The History of Dry Cleaningby The Kirkland Dry Cleaner

Our Kirkland dry cleaners’ shop has been around for a while, but the history of dry cleaning actually goes back a couple thousand years! In fact, the ancient Romans not only maintained public baths and innovative skin care methods, but developed what is thought to be the first dry cleaning process.

Ancient Roman fullers (dry cleaners) used a special type of clay, as well as ammonia made from urine, to clean garments. In fact, so profitable was the fullers’ work that urine collection was even taxed!

Thankfully, more pleasant solvents have been discovered in the last few centuries, from petroleum-based products in the 19th century, to perchloroethylene in the 20th, to today’s environmentally-safe solvents (such as the GreenEarth products used by our Kirkland dry cleaners).