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Use cleaners that employ alternative dry cleaning solvents rather than perchloroethylene-based cleaners. The major alternative solvents are silicone and hydrocarbon liquids.

How to choose alternative solvent dry cleaning

There's a variety of new, cleaner solvents being used in eco-friendly cry cleaning shops, known by multiple trade and chemical names. Here's some information to help you sort out the various solvent aliases:

• Silicone solvent goes by its commercial name GreenEarth.
• Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane is also called siloxane or D5.
• Hydrocarbon solvents is also known as DF2000 and EcoSolv.

Since these solvents work in much the same way as perc, the chemical used in conventional dry cleaning. As a result, the processes used by alternative solvent dry cleaners are identical to standard dry cleaning which means that the dry cleaner around the corner may have already converted their machines to these greener options. Ask the proprietor if they've made the switch.

Find it! Alternative solvent dry cleaners

If your regular dry cleaner doesn't use any of these alternative solvents, check out these directory listings for an alternative dry cleaning specialist near you:

• GreenEarth cleaner locator
• California-based cleaners listing

Alternative dry cleaning solvents help you go green because…

• They eliminate the need for perchloroethylene and its associated health and environmental risks in dry cleaning.

Standard dry cleaning, despite its name, is neither a dry nor "clean” process. Approximately 85 percent of commercial dry cleaners use perchloroethylene (perc) as the liquid solvent in their cleaning method. Perc, which is also known as tetrachloroethylene, has been known to cause short-term side effects such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Prolonged inhalation exposure is linked to chronic kidney, liver and reproductive damage, and may also increase the risk of cancer.[1] An individual cleaner only uses about 140 gallons of perc per year, but when this is multiplied by 30,000 businesses it amounts to approximately 4.2 million gallons of perc that are used annually.[2]

All solvents, both industrial (e.g., dry cleaning) and non-industrial (e.g., paint thinners), release greenhouse gases. Dry cleaning solvents comprise approximately 6 percent of hydrocarbons emissions of overall solvent emissions and also contribute to carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.[3]

Controversies

Silicone and hydrocarbon alternative solvents are less toxic than perc.[4] However, preliminary studies conducted by the manufacturer Dow Corning showed that the GreenEarth silicone solvent causes cancer in rats. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of completing analysis to determine if the solvent should be classified as a carcinogenic hazard.[5] The solvent is on the market due to these inconclusive studies and not for its confirmed nontoxic status.[6] Also, both silicone and hydrocarbon solvents produce volatile organic compounds that can contribute to air pollution.[7]

External links

• Consumer Reports - Dry-cleaning alternatives
• US Environmental Protection Agency - Siloxane D5 Factsheet
• National Public Radio - Morning Edition: Cancer Risk Seen in 'Green Earth' Dry Cleaning