The Dirty Truth of Dry Cleaning

What comes to mind when you think of Dry Cleaning? This is a question that I had to ask myself, that I never thought I would think of until I was exposed to the process in my job. When I realized I had no idea what the processes of dry cleaning are I then turned to my friends and asked them the very same questions all of which came up with the responses of, “A place where you get your prom dresses cleaned”, “Isn’t it like, where they steam clothes? “A place my grandma still goes to clean clothes.” My favorite response was “Isn’t it like a group of people just really good at getting out stains?” None of my friends said the cold hard truth: Dry cleaning is one of the worst environmental causes of destruction. I decided to make my first blog article, all about the effects of dry cleaning because of how important it is to educate ourselves on one easy way to prevent environmental destruction that we don’t think about on a daily. Even if you personally don’t use dry cleaning services, a large amount of the American population still does. As of today, there are about 33,000 individual dry cleaning facilities, making the dry cleaning industry worth a whopping $60.88 billion. If we were all educated on this environmentally destructive practice, I truly believe, this industry would be resolute. 

The dry-cleaning process is advertised as “cleaning textiles without water”, which makes it all the worse. The process looks like this; the garments are soaked in a solvent such as tetrachloroethylene or perchloroethylene, and then spun and steamed to remove the solvent. Tens to hundreds of millions of gallons of chlorinated solvents are used every day through the process of dry cleaning…..tens to hundreds of millions!!!! Chlorinated solvents are slow to break down and can stay for decades in groundwater and soil, as well as linked to many types of cancers in both humans and animals. These toxic solvents are dissolved into our drinking water, so we are drinking unfiltered chemicals daily. The solvents can be classified as ‘Persistent Organic Pollutants’ because they can travel far distances throughout the ecosystem. Recently, Georgetown University came out with a recent study proving that fabrics such as wool, cotton, and polyester retain chlorinated solvents more than others. This means that you are not only exposing your skin to these harmful chemicals, but you are also breathing in vapors as the solvents dissipate into your home. Not to mention dry cleaning employees are exposed daily to the chemicals leading to an increase in severe health implications, most I am sure, have no idea of these health risks too.

So what does the future look like when it comes to the continuous cycle of exposing the environment as well as ourselves to these harmful toxins? Well, first we must turn to the fashion industry to see what the future trends of clothing will look like. With the increased awareness of the detriment that fast fashion has on the environment, Gen Z is turning a corner and focusing on buying brands that prioritize sustainability. Though this seems like a plus for the environment most of these sustainable brands label their clothing as Dry Clean only. Manufacturers say a piece must be dry-cleaned to avoid liability if something were to go wrong, which ultimately leads consumers to the dry cleaners.

I know this is heavy, but it is so important to share these topics! Just as how the shocking secrets of fast fashion have been illuminated within the past few years, the dirty truth of dry cleaning practices needs to be virally shared too. It is only through exposure that regulations, laws, and industries are fixed. It is crazy to think that a practice the average person knows little to nothing about, is causing so much damage to the environment and us. It is time to change. 

Till next time,

Eco-Girl