seb_ra / iStock / Getty Images Plus
By Joy Onasch
The winter holidays are a busy time for many businesses, including retail stores, grocers, liquor stores—and dry cleaners. People pull out special-occasion clothes made of silk, satin or other fabrics that don't launder well in soap and water. Then there are all those specialty items, from stained tablecloths to ugly holiday sweaters.
<p>
Few consumers know much about what happens to their goods once they hand them across the dry cleaner's counter. In fact, dry cleaning isn't dry at all. Most facilities soak items in
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_cleaning" target="_blank">a chemical called perchloroethylene</a> or perc for short.
</p><p>
Exposure to perc is associated with
<a href="https://www.turi.org/TURI_Publications/TURI_Chemical_Fact_Sheets/Perchloroethylene_PCE_Fact_Sheet" target="_blank">a variety of adverse human health effects</a>. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a unit of the World Health Organization, has designated perc as <a href="https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono106-002.pdf" target="_blank">a probable human carcinogen</a>. The most direct risk is to dry-cleaning workers, who may <a href="https://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/perc.html" target="_blank">inhale perc vapors or spill it on their skin</a> while handling clothes or cleaning equipment.
</p><p>
At the
<a href="https://www.turi.org/" target="_blank">Toxics Use Reduction Institute</a> at UMass Lowell, we work with small businesses and industries to find ways they can reduce the use of toxic materials and find more benign substitutes. For more than a decade the Toxics Use Reduction Institute has worked with dry cleaners to help them move to a safer process called <a href="https://www.turi.org/Our_Work/Business/Small_Businesses/Dry_Cleaning/Professional_Wet_Cleaning" target="_blank">professional wet cleaning</a>, which uses water and biodegradeable detergents. This is a clear trend nationwide: In a 2014 industry survey, 80 percent of respondents said they used professional wet cleaning for <a href="https://americandrycleaner.com/articles/survey-majority-dry-cleaners-immersed-wet-cleaning-process" target="_blank">at least 20 percent of their plant's volume</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bc800136d4fa1b1a4adf77bfc3a79c07"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_pab09Cr2vI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">AB Cleaners Washing Drying</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">
<a href="https://youtu.be/_pab09Cr2vI" target="_blank">youtu.be</a>
</small>
</p><h2>Perc's Long History</h2><p>
Perc has been the standard dry cleaning solvent for more than 50 years because it is effective, easy to use and relatively inexpensive. But improper use, storage and disposal of perc have resulted in
<a href="https://drycleancoalition.org/download/citizens_guide_drycleaner_cleanup.pdf" target="_blank">widespread soil and groundwater contamination</a> at dry cleaning sites. Studies show that long-term exposure can harm the <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=263&tid=48" target="_blank">liver, kidneys, central nervous system and reproductive system</a> and may harm unborn children.
</p><p>
According to a widely cited estimate from federal agencies, there are about 36,000 professional garment care facilities in the U.S., and
<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/dryclean/default.html" target="_blank">about 85 percent of them use perc</a> as their main cleaning solvent. Industry surveys in <a href="https://americandrycleaner.com/articles/only-half-drycleaners-now-use-perc-survey-says" target="_blank">2009</a> and <a href="https://americandrycleaner.com/articles/survey-given-updated-epa-assessment-most-cleaners-believe-percs-days-are-numbered" target="_blank">2012</a> indicate that that figure has fallen to between 50 and 70 percent.
</p><p>
EPA has identified perc as a
<a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-01/documents/tsca_work_plan_chemicals_2014_update-final.pdf" target="_blank">high priority chemical</a>. Under amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act adopted in 2016, the agency has a mandate to study the health and environmental effects of perc and other priority chemicals, and potentially take action to <a href="https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-evaluations-existing-chemicals-under-tsca#ten" target="_blank">reduce risk from exposure to them</a>. However, in June 2018, EPA announced it was adopting a new approach to chemical risk screening that could <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/politics/epa-toxic-chemicals.html" target="_blank">exclude consideration of many sources of exposure</a>, including exposure to perc contamination in drinking water.
</p><h2>Safer Alternatives</h2><p>
It could be a
<a href="https://www.edf.org/blog/2013/11/12/regrettable-substitution-swapping-devil-you-know-devil-you-dont" target="_blank">regrettable substitution</a> for dry cleaners to switch to other solvents if those substances also pose potential or unknown health and environmental risks. Accordingly, in 2012 the Toxics Use Reduction Institute <a href="https://www.turi.org/TURI_Publications/TURI_Chemical_Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_-_Alternatives_to_Perchloroethylene_Used_in_Professional_Garment_Care" target="_blank">evaluated a half-dozen alternative solvents</a>, along with professional wet cleaning.
</p><p>
Overall, we found that the alternative solvents exhibited less persistence in the environment, potential to accumulate in the human body or the environment, or toxicity to aquatic life than perc. Most also appeared to be safer overall to human health. However, toxicological data were lacking for some of them, so future analyses may find that they are less benign than currently thought.
