Are organic dry cleaners really better for the environment?

Advice columnist Chanie Kirschner treks to four businesses to find out what 'organic' really means to dry cleaners.

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Fri, Oct 30 2009 at 6:24 AM

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Q: Every day my baby spits up all over my clothes, rendering them unwearable until they make a trip to the dry cleaner. Lately, I’ve been seeing organic dry cleaners pop up all over town, so I’m thinking of trying that. Are these dry cleaners truly better for me, for my baby and for the environment or is it all a hoax?

A: First things first. If your baby is spitting up all over your clothes every day, maybe it’s time to take the hint and stop wearing dry clean-only clothes. I, for one, never get dressed unless I absolutely must leave the house, so if my clothes get dirty, I can throw them in the washing machine. That’s the great thing about sweats and old T-shirts.

Now, let’s get down to business with organic dry cleaning. The truth is — it ain’t so organic. Or it is, but not what we think is organic.

See, chemists define anything organic to be anything containing carbon, and those things aren’t necessarily good for you. You see, dry cleaning really isn’t dry – it just means that instead of water being used to clean the clothes, a chemical solvent is used in its place. The substance used in most dry cleaners to clean clothes is perchloroethylene (try saying that 10 times fast, or at all), otherwise known as perc. The EPA has classified this handy little cleaner as a probable cancer-causing chemical.

Many organic dry cleaners use a solvent called DF-2000 (sounds totally organic, right?) to clean clothes instead of perc. A derivative of gasoline, DF-2000 is only slightly less harmful than perc.

I have a lot of organic dry cleaners in my town, so I decided to stop in and ask them what they use to dry clean the clothes. There are six cleaners that are all “organic” in a one-mile radius of my house alone! At the first couple of places I went to, the clerk behind the counter couldn’t even answer my question. A manager was summoned to tell me, that indeed DF-2000 was used in their facility to clean clothes in a “healthier” way. Another told me that perc was used to clean the clothes in their establishment, and the sign “organic” in the window only meant that they operated in an environmentally responsible way – meaning that they recycle those toxic perc containers, I guess.

But the clerk in the fourth store I visited was only too eager to answer my questions. In his store, they were actually using a method called wet cleaning, in which water is used to clean the garment, but in a computerized machine that prevents shrinkage and wrinkles. Prices there, however, were a bit steeper.

I went home to do a bit more research, and found out that wet cleaning actually works great for most garments and is actually a much greener alternative to either perc or DF-2000. Another alternative? Carbon dioxide cleaning, which turns CO2 into a liquid to clean clothes.

Bottom line is this: If you’re looking for a greener way to dry clean, try finding a dry cleaners that uses a truly greener method here. If you can’t do that and must use a traditional cleaner, try letting your clothes air out in your garage or on a clothesline before taking them into the house. Seem annoying? Save yourself the trouble, and avoid buying dry clean-only clothes altogether.

Got a question? Submit a question to Mother Nature and one of our many experts will track down the answer. Plus: Visit our advice archives to see if your question has already been tackled.

Photo: Sandralise/iStockPhoto

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Comments: 4

Sam Moore Oct 25 2010 at 5:13 PM

Organic is a word all too often thrown around too casually, or simply as a marketing ploy. It is very important for the consumer to understand what this means, and to ask the operator a few further questions. With no regulation on word "Organic" it can mean natural petrol based cleaners, Carbon dioxide cleaning, a dry cleaner who uses biodegradable laundry bags, or the use of Wet Cleaning Methods. Let's get into what each one of these means. Gasoline is a petroleum based substance, and therefore

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would be considered Organic. Now I am sure your cleaner isn't washing your clothes in gasoline, but some of these other formulas marketed as organic are not much better! C02 cleaning while safer than the use of Petrol based cleaners is still not the best thing for you or the environment. While it is said that the C02 is actually recaptured in the end this is still a toxic agent contributing to the largest amount of Green House gas emissions each year. This is what your car releases from the tailpipe. Reusable Garment Bags, are great, and all cleaners should use them, but obviously this shouldn't constitute "Organic Dry Cleaning". Wet Cleaning, the most Organic of all choices is made up of using sophisticated washing equipment along with precise agitation cycles, as well as reforming and reshaping equipment. This is the only true Organic Method and recognized by consumer reports as the safest substitute for conventional (PERC) Dry Cleaning Methods. Not only is this method safer for the operator, and patron, but also gentler on clothing too. Typical garments cleaned with these methods last 30-40% Longer, and obviously come back absent of any chemical smell. Sam Moore Green Forest Organic Cleaners Princeton, NJ 08550http://www.greenforestcleaners.com

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Brad Keeling Nov 27 2009 at 11:36 PM

Enter your comments hereHello I'm the owner of OrganiCare Fine GarmentCare Centers located in Phoenix, AZ. I agree with not using perc. and looking for a cleaners that uses alternatives to perc. Wet Cleaning is offered at both of my plants, we can clean any type of fabric in water! We will be changing out our DF 2000 or hydrocarbon dry cleaning machines for CO2 next summer. Co2 and Wet Cleaning are the only real organic green technologies of cleaning garments dont be fooled by your neighborhood cleaners

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saying that their Organic. I have had an alternative to Perc. called df2000 or hydrocarbon for years before co2 and wet cleaning were real oprions for garment care. My thoughts are to always stay on top of new technologies in the market place to be as green as possible. Thats why we are implementing co2 and we have already implemented wet cleaning. Of couorse we are carbon neutral as well as our vans and we offer bio degradeble poly bags, re useable garment bags, promote clients to recycle their hangers, use natural gas boliers, and all the other greener options that we can. That should be standard in your cleaners. Complementary delivery and pick-up of your garments from your home or office should be standard as well at your local cleaners. This lessens the amount of emissions of 100's of clients coming to your cleaners every week. Feel free to call or email for any questions that you might have. 480-585-3936 or brad@organicdrycleaners.com. P.S. please don't be really fooled by any cleaners that say they use Green Earth solvent, this solvent number one doesn't clean anything on its best day and is made out of silicone. Canada is looking towards banning this solvent. It sounds really good but it doesn't work and is not a green alternative at all. Thanks Brad Keeling President organiCare Fine GarmentCare Centerswww.organicarecleaners.com

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Debra Baida Nov 03 2009 at 5:54 PM

One of the most important lessons to take away from this article is that we (collectively) owe it to ourselves to, as Chanie did, ask business owners about their practices. This is the best way to begin making more mindful and informed decisions as consumers.

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Rachel Rich Oct 30 2009 at 2:43 PM

Hi Chanie,

I enjoyed your post and thought you did a nice job of presenting the information about "organic" cleaners in way that is easily digestible. I did want to point that the newest green garment care option, Solvair Cleaning, was not included. It is most similar to CO2 cleaning. You can learn more information on our website: http://greenclothingcare.com/

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Rachel Rich, Consumer Communications Manager, Solvair LLC

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