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Are you looking for a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable way to have your clothes cleaned? If so, you should consider organic dry cleaning.
But what is organic dry cleaning? This post explores organic dry cleaning, its benefits, and how it differs from traditional dry cleaning.
What Does Organic Dry Cleaning Entail?
Traditional dry cleaning involves harsh chemicals, such as perchloroethylene (PERC), which can harm humans and the environment. PERC is the most common dry cleaning solvent used in the United States.
But what is dry cleaning solvent? It is a petroleum-based product containing chemicals that help dissolve soil and stains without water. PERC is a reproductive toxicant, a potential human carcinogen, a neurotoxicant, and an unforgiving environmental pollutant.
Studies have shown that it can contribute to tongue cancer and other cancers in garment cleaning workers. President Bush tasked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with eliminating the use of PERC in dry cleaning by 2020.
You can avoid the detrimental effects of PERC and harsh dry cleaning products by investing in organic or green dry cleaning. The organic dry cleaning process involves using gentle, natural dry cleaning solutions that are safer for you and the environment.
Organic dry cleaners often use the following three processes:
- GreenEarth dry cleaning
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) dry cleaning
- Hydrocarbon dry cleaning
Each of these processes is considered environmentally friendly and non-toxic.
Related: Invention Of Dry Cleaning
Benefits of Organic Dry Cleaning Over Traditional Dry Cleaning
When you choose organic dry-clean solutions over their traditional counterparts, you can expect numerous benefits, ranging from health protection to energy efficiency.
Protects Health
Dry cleaning PERC and other harsh chemicals can remain on your clothes after you’ve dry-cleaned them. While this may not be serious if you use PERC on your clothes once, the residue can build up to dangerous levels with subsequent dry cleanings.
That means you will risk toxic exposure whenever you wear chemical-contaminated clothes. The toxic chemicals can also vaporize into the air when you hang your garments in the closet. This vaporization can compromise indoor air quality, exposing your loved ones to health risks.
You can minimize the risk of toxic exposure by using eco-friendly dry cleaners, such as Martinizing Dry Cleaners, for all your garments, including towels. These dry cleaning companies use non-toxic solvents, so you don’t have to worry about compromising your health for clean clothes.
Great for Sensitive Skin
If you have sensitive skin, you want to use products that won’t irritate you. The harsh chemicals used in traditional dry cleaning can irritate sensitive skin, causing rashes.
It can be embarrassing if your skin starts itching during an important event like a wedding, but you also don’t want to give up your favorite garments due to skin irritation.
Organic dry cleaning will save you from all these issues. Organic dry cleaners use natural cleaning solutions that are gentle on even the most sensitive skin. Organic dry cleaning allows you to wear your clothes without worrying about skin irritation.
No Unpleasant Odors
Do your clothes emit a strong smell after collecting them from a dry cleaner? The foul smell can turn off people around you, creating a negative first impression about you.
This strong chemical smell can be especially problematic if you’re susceptible to headaches and migraines. Since it works as a trigger, you’ll have to endure headaches whenever you wear these clothes.
You can avoid these problems by using an environmentally friendly dry cleaner. These dry cleaners often use solvents that don’t leave a strong smell behind, so you can be confident about yourself and not worry about head pains.
Cleaner Clothes
When you send your clothes off to your local dry cleaner, you expect them to come back smelling fresh and looking new.
An organic dry cleaner that uses natural cleaning solutions is more likely to deliver your desired results than a traditional dry cleaner that uses PERC and other toxic solvents.
For example, GreenEarth will penetrate the fabric better, breaking up stain-causing particles, thanks to its low surface tension. PERC cannot deliver the same results due to its high surface tension.
Softens Fabric
If you use traditional dry cleaning services, you may have noticed that your clothes feel stiff and scratchy when you get them back from the dry cleaner.
The harsh chemicals used in traditional dry cleaning make fabric feel stiff, so you might feel uncomfortable wearing your clothes.
Organic dry-cleaning solvents are still gentle despite being so powerful that they can eliminate stains and strong odors from fabric. They will leave your clothing looking great and feeling soft.
Extend Fabric Lifespan
Dry-clean-only garments don’t come cheap, so you will want to get value for your money by using them for years. Traditional dry cleaning can be hard on fabrics and cause dyes to bleed and fade.
If you want your clothes to look new for years, you should invest in green dry cleaning. Organic dry cleaning solvents can extend your clothes’ life, are lightweight, and can rinse off fabrics easily, preventing accelerated wear and tear.
With organic dry cleaning, you won’t have to worry about your clothes’ dyes bleeding and fading because the solvents don’t generate a chemical reaction when they come into contact with fabrics and dyes.
Energy-Efficient
Traditional dry cleaners are usually not conscious of energy efficiency. After all, they are already releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. As such, you can’t expect them to invest in energy-efficient machines.
They often use massive, energy-intensive equipment that uses a lot of electricity and causes immense environmental pollution. However, you can expect energy-efficient services with organic dry cleaning.
Green dry cleaners are always looking for new ways to uphold energy efficiency, often using smaller equipment that consumes less energy. That means they have a lower carbon footprint than their traditional counterparts.
Bottom Line
You now have a detailed answer to the question: what is organic dry cleaning? If you care about the environment, you can contribute to its conservation by using companies that offer organic dry cleaning services.
These companies don’t use PERC and other harsh chemicals that can harm you and the environment. They use natural cleaning solutions that are gentle on sensitive skin, don’t cause unpleasant smells, soften fabric, and extend the life of your clothes.
Get Help From Professional Dry Cleaners
If you’re looking for a reputable, environment-friendly dry cleaning or want to learn more about organic dry cleaning, look no further than Martinizing Dry Cleaners.
We are the go-to dry cleaner for organic dry cleaning in East Bay. Call us at (925) 938-5000 for a free consultation, and our professional team will show you how dry cleaning is done for long-lasting results.
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