A few weeks ago, I dropped my husband’s suit off at the dry cleaners. It had been several years since I’d had anything dry cleaned. After hearing that dry cleaning is bad for the environment, I did a little research. Today’s post summarizes what I learned about dry cleaning, including new green dry cleaning options, and wet cleaning—something I’d never heard of before.

Why I avoid dry cleaning

For years, I’ve avoided buying clothes that can’t be washed. No matter how much I love an item, if I see that “dry clean only” label, it quickly goes back on the rack.

The main reason I avoid dry cleaning is the cost. I was quite shocked that it cost almost $30 to get my husband’s suit dry cleaned. It had obviously been a long time since I last visited the dry cleaners because I think the last time it cost less than $15 to clean that same suit.

In addition to the cost, there’s the hassle of taking the clothes to the cleaners. Back in the day when I owned more clothes that weren’t washable, they’d end up in a pile in my bedroom closet. Often, I’d want to wear something only to find it in the “take to the cleaners” pile.

Since it’s something I rarely do, I’d never given much thought to how dry cleaning works and its impact on the environment. Let’s look at what I learned when I did a little research.

How dry cleaning works

HowStuffWorks.com reports that dry cleaning has been around since the early 1800s. Interestingly, dry cleaning is a bit of a misnomer. It’s called “dry” cleaning because there’s no water used in the process, but it does involve liquid. So how does it get your clothes clean? Instead of water, it uses liquid solvents.

In the early days, kerosene was a commonly-used solvent in the dry cleaning process. After World War II, kerosene and other synthetic solvents were replaced by a solvent called perchlorethylene—commonly referred to as “perc”.

In recent years, perc has come under scrutiny because of its associated health risks, and environmental impacts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required dry cleaners located in residential buildings to phase out perc, and the Canadian government imposes tight restrictions on its use and disposal to reduce the risk of environmental contamination.

Health risks? Environmental contamination? That’s pretty scary stuff! The next time you drop your clothes off at the dry cleaners, you might want to ask a few questions about their cleaning process.

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Green dry cleaning options

Thanks to the action taken by some governments to restrict, and even ban, the use of perc, new dry cleaning options have emerged. These green dry cleaning options follow the traditional solvent-based cleaning process but use liquid carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon or silicon-based cleaners instead of perc. (Source: The Spruce)

Of the three options, liquid carbon dioxide cleaning is the most environmentally friendly because the CO2 is captured from existing industrial processes. It also uses less energy. On the downside, the high cost of the machines is prohibitive for many small businesses. (Source: The Spruce) Chances are, your local green cleaner uses hydrocarbon or silicon-based cleaners. Both are better choices than perc.

Professional wet cleaning

When I first heard the term wet cleaning, I had visions of me tossing clothes in my washer every Saturday morning. It turns out professional wet cleaning is another green alternative to traditional dry cleaning.

The specialized computer-controlled washers make wet cleaning an environmentally-friendly alternative. The machines use water and 100% biodegradable soaps to gently remove stains from clothing. (Source: NoDryClean.com) Wet cleaning is an option for most clothes labelled dry clean only.

If you don’t know which process your local dry cleaner uses, check their website or simply ask. If they’re still using perc, you might want to find a new cleaner.

As for me, I’ll continue to avoid clothes that need to be dry cleaned. For more tips on reducing the environmental impact of your laundry, check out Easy tips for zero-waste laundry days.

Have you found a green cleaner in your area? Tell me your experience below.