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The Dangers of and Alternatives to Dry Cleaning

Sprol, a website that looks at the "visual macroscopic effects of the decisions and behavior of our society," recently reported on the town of Martinsville, Indiana, once known as the "City of Mineral Water." Today, the city's water supply has been contaminated with dry-cleaning solvents.

Green Clean's Laundry chapter details some alternatives to dry cleaning, and describes the effects of dry cleaning chemicals: "Most dry cleaners use a petroleum-based solvent called perchlorethylene, which can adversely affect the central nervous system; can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat; and is a possible human carcinogen. Perc, as it’s frequently called, has become one of the most common contaminants in groundwater."

Many cities now have eco-friendly dry cleaning franchises, which sometimes call their process "wet cleaning." And many "dry clean only" garments can be carefully hand-washed at home.

Posted by GreenClean at August 19, 2005 01:46 PM