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Community Corner

A Greener Way to Dry Clean

Does the "earth-friendly" sign at a dry cleaner really mean it's better for the planet and your health?

You’ve seen the signs at the local dry cleaners boasting “earth-friendly” or “organic” dry cleaning.

But just like the questionable food labels “all natural” and “fat free” at the grocery store, those signs that make grand, green claims can often be misleading.

Not-So-Green Dry Cleaning

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According to the San Francisco Department of the Environment, 80 percent of California’s 5,000 dry cleaning facilities use the chemical perchloroethylene, or “perc,” as their cleaning solvent. Perc is nasty stuff: In addition to polluting the air, it can cause kidney and liver damage and is identified as a carcinogen on California’s Prop 65 list.

Using perc for dry cleaning may not only cause health problems for dry cleaner employees, but it may also be hazardous to customers when it leaves a residue on clothes. The good news is that California’s Air Resources Board enacted a law in 2007 to incrementally phase out the chemical’s use in the dry cleaning industry by 2023.

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So if dry cleaners are phasing out perc, how are they cleaning your clothes? Unfortunately, many dry cleaners have switched to cleaning processes that are not as pernicious as perc but are still harmful to the earth and our health.

One alternative to perc is the hydrocarbon process, but the main environmental strike against hydrocarbons is that it is made from petroleum. The hydrocarbon process also releases volatile organic compounds that can cause eye, skin and respiratory irritation.

There is also the GreenEarth method of cleaning, which uses a silicone-based solvent called siloxane or D-5. Although the name sounds eco-friendly, the EPA is still investigating the safety of the chemical, after initial studies showed a link between D-5 and uterine cancer in rats.

The Real Way to Green Dry Clean

Aren’t there any truly eco-friendly dry cleaning options?

Wet cleaning, the “holy grail” of green dry cleaning, uses specialized equipment to clean clothes with soap and water. Because it doesn’t use toxic chemicals, wet cleaning doesn’t pollute the air or have any other environmental or health concerns.

Carbon dioxide cleaning is another cleaning process that has no environmental or health issues. While its name doesn’t sound very green, this process does not release carbon dioxide into the air, but rather uses reclaimed carbon dioxide to clean garments.

Unfortunately, many California dry cleaners won’t switch to wet or carbon dioxide cleaning because the equipment is more expensive than the other non-green methods, although the state offers grants for dry cleaners that transition to the more eco-friendly processes.

How You Can Green Your Dry Cleaning

When you see those “earth-friendly” signs at a dry cleaner, that usually means they’re complying with the law and not using perc. To get to the bottom of their claims, ask your dry cleaner what kind of process they use to clean clothes. If they don’t use wet or carbon dioxide cleaning, tell them you’re interested in a dry cleaner that uses those methods.

Check out the Patch listings for local dry cleaners in Millbrae.

You can also switch to a local wet cleaner if they’re conveniently located for you: Press On Cleaners in San Mateo and Blu-White Cleaners with locations in San Carlos, Burlingame, Foster City and Palo Alto. There are no local carbon dioxide cleaners that I could find at this time.

If your cleaner still uses perc, be sure to let the clothes air out before putting them in your closet.

And the greenest kind of dry cleaning?

Not using dry cleaning. Try to choose clothes you can hand wash or wash in the delicate cycle, and limit items that are dry-clean only.

Alexis Petru lives in San Bruno and is a staff writer for the national environmental website Earth911.com. Her column appears biweekly on Saturdays.

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