Green December Day 27 - Dry Cleaners

I’ve stopped… Using non-eco friendly drycleaning.

Dry cleaning is something everyone hates to pay for, but is necessary. I have recently switched from going to my conveniently located drycleaners to one that is not only advertised as eco-friendly, but is actually using nontoxic cleaners. Ecocleaners is a great service that offers free pick ups and deliveries! They have a process that uses liquified sand or pure liquid silicone to clean garments that is 100% biodegradable and safe for the environment. Another alternative is to find a service that does wetcleaning, a gentle but environmentally conscious way of cleaning garments.

Why

The majority of drycleaner use a chemical called PERC (perchloroethylene) to clean your clothes. It seems that PERC has been widely found to be toxic to humans and the environment since it is not biodegradable.

There are also more drycleaning stores that advertise ‘organic’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ but since these terms aren’t regulated, it is possible that they are using carbon based chemicals that are still toxic to the environment so it’s best to ask what type of chemical a drycleaner uses if you’re thinking of using them instead.