DIY Dry-Cleaning with Dryel

If there is one thing I despise paying for, it's for something I can do myself. Dog walking, house cleaning, painting, lawn mowing, dry cleaning -- all services for hire that can be done without any added expense. 

What's that? Did you read that correctly? Yes, I said dry cleaning. That can indeed be done from the comfort of home, with your own two hands. You have probably heard of the product Dryel, an at-home dry cleaning system. It takes a fraction of the cost and time to care for your special garments, with no fancy equipment.

I recently had the opportunity to take Dryel for a test drive in my laundry room to see how it delivers. Since I am fairly cheap frugal, I don't actually own many dry-clean only garments. But I discovered that Dryel is perfect for sweaters and nice jeans, which I do have in my wardrobe. Even moms need to look nice, right?

Being a Dryel newb, I was surprised by the simplicity of the process. I received three products to try out: the Dryel Starter Kit, the Dryel 3-IN-1 Touch-Up Spray, and the Dryel On the Go Stain Pen.

I declared immediately that the spray and pen were perfect for my husband. He travels frequently for business, and often needs quick touch ups or clean ups while on the go. The Touch-Up Spray controls static, releases wrinkles, and has a fresh, but not overpowering scent. The pen is small enough to tuck in a purse or briefcase and helps remove fresh stains on most fabrics.

To say the starter kit was easy to use is an understatement. So easy, I thought I was missing something, so I hopped on the Dryel website to double check. There I found helpful FAQ's, along with coupons! You can receive $2.00 coupons by email and additional coupons by mail.

The kit includes a reuseable fabric protection bag and two cloth refills. I appreciate that it does not contain typical dry-cleaning chemicals like phosphates, PERC or trichloroethylene. Dryel only contains water, preservatives, a fiber protection agent and perfume to leave your clothes looking clean and fresh. Not to mention no pesky wire hangers and plastic wrap!

I was able to clean eight garments, four per cycle. You simply toss your clothes into the reusable protection bag, zip, and toss in the dryer for 30 minutes. That's it! I now have several freshly hung slacks and sweaters ready for wear in my closet.

The time and hassle saved by this process is priceless to me. I only wish I had been using Dryel sooner. The ever-present laundry pile in my closet just got a whole lot smaller - and cheaper!