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What is the meaning of "green" in dry cleaning?
Virtually every city in the U.S. knows a solid member of the business community; their reflection of them may not be nostalgic, never the less they know a dry cleaner or two. With the recent shift to ecologically friendly, dry cleaners are not considered at the top of the list.
It has become fashionable to talk about how "friendly" a business is to the environment. Many have even adapted this as a part of their marketing vernacular; clearly this is an effort to capitalize on the consumer’s desire to trade with merchants that are a part of an environmental solution.
The term "organic" has been captivated by this movement within the garment care Industry as a technique that is non-toxic and environmentally benign. The new cleaning solution called DF-2000, now on the market for a few years now and widely accepted as real organic, has become the fuel that drives the green movement among major dry cleaner operations across the country, says Ron Rizzo, owner operator of Star Cleaners of Kansas City, Kansas. Ron goes on to state that this is the most significant innovation in the industry in more than 150 years. Chemically speaking, a chemical is organic if it contains a chain of carbon.
The company that makes DF-2000 is the same firm that was responsible for the largest ecological disaster in Alaska in 1989, Exxon-Mobile. The oil spill has created a liability for this company that is still in the courts, a product manufactured by an industrial company for the benefit of the environment named DF-2000 seems to be an oxymoron to me.
Ron states, semantics aside, DF-2000 is still toxic and safe only when compared to what the industry uses now. Eighty-five percent of dry cleaners use what is truly a nasty contaminate, perchloroethylene, or Perc. This product is classified as a probable human cancer causing chemical by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). An interesting side note to this product is that it too is "organic".
In some states, like California, Perc has been ordered out of the all drycleaners by 2023 with the equipment that uses Perc already banned in 2008. Perc poses no immediate health risks for the consumer, although rash and skin irritation for those with sensitive skin has been associated with its use. Those that work in the laundry care industry are at the greatest risk with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health stating it has found elevated cancer and death rates among this sector.
Perc has been shown to be hard on the environment. According to Greenpeace, seventy percent of this chemical, used by the dry cleaning industry, ends up in ground water. Eventually we will ingest this stuff in one way or another, but the long-term effects of this are not known at this time.
Replacing Perc in California has been mandated through legislation, with several good alternatives available, DF-2000 appears to be the leading alternative as the solvent as the cash strapped dry-cleaning industry seeks a more-eco-friendly alternative. DF-2000 offers effectiveness; price and ease of use as the industry transitions to a safer product.
Dry cleaning is not a "dry" process; is means the use of solvents instead of water as the cleaning solution. Invented in the mid-1800's by a Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Jolly who accidentally spilled kerosene on a table cloth. An industry was borne from this accident with its legacy to the environment yet told.
Until WWII, most solutions were petroleum-based such as Stoddard solvent widely used for cleaning fabrics. The greatest problem, in addition to causing dizziness or neurologic disorders, was that they were explosive when exposed to too much heat. Then Perc arrived on the scene and the occupational hazards for the industry were greatly improved. Non-flamable, less odorous, Perc became the most widely used solvent used in the industry to remove dirt.
The "organic” solvents used in the dry cleaning process do not bind to the fabric the way water does. As a result, the wrinkling or "scrunching" of delicate fabrics does not occur. DF-2000 is similar to Stoddard solvent with the major difference in its flashpoint which makes it safer to work with. This is in spite of the EPA listing DF-2000 as a neurotoxin and skin and eye irritant for those that with the solvent. The EPA furthers alleges its use contributes to smog and global warming, as with the solvents used before it.
With DF-2000 considered a marginally better improvement than its predecessor in terms of health and the environment, it falls short of "green". Presenting DF-2000 as an a "organic" solvent is met with a great deal of cynicism as the trade associations have been credited with marketing the product as such. There are more credible dry-cleaning techniques using carbon-dioxide and, of all things, water. Processing in these processes holds their claim to being more environmentally friendly, but these processes do cost more, forcing the operators to sometimes make the difficult decision between the environment and economics, not always an easy choice for a small business.
Nearly all garments labeled "dry clean only" can be cleaned with water through a process called wet-cleaning. This takes time and skill on the part of the professionals, which translates into a more expensive workforce that handles the garments. The carbon dioxide method involves liquid CO2 under high pressure. This process requires the dry cleaners to replace older outdated equipment to be replaced with newer, more expensive, state-of-the-art equipment, which requires special license fees.
Ron maintains that it's not easy being green. Perhaps that's why some dry cleaners merely post a sign pretending to be green.
Technical Source: "Bad Medicine" by Christopher Wanjek, LiveScience.
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HTML clipboard Star Cleaners serves the Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas, Star Valet may not be available in all areas, please call us to verify delivery zones. We are a provider of eco-friendly professional garment care, fire restoration services for home and business. If you would like to know more about what makes us different, please inquire by submitting the contact us form.
We seek growth though strategic relationships, partnering with customers that wish to receive only the very best, most professional cleaning and restorations services available. Locally owned and operated, we are able to offer a level of capacity and personal service that is still alive and well here. Individuals are always welcome. If you would like more information on how you can receive services, Please tell us about yourself with the contact form (click here). Someone will be in touch with you to be of service. You are receiving this email as a service to its customers, partners and associates, if you have received this email in error, please click here to opt out from this service.
HTML clipboard Star Cleaners serves the Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas, Star Valet may not be available in all areas, please call us to verify delivery zones. We are a provider of eco-friendly professional garment care, fire restoration services for home and business. If you would like to know more about what makes us different, please inquire by submitting the contact us form.
We seek growth though strategic relationships, partnering with customers that wish to receive only the very best, most professional cleaning and restorations services available. Locally owned and operated, we are able to offer a level of capacity and personal service that is still alive and well here. Individuals are always welcome. If you would like more information on how you can receive services, Please tell us about yourself with the contact form (click here). Someone will be in touch with you to be of service. You are receiving this email as a service to its customers, partners and associates, if you have received this email in error, please click here to opt out from this service.