clean actually runs

Read the fabric

Fibre, construction, trim and how the piece is built decide the settings before anything is switched on.

Clean in tuned water

Temperature, moisture and agitation are set for that garment, with detergents chosen for the fibre rather than a single all-purpose soap.

Dry and finish under control

Dried to a target rather than to a timer, then finished on shaped Presso forms so the garment keeps its structure.

See the full five-step same-day process

Choosing

When solvent is still the right call

Structured tailoring, oil-based stains and certain interlinings do better in dry cleaning. We pick the process per garment, not per customer.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is wet cleaning the same as washing at home?: No. It uses water, but with controlled temperature and agitation, specialist detergents and professional finishing equipment that restores the garment's shape.
Is it safe for 'dry clean only' labels?: Many of them, yes — but not all. We assess the fibre, construction and trim before choosing the process.
Is it better for the environment?: Generally yes, since it avoids solvent. It's also better for people sensitive to solvent residue.
Which is better for sweat and odour?: Wet cleaning. Water-soluble soils like sweat and deodorant don't release well in solvent.
Do I choose, or do you?: We choose per garment, based on fibre and soil. Tell us anything you'd rather we knew and we'll factor it in.
Will my garment shrink?: Not in a controlled process. Shrinking happens when heat and agitation are uncontrolled, which is exactly what a home machine can't manage.
Does it take longer than dry cleaning?: No. Same turnaround options either way, including same-day if it's in by 10am.
Can you wet clean a suit?: Often, but not always. Structured tailoring sometimes does better in solvent, so we assess the jacket's construction first.

Not sure which your garment needs?

Bring it in. We'd rather look at it than guess over the phone.