Lots of dry cleaners today market themselves as environmentally friendly. Beware! They may not be as “green” as they want you to think.
Many dry cleaners market themselves as green or “organic” when in fact they are using petroleum-based solvents. Scientifically, petroleum based solvents are indeed organic, but so is gasoline. That’s because the term “organic” means something very different when it describes chemicals. Any chemical with a carbon backbone is technically an “organic” chemical. There are two main “organic” chemical dry cleaning solvents: perchloroethylene, or perc, and hydrocarbon.
Eighty five percent of dry-cleaners use perc; it has been the industry’s standard solvent since the 1950’s. California recently instituted a ban of perchloroethylene dry cleaning because it poses serious health, air and groundwater safety concerns. The EPA classifies perc as a likely human carcinogen and has just announced its intention to impose stricter drinking water standards to protect consumers from the dangers of groundwater contaminated by perc.
Some dry cleaners use hydrocarbon solvents, often marketed under the brand name DF2000. Hydrocarbon solvents are a step in the right direction away from perc and they are non-toxic, however the EPA classifies them as a VOC (volatile organic compound) and a likely contributor to smog formation. Like perc, hydrocarbon would require a costly environmental clean up if spilled. To call either perc or hydrocarbon “green” is purposefully misleading.
GreenEarth Cleaning is the one of the only dry cleaning alternatives that is truly 100% environmentally friendly. Instead of petro-chemicals, the GreenEarth Cleaning process uses pure liquid silicone and has no harmful environmental effects. Silicone is also very safe for people. It’s so gentle you could rub it on your skin—in fact, you probably already do, since silicone is also the base ingredient used in the majority of shampoos, body lotions, and other personal care products. Silicone is essentially liquefied sand. When released to the environment, it returns to the three natural elements it is made from: sand and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide.
GreenEarth’ gentle cleaning method isn’t just good for the earth and for people; it’s also good for clothes. Colors stay bright without fading and whites won’t fade, even with repeated washings; fabrics feel wonderfully soft and smooth. Best of all, GreenEarth is good for the nose, because it is 100% odor free—no hazardous chemicals mean no more unpleasant “dry cleaning” odor.
Don’t be Green Washed! When you see cleaners advertising “environmentally friendly”, ask them what process they are using. If it isn’t GreenEarth Cleaning, it probably isn’t truly green. Not sure what process your cleaner uses? Do the “Sniff test”—if the store or your clothes have any odor at all, they’re using petrochemicals! Visit www.ecodrycleaner.com for more info.
