I am ever conscious of maintaining my clothes in good condition without always relying on the services of the neighborhood dry cleaner. I acknowledge that home dry cleaning kits are not all created equal and have my preference as to what product works best for my needs. I have used Dryel, a well known home dry cleaning kit but decided to compare its effectiveness with Dry Cleaner’s Secret. In all fairness, both cleaners are easy to use and the instructions are easy to understand. The home dry cleaning kits are not a substitute for professional dry cleaning but they help to reduce the cost of dry cleaning expenses by offering a cost saving alternative to frequent dry cleaning.
Contrast and Compare Dry Cleaner’s Secret comes in a box with six sheets that can be used both for cleaning and stain removal. At one time Dry Cleaner’s Secret included a garment bag in which you placed your garments. According to Dry Cleaner’s Secret product labeling, the garment bag is no longer included because the manufacturer states the bag allows for ease of use in smaller compact dryers and dirt and fibers are collected in the lint trap instead of being redeposited onto your clothes. I believe that the garment bag which is included in the Dryel cleaning kit is useful because it keeps the garments together and I have not observed dirt redeposited onto my clothing.
I did not find the cleaning cloth contained in the Dry Cleaner’s Secret was effective in stain removal. While neither product is made to replace professional dry cleaning to remove stains and spots, I do feel the Dryel stain remover liquid and blot pads are more effective in removing stains. With the Dry Cleaner’s Secret, the same cloth doubles in purpose to clean and remove stains and it did not remove the stain the first time. I redid the tee shirt to remove the stain with the Dry Cleaner’s Secret sheet to no avail. In contrast, Dryel does include a garment bag as well as a separate bottle of stain removal liquid with a blotting pad.
It does not remove all stains, but water based stains are more easily removed. Dryel offers a gentle, mild fragrance to scent your clothes, while Dry Cleaner’s Secret offers fragrance free dry cleaning sheets. I do not find the Dryel sheets to be overpowering and prefer Dryel’s sheets to the non scented Dry Cleaner’s Secret
When comparing the cost, Dry Cleaner’s Secret is slightly less expensive which is the reason I wanted to compare it to Dryel. For the money, I found Dryel to be my product of preference even though it cost slightly more. Neither product can be used exclusively of professional dry cleaning services. Some fabrics are not suited to home cleaning kits and both Dry Cleaner’s Secret and Dryel note that fact on their product.
For both products, the purpose is to freshen and lightly clean slightly soiled garments. Neither product is suited to do “heavy duty” dry cleaning of clothes. Instead, these two products can be used to freshen a garment to wear again without professional dry cleaning services for a period of time. After you wear an outfit on a particular day and you desire to wear the outfit again that evening the home dry cleaning kit is effective for refreshing the garment. The home dry cleaning kits can be packed for use on a business trip or vacation to reduce the amount of clothing that is packed. Simply tossing the garment into the nearest clothes dryer with dry cleaning sheet in hand, can yield a refreshed garment while on a business trip or vacation which allows you to pack less clothes-a welcome benefit in these trying days of air travel.
Either product is useful in helping to reduce the cost and frequency of dry cleaning to refresh everyday clothing such as blouses, pants, jackets, small household laundry items and accessories. Comparing Dry Cleaner’s Secret and Dryel, my vote is for Dryel. I was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of Dry Cleaner’s Secret but in a pinch, it does present a cost saving alternative to frequent dry cleaning.
Neither product has the chemical odor sometimes associated with commercial dry cleaning solvents and Dryel states that no phosphate is used and biodegradable solvents and preservatives are used in their stain remover. Both products offer a money back guarantee and toll free numbers and websites for further information. Dry Cleaner’s Secret website is www.drycleanerssecret.com and their toll free number is 1-888-890-7992. The toll free number for Dryel is 1-888-334-4890; the website is www.dryel.com.
Dryel and Dry Cleaner’s Secret can be purchased at retailers such as Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Target and other national chain stores and pharmacies.
