dec 02 
Question by Meg
Send this post to a friendI recently switched to a dry cleaner that advertised in their window "organic dry-cleaning." It is, of course, further away from my home and more expensive but it makes me feel better. Having said that, every time I go in to pick up my clothes it smells like chemicals. I may not know what I'm smelling but something seems off. Is there anything that I can do, some checks and balances, to determine if they are actually organically cleaning my clothes?? MANY THANKS.
Comments (1) |  |
1. 12/17/2007 08:39:34 AM
You are quite right to avoid traditional dry cleaners. Until recently, almost all dry cleaners used a cancer-causing chemical called perchloroethylene (also known as PCE or ‘Perc’). Traces of this toxic chemical remain on your clothes after dry cleaning and will evaporate into the air in your car or home.
There is no such thing as an ‘organic’ dry cleaner, despite the misleading signs that some dry cleaners are posting in their windows. In fact, some of the alternatives have some serious potential hazards of their own. But there are some much more environmentally friendly options than Perc cleaners. One of the best is ‘wet cleaning.’ Wet cleaners use high tech versions of your washer and dryer to clean delicate clothes without the damage that would be caused by a residential machine. Another very good option, although harder to find than wet cleaners, is CO2 cleaning. These cleaners use liquid carbon dioxide to clean clothes. The process does not contribute to global warming because it recycles CO2 captured from other sources. You may be able to find a Wet Cleaner or CO2 cleaner on this site.
Dry cleaners that use DF-2000, PureDry, EcoSolv, Shell 140, or Stoddard cleaning agents represent a slightly improved version of the status quo. Their main advantage is that they evaporate less readily than Perc, so they’re less likely to contaminate the air but they still pose some health concerns.
All of this is a very long-winded way of saying that you shouldn’t believe the “organic” sign in your dry cleaner’s window. Ask them exactly what they’re using to clean your clothes. If it’s not a wet cleaning or CO2 process, then consider checking to see if there’s one near you. Otherwise go with one of the hydrocarbon alternatives (definitely an improvement over Perc). If you must use a traditional dry cleaner, be sure to air your clothes outside before you bring them into your home.
There is no such thing as an ‘organic’ dry cleaner, despite the misleading signs that some dry cleaners are posting in their windows. In fact, some of the alternatives have some serious potential hazards of their own. But there are some much more environmentally friendly options than Perc cleaners. One of the best is ‘wet cleaning.’ Wet cleaners use high tech versions of your washer and dryer to clean delicate clothes without the damage that would be caused by a residential machine. Another very good option, although harder to find than wet cleaners, is CO2 cleaning. These cleaners use liquid carbon dioxide to clean clothes. The process does not contribute to global warming because it recycles CO2 captured from other sources. You may be able to find a Wet Cleaner or CO2 cleaner on this site.
Dry cleaners that use DF-2000, PureDry, EcoSolv, Shell 140, or Stoddard cleaning agents represent a slightly improved version of the status quo. Their main advantage is that they evaporate less readily than Perc, so they’re less likely to contaminate the air but they still pose some health concerns.
All of this is a very long-winded way of saying that you shouldn’t believe the “organic” sign in your dry cleaner’s window. Ask them exactly what they’re using to clean your clothes. If it’s not a wet cleaning or CO2 process, then consider checking to see if there’s one near you. Otherwise go with one of the hydrocarbon alternatives (definitely an improvement over Perc). If you must use a traditional dry cleaner, be sure to air your clothes outside before you bring them into your home.
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