Fashion : Fashion Care :

What do you most dislike about dry cleaning?

03.05.2007

Submitted by tmeronek on Mon, 03/05/2007 - 2:01am.
The Bite:
For some it's the wire hangers ("Now what? Roast marshmallows? Hotwire cars?"), but for us it's the toxins - especially a chem called perc. Help move perc outta circ by avoiding DRY CLEAN ONLY labels and choosing a greener cleaner.
The Benefits: 
  • Eco-friendlier. Classified as a "groundwater contaminant" and "hazardous air pollutant" by the EPA, 70% of perc used in dry cleaning ends up in nature.
  • Healthier. Perc is a probable carcinogen.
  • Clothes smell fresher - no weird science-lab-like smell.
Personally Speaking: 
Jen has a slight obsession with bringing all her wire hangers back to the drycleaner (most take them back, even if not originally theirs).
Wanna Try: 
Simple: look for clothes that don't need dry cleaning.

If you gotta do it, though... from most eco to least: 1. Wet cleaning (pro water cleaning that can be used on dry clean only apparel), 2. CO2 cleaning, 3. Silicone-based cleaning (ie. "Green Earth" dry cleaning, which uses a non-perc, silicone-based solvent that still causes cancer in rats), 4. conventional dry cleaning.

Cocktail Fact

Americans spend roughly $8 billion on dry cleaning every year.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Biters green clean their suits, we'll keep the weight of 10 king-size mattresses in perc outta circ.

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Caroline  on April 17, 2009 at 02:59 AM 1
Do rats do a lot of dry cleaning?
Pinstripe dry cleaners  on May 31, 2009 at 04:33 AM 2
In terms of finding a green dry cleaner, CO2 achieves the best result for the majority of items you might process. The reason Greenearth became dominant is because General Motors invested in this early on in its delevopment. however, i believe that dry cleaning prices are lower through green earth

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