The dirty little secret behind dry cleaning

Wrinkled and weathered is not a good look for anyone. Especially clothes.

Sometimes even the handy iron can’t work the kinks out of those dress pants. Your options? Show up at work looking like a complete slob who doesn’t believe in mirrors, or send it off to the dry cleaners. Not so fast there, sweet cheeks. It’s not that cut and dry.

When you opt for that “Dry Clean Only” tag, you’re paying for a lot more than the duds of an overpriced designer. You’re paying for unnecessary plastic cling, a headache, and maybe even an increased risk of cancer.  

As happy as those pleats make you, dry cleaning isn’t the innocent girl next door. More than eighty-five percent of dry cleaners across the country still use a poisonous solvent called perchloroethylene —more commonly known as “perc.” Doted on for its superb yet gentle cleaning power and its nonflammable characteristics—there’s an idea—perc has been tough to phase out of dry cleaners. In good news, the cleaning industry is beginning to replace it with other chemicals or methods, and California has enacted a ban that requires dry cleaners to start using alternative technologies in the coming years. But, for now, it’s still lingering in homes and closets all across this little planet.

Let’s get right to it: Why the hell do you want to avoid perc like a beefed up schmuck in an Ed Hardy hat? Well, because, it’s not so good for them liver, kidneys, brain and nervous system, honey.

No Good for Your Bod

Perc was the first chemical on the books to be classified as a carcinogen (read: causes cancer) by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The U.S. National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) both report that it’s “probably carcinogenic to humans.” I may be a glass-half-full-kind-of-gal, but probably is all I need to hear.

Breathing even low levels of perc can cause dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and headaches; breathing in high amounts can lead to fainting and even death. Those who have been exposed to the chemical over extended periods of time, have exhibited short term memory loss, problems concentrating and a loss of muscle coordination. Take note: For dry cleaner employees, perc has been shown to cause some major health problems including miscarriage, infertility, and a handful of cancers. A number of workplace studies report a higher risk of esophageal cancer, cervical cancer and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

When you’re exposed to perc, it accumulates in your fatty tissues and breast milk. And don’t you doubt it; if you’re bringing home threads from the cleaners, you are exposed to it. The EPA has found that freshly dry cleaned clothes undoubtedly emit perc into your home.

No Good for the Planet

How about for that great big place we like to call home? Yeah, apparently, the earth doesn’t like it too much either. While some cleaners recycle perc and most take special precautions to make sure it doesn’t escape into the air, it’s not that simple. A heap of it leaks out of pipes and machinery, polluting the air we breathe with smog. If the toxicity doesn’t end up in our air, perc can seep into our drinking water, oceans, rivers, lakes, and soil where it kills plants.

Perc also happens to fall under the category of persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, which means it has the ability to take a magic carpet ride across coasts, regions and countries through the atmosphere to end up all over the world. That means the toxic effects of your pressed blouse can end up in Australia. No good, mate.

Alternative Dry Cleaning Methods

My bets are that the iron is looking real sexy right about now, but there are some safer dry cleaning alternatives. Dry cleaners that use DF-2000, PureDry, EcoSolv, Shell 140 or Stoddard cleaning agents are a tad better than perc since they don’t evaporate quite as quickly as perc, but they still trigger health concerns. If you must dry clean, try one of these cleaning methods and decide what method works best for your lifestyle.

Carbon dioxide dry cleaning. Instead of using perc, cleaners use CO2 to get clothes looking spiffy. No additional CO2 is created in the process, while much of it is actually recycled. CO2 dry cleaning is more expensive so not widely availabel, but it's one of the leading options. To find one in your area, visit Findco2.com.

GreenEarth cleaning. A cleaner solution to dry cleaning, GreenEarth uses liquid silicone, or D5, instead of toxic solvents. Apparently, it’s much safer and less harsh on clothes, but one study has found D5 to cause cancer in rats. The EPA hasn’t jumped on the case yet, and the Silicones Environmental Health and Safety Council says that’s just plain wacky. But it’s just a big game of he said, she said.

Wet cleaning. This professional system is available at some dry cleaners, especially in metropolitan areas. Rather than perc, the dry cleaner gets your threads clean with water, nontoxic biodegradable solvents and conditioners. Your threads are then ironed and pressed with safer methods. You may want to call the cleaners and ask what chemicals they use before you drop off and head out to your hair appointment. Some use trichloroethylene to pre-treat clothes, which is similar to perc.

Hand wash. If it’s “Dry Clean Only,” that just means not to put it through the ringer in the washer and dryer. Don’t be a priss—Use your hands. Make sure to use a gentle nontoxic detergent and wash in cold water.  Lay it down flat to air dry. Many items can be safely washed despite the “Dry Clean” tag.

BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag). Buy a few plastic-free garment bags and request that the cleaner put your clothes in your bags, rather than wrapping them in plastic. You’d be surprised how many cleaners brag that they are “green,” and look at you dumbfounded when you ask why they still use plastic garment encasing. Check out thegreengarmento.com.
 
Bitchworthy: If your local cleaner is advertising that they practice “organic dry cleaning,” ask them what’s so organic about it? Find out what methods or chemicals they use. They know what gets you in the door.

Carly Harrill, Co-Founder of HealthyBitchDaily.com
A publicist and writer with a big mouth, Carly taps into mainstream media and the entertainment community to educate the everyday woman on making small changes that are better for her body and the earth—both on and off the plate. Outside of HBD, she works on upcoming installments of the Skinny Bitch book series, and is a partner at Farmacy, a boutique marketing agency that focuses on brands at the forefront of wellness and sustainability.