Woolite Dry Care and Dryel are both Dry cleaning solutions meant to be used at home for customers to clean and freshen their clothes without the need for a trip to the dry cleaners.
Both products use heat (from the dryer) and special cleaning solutions impregnated into cleaning cloths to remove soils, stains, and odors from your fabrics.
However, there are some key differences to note between the two which are outlined in the table below as well as in the rest of the article.
A table comparing Woolite Dry care to Dryel
| s/n | Comparison | Woolite Dry Care | Dryel |
| 1 | Type of detergent | Dry Detergent | Dry Detergent |
| 2 | Form | Towelettes and stain removal wipes | Cleaning Cloth, Stain Removing Pen, Odor and Wrinkle Releaser |
| 3 | Use | Light cleaning. Light stains removal on color fast fabrics including delicate and dry clean only fabrics. Cloth freshener. | Light cleaning. Light stain removal on all fabrics. Cloth freshener. |
| 4 | Value | Costs 46¢ to clean one garment. | Costs over $1 per garment |
| 5 | Limitations | Not for use on fur, leather, suede and velvet. | Not for use on leather, suede, fur, silk, rayon and velvet. |
What is woolite dry care?
Woolite Dry Care is a line of dry cleaning product made by the Reckitt Benckiser company.
The product is designed to be a gentle alternative to traditional dry cleaning methods although not to serve as a complete replacement (as you’d see why below), and can be used at home to clean delicate and dry clean only fabrics that are not leather, suede, flame resistant or velvet.
Woolite Dry Care comes in the form of a cleaning sheet that is oil based and releases vapor (when heated) which settles on clothes, cleans, and finally evaporates. It is meant to be placed in a dryer with the item of clothing in order to release this vapor and cause cleaning to begin.
The heat and motion of the dryer, as well as the cleaning vapor released by the sheet work together to clean, freshen and release wrinkles from the fabric without the use of water or harsh chemicals.
What is Dryel?
Dryel is a brand of at-home dry cleaning product made by the Bissell company – the same company that makes the Woolite Dry Care.
The product is designed to clean and freshen clothing without the need for traditional dry cleaning or washing.
The product typically comes in the form of a fabric cleaning cloth, which is typically stuffed inside a fabric protection bag alongside the item of clothing and then placed in a dryer.
The heat of the dryer activates the cleaners on the cloth which release steam that aids in the removal of odor, soils and stains.
Dryel is a convenient solution for cleaning delicate and dry clean only fabrics that cannot be washed in a traditional washing machine, for example, silk.
How does at home dry cleaning work? And how does it compare to professional dry cleaning?
At-home dry cleaning kits typically include a cleaning solution in the form of a cloth and a protection bag that the garment is placed in, before being put in the dryer.
The dryer is typically recommended to be set at medium temperature which will heat up the cleaning cloth and cause cleaning steam to release from it.
The cleaning steam then settles on the dirts, soils and stains and causes them to release, before it finally evaporates.
Using the fabric protection bag isn’t necessary although it offers protection against the torrid perimeters of the dryer as well as ensuring the cloth is properly coated with the cleaning steam. But ditching the bag means that clothes wouldn’t wrinkle as much and would be ready to wear right out of the dryer.
Good and fine, so that’s how they work, now how do they compare to professional dry cleaning?
At-home dry cleaning kits like those from Woolite or Dryel are typically more convenient and cost-effective than professional dry cleaning services.
They allow you to clean “dry clean only” clothes, delicate clothes, or even complexly constructed garments in the comfort of your own home, and in most cases work great.
However, it is important to note that these kits may not be as effective as professional dry cleaning and may not be able to remove certain types of stains such as cuff stains or aged stains. They may not be able to remove certain types of odor as well.
Professional dry cleaning services, also, typically offer more thorough cleaning and are able to handle a wider range of fabrics and stains including those that at home dry cleaning kits cannot such as leather, suede, velvet etc.
They use specialized equipment and chemicals to clean clothing and may also offer additional services such as pressing and alterations.
Professional dry cleaners also have the experience and expertise to care for delicate fabrics and handle difficult stains. However, professional dry cleaning services can be more expensive and may require the customer to drop off and pick up their garments.
