We saw an ad for a Green Dry Cleaning company. What is up it that?  EPA had an article and defined Green dry cleaning as a cleaner that uses wet cleaning or non toxic CO2 cleaning techniques instead of toxic and VOC filled perchloroethylene or perc cleaning. Wet cleaning uses water as the main solvent in specialized machines, along with specially-crafted detergents and additives. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured from the production of chemicals, as well as natural sources, and used to clean clothes in high-pressure machines.

Watch for those who claim to be green but use a hydro-carbon solvent called DF-2000 or a chemical called D-5.

Many ‘green’ dry cleaners switched to a hydrocarbon solvent because it can be used in the same machines they currently own.  The problem is that the solvent contains suspected carcinogenic and known neurotoxin chemicals.

Organic dry cleaning is a stretch of terminology. No agency has to find what organic dry-cleaning is. We would avoid any place that calls itself organic.

Of course the best bet it is to avoid clothes that need dry cleaning if possible.

In San Francisco, Pacific Heights Cleaners and SF Green Clean are two recommended green dry cleaners.

Also recycle those hangers when you are doing dry-cleaning!

Here are some web site that can point you to local ‘Green’ dry cleaners:

igreenclean.org

Find co2.com – Very few places

Professional Wet Cleaning.com

Green Earth Cleaning.com

No Dry Clean.com