Carbon dioxide dry cleaning for clothes
Traditional dry cleaning of clothes usually uses perchloroethylene (perc), which is neither earth-friendly nor human-friendly. Carbon dioxide (CO2) dry cleaning is known to be a safer alternative in many ways, and is endorsed by Greenpeace and the EPA. Additionally, according to Consumer Reports, CO2 dry cleaning actually cleans clothes better than perc anyway. One C02 dry cleaner is Green Apple Cleaners, which was started by David Kistner and his wife, after she became pregnant and read several guides warning pregnant women to avoid dry cleaning their clothes. To find a CO2 dry cleaner near you, including Green Apple Cleaners, see this website here.
If there are no CO2 dry cleaners near you, here are some tips from the Sierra Club to make your traditional dry cleaning a little bit safer:
- Remove the wrapper outside or in your garage. Let your clothes air out for at least a day, preferably four or five before wearing them.
- In the meantime, try to move towards clothing that doesn't need to be dry cleaned.
- Dry clean as infrequently as possible.














