Holistic Living
Clean & Green
by Katherine Sutton
Luxury level service doesn’t mean you have to pollute the planet. Prato Cleaners, the shockingly sleek dry cleaners in the Gaslamp and now East Village of San Diego, announced plans to go 100% green by the end of this year.
Going the green route will take a quarter of a million dollar investment by the parent company, San Diego Valet Services, which is the largest commercial dry cleaner in San Diego and serves the region’s top resorts and hotels. The owners say setting the example is certainly worth it.
Felipe Leff, San Diego Valet and Prato Cleaners owner notes, “We feel it is our duty and honor to protect an ever-fragile environment and showcase our initiative that luxury can still mean having an environmental conscience.”
Prato Cleaners isn’t the first dry cleaner in San Diego to go green. Hangers, with four locations throughout the country, opened in 2001 and is a 100% all natural liquid carbon dioxide dry cleaning plant, one of fewer than 40 in the world, according to Hangers’ website.
In La Mesa and La Jolla, Green Cleaners San Diego uses a method that is “non-toxic and good for the environment.”
Should we expect more cleaners to be going green soon? It seems inevitable: California has mandated a phase-out of the toxic cleaning chemical used by dry cleaning services called PERC, of perchloroethylene, by 2023. Environmental regulations put in place in 2002 in Southern California allow cleaners to use─but not install─PERC machines. There’s still quite a bit of progress to make, though.
Over 85% of America’s 33,000 or so dry cleaners use PERC, which the EPA classifies as a neurotoxin and is a petroleum-based product that contributes to global warming.
The chemical has also been linked to cancer and liver and kidney damage in rats, and leaves a distinct “chemical” smell on cleaned clothes.
A variety of green cleaning methods have sprouted in recent years. Wet cleaning, introduced in the late 90s, is a system using water and non-toxic, biodegradable detergents to clean delicate fabrics such as wool, silk and rayon. The liquid carbon dioxide (Co2) method, developed by the EPA in 1994, also provides an alternative to PERC, and it has yet to cause health risks.
Despite the damaging effects of PERC and the alternative options cropping up, going green takes a notable investment, especially for dry cleaners that are family owned. A single “green” machine, typically costs $40,000 to $90,000, and opening a Hangers Cleaners location requires at least $750,000.
Federal and state grants, however, are lessening the burden. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which monitors air standards and regulation for Orange County, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, provides $5,000 grants to buy machines that use hydrocarbon compounds, and even larger grants for the more expensive machines that use pressurized carbon dioxide.
Dry cleaners converting to green technology with grants or not, such as Prato Cleaners, will be certified as green technology and be subject to approval of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the leading environmental regulatory agency.
Ready to get a green clean?
Be wary: Dry cleaners around the nation are starting to claim to be “green cleaning” or have “green technology”. The National Geographic Society notes, “These terms can mean a variety of things, and while ‘green cleaning’ is most often a term which refers to a 100% wet cleaning method, some cleaners may be using these labels to indicate any non-PERC system, including the riskier siloxane and hydrocarbon alternatives, and in some instances cleaners might label themselves ‘greener’ or ‘earth friendly’ even if PERC is still used in the process.” Treehugger.com recommends asking your cleaner about what methods they specifically use before making a decision.
Lastly, check to see if your cleaner is listed as a Certified Environmental Dry Cleaner with the Dry Cleaning and Laundry Institute International (DLI), the international trade association for garment care professionals since 1883.
Your clothes are cleaner than or as clean with the greener options as with traditional dry cleaning. Good Housekeeping recently stated: “More dry cleaners have started using other, more eco-friendly chemicals like hydrocarbon, silicone-based solvent and liquid carbon dioxide. Our studies show that these alternatives clean at least as well as PERC, at about the same cost to the consumer.”
The bottom line: Finding a green dry cleaner can take some research, but the options are certainly out there and improving.
Clean green is here in San Diego for the same results as traditional dry cleaning without the environmental damage.
Katherine Sutton is a writer in San Diego. For more info, check out
greencleanerssandiego, pratocleaners.com, or hangerssandiego.com.