Is woolite dry care and dryel safe?
According to the Woolite Website, their Woolite Dry Care product does not contain toxic ingredients and is completely safe for the environment.
According to them also, the product does not contain the toxic ingredient of “perc” that many professional dry cleaners use which has been proven through research to be toxic to humans as well as to the environment.
The Dryle product page also makes similar claims as the Woolite dry care: that it is safe when it comes in contact with the skin and is also safe for the environment.
As for how safe they are on clothes, both cleaners have gentle formulations that do not cause wearing, shrinkage, fading or even stretching.
What are the benefits of woolite dry care and Dryel?
The benefits of using at home dry cleaning kit like Woolite Dry Care and Dryel include:
Cost-effective: Woolite Dry Care and Dryel are less expensive than professional dry cleaning. They can help save up to 90% of cost per garment.
Gentle on clothes: Both kits are designed to be gentle on clothes, helping to preserve their shape and color. They also do not cause fading, stretching or even wear.
Safe for Delicate fabrics: Both cleaners are safe to use on delicate fabrics such as silk, velvet, cashmere and wool. They are also safe to use on special care fabrics like structured garments or those having embellishments on them.
Easy to use: Both cleaners can be used in the comfort of your own home, so there is no need to go to a professional dry cleaner. They are also easy to use and require no special training or equipment.
Longevity of Clothes: At home dry cleaners like Woolite Dry Care and Dryel can help preserve the quality of clothes than if they were wet washed or even professionally dry cleaned.
Wrinkle Release: The lack of protection bag for Woolite Dry Care means that fabrics will release wrinkles easily.
Stain & Odor Removal: Both cleaners can remove light stains on clothes and also destroy odor causing bacteria. Tough stains can be harder to remove and might require the use of a tougher stain removal product or the services of professional dry cleaning.
What kind of stains can woolite and dryel tackle?
Woolite is great from removing oil based stains such as food stains, makeup, grease and oil. It is also effective against grass stains and body stains such as those caused by deodorants and perspiration.
With dryle, you can remove similar types of stains too such as food stains i.e ketchup, oil, and wine, body stains, grass stains, ink stains such as marker or pen stains, and other outdoor stains.
The trick to successfully removing stains from clothes using both products is to treat them as soon as they form, and make sure to spot treat the clothes first before putting them in the dryer.
Both products give instructions on how to spot treat stains on fabrics in their packaging. Make sure to test a small inconspicuous area before spot treating to make sure the cloth is colorfast or will not damage when the product is applied.
It’s important to note that not all stains can be removed by at home dry cleaning products, and some may require different methods of cleaning.
Which is better between Woolite and Dryel?
When it comes to at-home dry cleaning, both Woolite Dry Care and Dryel offer solutions to clean and refresh clothing.
Both have their own set of benefits and limitations but as for which is best in terms of cleaning clothes, I would say that they both are equally good at removing light stains, and if I’m pressed to pick sides, then it’ll have to be dryel due to the natural line-dried scent it leaves on clothing: and it’s for that ONLY.
How do you use woolite dry care and dryel?
To use Dryel, first, sort your laundry by color and fabric type. Treat any cloth that has stains as per the manufacturer instructions, then, place up to five items of clothing in the Dryel fabric protection bag, and add one Dryel cleaning sheet.
Seal the bag, and place it in the dryer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. After the cycle is complete, remove the items from the bag and hang them to cool down and finish the drying process.
If you have water spots after cleaning, launder the cloth if it can be washed, if it can’t, take it to a professional dry cleaner or use the following technique.
- Lay the affected spot on a clean towel.
- Spray with water
- Iron out and keep moving to new places on the towel until the spot is completely removed.
To use Woolite Dry Care, you will need to follow these steps:
- First test for colorfastness in an inconspicuous area, and only proceed if there is no reaction after some time.
- Treat stains as per manufacturer’s instructions.
- Sort your clothes according to color and fabric type.
- Place up to 5 clothes in the dryer along with the Woolite Dry Care cleaning sheet.
- Run the dryer on a medium heat setting for about 20 minutes.
- Once the clothes are clean, remove them from the dryer and hang them up to dry.
- Do not put them in the dryer again.
