Most of us don’t think about what goes on behind the counter at the dry cleaners. We take our shirts, skirts, and formalwear in, and a few days later we come back and pick up freshly cleaned and pressed clothing, ready to wear and enjoy. You’ve probably scented the chemicals once or twice, and then readily dismissed it. Why would they use dangerous chemicals on your clothing? The problem is that a toxic chemical is currently being used in more than 85 percent of the dry cleaners in the United States, and your health may be at risk because of it.
Traditional dry cleaners use a chemical called perchloroethylene (PERC), a toxic chemical with known health risks. Even small exposures to PERC can result in skin irritation, dizziness, nausea, or headaches. When you are exposed over a long period of time, perhaps from wearing dry cleaned clothing every day, you could be at risk for liver or kidney damage. Despite these serious health risks, most dry cleaners continue to use PERC in their cleaning solutions. You don’t have to patronize those dry cleaners however, especially because there is a better way to have your clothes looking clean, fresh, and smelling great without the chemicals and health risks.
Speak to your dry cleaner about the chemicals that they use in their process. You should avoid any cleaning solutions which use hydrocarbons, because they are derived from petroleum and therefore contribute to the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Two excellent alternatives to traditional dry cleaning are professional wet cleaning and liquid carbon dioxide cleaning. Make sure that you ask your dry cleaner questions about the specific process they use, because there is no governmental regulation in place for what qualifies as “green” or “environmentally friendly” in the dry cleaning business. Make your health and the planet’s health a priority, and switch to eco-friendly dry cleaning today.