</p><p>
Some of these alternatives are combustible, so using them would require cleaners to buy specialized equipment to protect against fires or explosions. On the other hand, professional wet cleaning is water-based and poses no such risks. It uses computer-controlled washers and dryers, along with biodegradable detergents and specialized finishing equipment, to process delicate garments that would otherwise be dry cleaned.
</p><p>
We suggest that dry cleaners who want a safer alternative to perc should consider the key environmental and human health criteria, and then think about financial and technical issues at their own facilities to find the best alternative for them. Anecdotal information in Massachusetts indicates that cleaners are switching to petroleum-based alternatives such as
<a href="https://www.exxonmobilchemical.com/en/solutions-by-industry/industrial-applications/dry-cleaning" target="_blank">DF2000™</a> at a higher rate than wet cleaning, and to other solvent alternatives at about the same rate as wet cleaning. Some operators doubt that <a href="https://www.rit.edu/affiliate/nysp2i/sites/rit.edu.affiliate.nysp2i/files/professional_wet_cleaning_implementation_guide_final_8-2013_0.pdf" target="_blank">a wet cleaning process can clean as well as solvent cleaning</a>, but the Toxics Use Reduction Institute is working to dispel that myth through case study analysis, grants, demonstrations and training events.</p><h2>Making the Switch</h2><p>
When the Toxics Use Reduction Institute began working with dry cleaners on this issue in 2008, to our knowledge there were no dedicated wet cleaners operating in Massachusetts. Today the state has more than 20
<a href="https://www.turi.org/Our_Work/Business/Small_Businesses/Dry_Cleaning/Professional_Wet_Cleaning/List_of_Dry_Cleaners" target="_blank">dedicated wet cleaners</a>. Other cleaners seeking options for moving away from perc can obtain data from the <a href="http://www.neha.org/node/58806" target="_blank">Toxics Use Reduction Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17355078" target="_blank">other researchers</a> to help them make informed decisions about equipment purchasing and staff training.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTAxNjA0MC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNjg4NDk3NX0.0KSaXqEC5O6Fieu9Vzlo7J-wRkLKkMbprZOxpH8DuBM/img.png?width=980" id="f7dda" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="dbbff9bfd02a91f3c160680c7f0cc090" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Logo for Massachusetts cleaners that have adopted professional wet cleaning. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">TURI / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-ND</a></small>
</p><p>
At the Toxics Use Reduction Institute we also work with many other sectors to help steer them away from harmful chemicals and towards safer alternatives. Examples include removing flame retardants from foam pit cubes at
<a href="https://www.turi.org/Our_Work/Business/Small_Businesses/Gymnastics_Facilities" target="_blank">gymnastics training facilities</a>; helping companies develop <a href="https://www.turi.org/Our_Work/Cleaning_Laboratory" target="_blank">cleaning products</a> without harsh solvents and acids; and researching and reformulating <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/video/researchers-advocate-for-safer-alternative-to-paint-stripper-chemical/" target="_blank">alternatives to methylene chloride for paint stripping</a>.<br>
</p><p>
In each case, the goal is to identify safer alternatives and then find champions of change who are willing to make the switch and show their peers how to get good results without using harmful chemicals. This model has shown that industry and consumer choices can push change from the bottom up.
</p><p>
<span></span> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-green-dry-cleaning-a-toxics-expert-explains-99830" target="_blank">The Conversation</a></em><em>.</em>
</p><script async="async" data-counter="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99830/count?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" id="theconversation_tracker_hook" src="https://theconversation.com/javascripts/lib/content_tracker_hook.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less
Thomas Northcut / DigitalVision / Getty Images
By Meredith Rosenberg
In the past, eco-friendly cleaning products have held a bad reputation for being ineffective. As the demand for green products has grown, there's been more innovation and better choices for consumers. Going green is great for your health and your home because not only do these items clean just as well as the chemical-laden options, but there's also less chance that their ingredients will harm you—and the environment.
