The chemical perchloroethylene (or “perc”) might not ring a bell, but it is likely be found in your home. Considered by the EPA to be both a health and environmental hazard, it is a solvent used by most dry cleaners across the country for more than 70 years. It is shown to cause liver cancer and can even harm the central nervous system in lab animals.

When clothes are cleaned with perc, they will actually off-gas this substance into the air. It most commonly enters the body through the air, but can also be absorbed through the skin or found in drinking water.

“When you go and pick up that bag and bring it home, you still have perchloroethylene off-gassing or coming off the clothes,” said Melanie Marty of the California EPA. “You don’t want something in widespread use that’s been shown to be a carcinogen.”

Is it necessary to use toxic chemicals to get our clothes “clean”? Before you get too depressed, let’s examine some solutions.

Read more of this story »

There are alternatives out there. Wet cleaning technology was introduced in the mid 1990’s and doesn’t require any solvents. It is garment specific, and uses soap and water in “smart” washers and dryers to clean clothes, which are then finished, or pressed accordingly. Some garments are also handwashed depending on the fabric.

Other than wet cleaning there’s liquid carbon dioxide, which uses captured CO2 in the cleaning process and is a lot less toxic than conventional dry cleaning. A Consumer Reports comparison found the CO2 cleaning method achieved better results than wet cleaning or conventional dry cleaning.

However, when taking something to a professional cleaner, always ask if you’re unsure if their method is safe for your garment. And while there are an increasing number of green cleaners popping up, they aren’t available everywhere just yet.

You can avoid the cleaners altogether and hand wash your garments at home. While the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Care Labeling Rule insists that ‘”Dryclean Only’ is a warning that the garment cannot be washed,” depending on the fabric, you can wash some garments labeled as such. The FTC’s Care Labeling Rule also says that clothing only has to carry a washing instruction or drycleaning instruction - even if both are acceptable for that garment.

When washing garments home, hand wash using a mild detergent and cold water. Don’t wring or twist the fabric and lay it flat to dry. Keep in mind that not all “dry clean only” garments can be washed. If you’re unsure if it’s best to take it to a cleaner.

Amy says: I’m still waiting for a green cleaner to pop up in my neighborhood…

For more on garment labeling and tips for washing at home:
Federal Trade Commission - Care Labeling Rule

Care 2 living - Wet Clean Wool Silk and Rayon

The Dollar Stretcher - Save Money on Dry Cleaning

For more on dry cleaners and the alternatives:
National Geographic - The Green Guide

Green Options: California Bans Toxic Dry Cleaning Chemical

Children’s Health Environmental Coalition

TreeHugger

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Now there's a better alternative: EcoHanger. The sturdy EcoHanger is made of 100% recycled paper and pays for itself with advertising. In other words dry cleaners get EcoHangers for free, the only price the customer pays is getting hit with a little direct marketing.

So far the recyclable hanger is making its way into New York City, San Francisco and other major metropolitan areas, and if distributor HangerNetwork has anything to do with it they'll be making their way into a drycleaner near you.

But until they do here's a few things you can do with your wire hangers:

• Use them.
• See if your dry cleaner will take them back to recycle.
• Find out if there is a metal collection site or scrap recycling center in your area (wire hangers can not be thrown in with aluminum curb side pick up).

Via CNET

Editor's note: Amy Stodghill is Green Options' newest addition to the blogging team. A NYC-based filmmaker, Amy is also the writer/publisher of the blog It's the Environment, Stupid! We're happy that she's joined us!

California will ban perchloroethylene - or perc, the toxic solvent used in dry cleaning - by 2023.

The California Air Resources Board has already begun phasing out the widely used chemical by prohibiting the sale of new machines that use perc.

As with any new regulation there is some resistance from the dry cleaning industry. They say smaller operations could be forced out of business, and many will have to pass along the costs to consumers.

However, there are non-toxic alternatives already in use at green dry cleaners across the country. The most wide-spread alternative is a process called "wet cleaning." This method uses less energy, and new machines cost less than traditional perc machines.

According to an article in the LA Weekly:

"There are four perc alternatives being used in Southern California: hydrocarbon, GreenEarth solvent, CO2 and professional wet cleaning. Hydrocarbon cleaning uses synthetic hydrocarbon solvents in a machine similar to that used in traditional dry cleaning. It’s nontoxic, but the AQMD says it contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release into the air and mix with other pollutants to form ozone smog. Which means it’s a lot better than perc, but still does damage to the environment."

"The most widespread method seems to be professional wet cleaning, a German process developed in 1991, which uses nontoxic biodegradable soap and water and is said to get clothes cleaner than perc cleaning because it attacks water-based spots and smells (i.e., the majority of the stains that need cleaning). Even better for business owners, computerized wet-cleaning machines cost $3,000 less than traditional perc machines and users have reported saving up to 45 percent on their electricity bills. Plus, they don’t have to pay for toxic-waste removal, so there are more savings to be had."

Via Associated Press.

Additional reading:

LA Times

Grist

Plenty Magazine

LA Weekly