Is there a way to dryclean clothing without putting toxins into the environment (or drycleaning workers)? According to the Occidental College's Pollution Prevention Center, 85% of 35,000 dry cleaners in the US use perc (perchloroethylene) as a solvent, a probable carcinogen with short and long term effects.
Options:
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Hand wash delicate items and take them to the cleaner for pressing only.
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Professional wet cleaning
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This is done with new computer-controlled washers which clean according to the type of fabric, sometimes rotating as slowly as six times per minute. The stain is treated according to its pH level. The equipment and operating costs are lower, too!
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Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning
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This uses pressurized (liquid) CO2 in place of perc, releasing waste back into the air (where it is originally taken, so not net addition of greenhouse gases). Unfortunately, while this is the most environmentally friendly approach, it's still the most costly.
Not all cleaners who advertise "green" methods are green.
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Hydrocrabon processes are petroleum based
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Greenearth methods uses D-5, a carcinogen, and it uses chlorine as well
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Some CO2 cleaners use the Solvair machines, which only rinse clothes with CO2 and also use glycol ether which is a toxin and hormone disrupter.
CoopAmerica has placed all this information on a wallet-sized card: www.coopamerica.org/PDF/greendrycleaning.pdf.
Who does it:
Wetcleaning:
Executive Cleaners
28829 Hoover Rd
Warren, MI 48093
ph: 810-574-0959