Organic dry cleaning: The facts
Dry cleaning is an industry well known for its use of hazardous chemicals, namely the volatile solvent perchloroethylene, known as perc.
The United States Department of Labor has deemed perc, which has been used for dry cleaning since the 1940s, to be health-hazardous. It has also created regulations that govern its use.
The alternative to perc, “Organic Dry Cleaning”, can refer to at least three processes: the patented GreenEarth Cleaning, CO2 cleaning, and hydrocarbon cleaning, each of which has its pros and cons.
GreenEarth Cleaning is a process that involves a nontoxic, chemically inert, silicone-based chemical solvent.
When disposed of, its ingredients decompose within days into silica, water, and trace amounts of carbon dioxide. All studies, including independent evaluations, have deemed it harmless to handlers and the environment.
Hydrocarbon is the oldest and cheapest alternative to perc. It uses a volatile, carbon-based compound, similar to perc in chemical composition.
Largely manufactured by ExxonMobil, the solvent is less hazardous to workers and the environment than perc, but can also result in a strange odor on clothing.
CO2 cleaning is the newest and priciest technology. It involves using special equipment to convert carbon dioxide from gas to liquid, which is then used to clean the clothes.
After that, the carbon dioxide is converted back into gas and released. It is viewed as environmentally friendly and, in addition to the process of wet cleaning, the best for keeping fabric chemical-free.
Wet cleaning involves using water at meticulously regulated temperatures so that dye will not run and material will not be damaged. As long as nontoxic soaps and detergents are used (or no soaps or detergents are used at all), this process is good for the environment, employees, and the fabric.
Most organic dry cleaners have to charge between 20% and 30% more than regular dry cleaners to cover the costs of more expensive technology and labor.
According to the EPA, the cost of standard machines ranges from $35,000 to $52,000 so, unfortunately, small businesses that do all their cleaning on-site often cannot afford to invest in new technology.
Source: New York Sun
Good blog although the information on GreenEarth needs a little elaboration. The primary compound in Greene Earth is decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5). It is a compound manufactured by Geenral Electric. While it is an improvement over perchloroethylene from a safety aspect, the idea the manufacturer promotes that it breaks down in a few days to sand, water and carbon dioxide is a myth. While the molecules (H2, Si, C and O2) in D5 are those that also compose sand, water and carbon dioxide, to say that it breaks down into those compounds is like saying gasoline breaks down to water and carbon dioxide since it is composed of C, H and O2. Logic flys in the face of this assertion – if it so readily breaks down then why, when subjected to the high heat required to evaporate it from your clothes (heat is a primary mechanism of, or catalyst to, decomposition of most compounds) does the dry cleaner not end up with a bunch of sand in his dry cleaning machine. In fact, the Canadian Ministry of Health began the process of listing D5 as a persistent bioaccumulator in the environment in June of this year. If this process is completed, Canada will phase out the production and sale of D5 in Canada. Decent product, but a bit green washed.