<p>With interchangeable labels—like natural, eco-friendly, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/organic">organic</a> and green—it can be confusing to know what to buy and what's best for your latest kitchen mess. Federal regulations don't require proof for environmentally friendly claims, unlike FDA certifications for food, and companies can slap labels on products even if they include <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals">chemicals</a> and environmental hazards. To complicate matters, there are also a fair number of companies that qualify as green, even though they lack environmental buzzwords on their packaging.</p><p>Here are some tips for choosing your household cleaning products, along with product recommendations that will tackle most messes while minimally impacting the environment.</p><p><strong>How to Know if a Product Is Eco-Friendly</strong></p><p>For starters, research cleaning products on a site like <a href="https://www.ewg.org" target="_blank">Environmental Working Group</a> (EWG). This nonprofit evaluated more than 2,500 cleaning products and rated them on a scale of A to F according to an extensive <a href="https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/methodology" target="_blank">methodology</a> scale. In addition to verifying product claims, consumers can also reference a <a href="https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/top_products" target="_blank">Guide to Healthy Cleaning</a> for EWG's top picks.</p><p>But there is a caveat to EWG's guide. Christine Dimmick, CEO of The Good Home Company and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Detox-Your-Home-Removing-Bringing-ebook/dp/B07B9QWCFS" target="_blank">Detox Your Home</a> said, "A product can be 100 percent plant derived, but the process of creating soap from a coconut can go through ethoxylation—which creates a carcinogenic, toxic runoff. It is often disguised as 'surfactants/soap made from coconuts," she said. "There is no way of knowing, and many companies leave off ingredients to get a better rating on EWG."</p><p>For an additional level of fact-checking, look for a <a href="http://www.greenseal.org/" target="_blank">Green Seal</a> or <a href="https://industries.ul.com/environment/certificationvalidation-marks/ecologo-product-certification" target="_blank">EcoLogo</a> label, both of which are environmental certifications with high standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also has a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice" target="_blank">Safer Choice</a> label for <a href="https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/products" target="_blank">products</a> containing safer chemicals, like Seventh Generation. And if you're concerned about companies greenwashing with misleading labels, the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/federal_register_notices/guides-use-environmental-marketing-claims-green-guides/greenguidesfrn.pdf" target="_blank">Federal Trade Commission Green Guide</a> is a comprehensive resource that addresses how marketers should responsibly handle green claims.</p><p><strong>Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products for Your Home</strong><a href="#_msocom_1" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Short of creating your own cleaning products, which can be done with vinegar and baking soda, here are five eco-friendly cleaning materials that experts recommend and that actually work. </p><p><strong>All-Purpose Cleaner: <a href="https://shop.drbronner.com/sal-suds-biodegradable-cleaner" target="_blank">Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds Liquid Cleaner</a></strong></p><p>Dr. Bronner's is perhaps most famous for its <a href="https://shop.drbronner.com/pure-castile-liquid-soap" target="_blank">castile soap</a>, but the company also makes an all-purpose <a href="https://shop.drbronner.com/sal-suds-biodegradable-cleaner" target="_blank">Sal Suds</a> cleaner that can be used for laundry, dishes, floors, counters and bathtubs. EWG has given it an A rating, while the plastic bottle is made from recycled materials.</p><p><strong>Bleach Alternative: </strong><a href="https://www.forceofnatureclean.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Force of Nature</strong></a></p><p>Leslie Reichert of the <a href="http://www.greencleaningcoach.com/" target="_blank">Green Cleaning Coach</a> and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095LJ04M/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">The Joy of Green Cleaning</a> recommends <a href="https://www.forceofnatureclean.com/" target="_blank">Force of Nature</a> as a bleach alternative. "There are some great new technologies that are coming on the market," she said. Force of Nature is a relative newcomer that allows consumers to create electrolyzed water at home by combing salt, water and vinegar in a small appliance. The company claims the result is as effective as bleach, which it backs with an EPA-registered disinfectant designation.</p><p><strong>Laundry Detergent: <a href="https://biokleenhome.com/product/free-clear-laundry-liquid/" target="_blank">Biokleen Free and Clear Laundry Liquid</a></strong></p><p>Biokleen is another plant-based brand to receive an A rating from EWG. Additionally, the company follows <a href="https://biokleenhome.com/faqs/#toggle-id-39" target="_blank">green manufacturing processes and offsets its energy and water usage</a>.</p><p><strong><a href="https://biokleenhome.com/faqs/#toggle-id-39" target="_blank"></a>Dishwasher Detergent: <a href="https://www.seventhgeneration.com/dishwasher-packs-free-clear" target="_blank">Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent, Free and Clear</a></strong></p><p>Seventh Generation has spent about 30 years creating eco-friendly cleaners. Its plant-based dishwasher detergent is a <a href="https://www.biopreferred.gov/BioPreferred/faces/pages/AboutLabel.xhtml" target="_blank">USDA Certified Biobased Product</a>, meaning that the formula is derived from renewable resources. It's also phosphate free with an EWG A rating, while the packaging is made from recycled materials.</p><p><strong>Cleaning Cloths: <a href="https://www.skoycloth.com/" target="_blank">Skoy Cloth</a></strong></p><p>Reichert also likes to use <a href="https://www.skoycloth.com/products" target="_blank">Skoy Cloths</a>, a reusable towel that multitasks as a dishcloth, sponge, rag or paper towel. The cloths can be reused for months, and tossed in the washer or dishwasher to clean. Since they won't last forever, the biodegradable material can also be composted.</p>
From Your Site Articles
- 4 Eco-Friendly Drinking Straw Alternatives So You Can Skip Plastic ›
- Why You Should Not Mix Bleach and Vinegar While Cleaning - EcoWatch ›
- 13 Best Organic and Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products of 2020 ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read More
Show Less