Are there other environmentally friendly dry cleaning alternatives?
The only other recognized “green” alternatives in dry cleaning are CO2 and 100% wet cleaning. CO2 systems use a liquid carbon dioxide solvent, converted from gas under extremely high pressure in special machines. Wet cleaning uses water as its solvent, much like home laundry, only with more sophisticated machinery. Both systems offer an environmentally safe alternative for consumers, but dry cleaners have been reluctant to risk investing in them. The problem for dry cleaners, especially the small “mom and pop” cleaners who are the backbone of the industry, is that it is very difficult to make a living operating exclusively with either of these eco-friendly systems. CO2 machines can cost up to three times as much as traditional dry cleaning machines. Wet cleaning requires more labor to produce and finish garments, thus both options are considerably more expensive to operate. Less than one-third of one percent of dry cleaners operates with CO2 or 100% wet cleaning exclusively.
