Green Dry Cleaning
If you are someone who is concerned about the environment, one of the first things that you will notice is that many different tasks will take on a new significance when you realize how they impact the world around you. Even very simple, every day tasks can seem ominous when you look at things like the ecological footprint that they are leaving behind, and you’ll find that standard dry cleaning is no exception. Many of the chemicals that are used in dry cleaning are quite toxic, and when they are ventilated, they can do a great deal to add to the air pollution in the area. There are ways, however, to get your clothes clean, so keep a few eco-friendly dry cleaning tips in mind.
One thing that you can do to reduce the effect of your dry cleaning is to make some requests at your dry cleaner. You can simply ask to make sure that more than one garment is put into a bag, and ask to see if there is a good recycling program that will take on the bags specifically. Similarly, make sure that you recycle the steel of your coathangers, or better yet, ask if your dry cleaner wants them back for reuse. You’ll find that just by doing this can do a little bit to help improve the environmental impact of your laundry!
Also make sure that the dry cleaner that you use doesn’t use perc, which is a nervous system toxin. It has been linked to headaches, nausea and even problems regarding reproduction, so make sure that your dry cleaner doesn’t use it on your pants! Remember that hydrocarbon and silicone are two other options that can work when you are trying to ensure that your dry cleaning is a little bit more eco-friendly.There are lots of eco friendly dry cleaners popping up. Be sure to check your yellow pages or online to see if there are any “green cleaners” in your area.
Remember that for the most part, many different pieces of clothing that are marked for dry clean only can easily be washed at home. While some fabrics might suffer, the vast majority of clothes that are listed as dry clean only are only listed as such because they can’t take the violent agitation in most home machines. Take the time to wash your clothes in cold water on a very gentle setting or even by hand. While you should remember that things that need to be reblocked by professionals or a very heavily embroidered or tailored outfit might need more care, most clothing will be fine if treated in this fashion.
Take the time to think about what you can do to make sure that your dry cleaning is as healthy for the environment as it can be; you might be surprised at the options that are open to you.
