Is hydrocarbon (sold under brand names like DF2000) environmentally friendly?
Many well intentioned dry cleaners have converted from perc to hydrocarbon believing that it was a good “green” alternative. But while certainly a big improvement over perc, hydrocarbons are classified as a volatile organic compound (VOC) which means they are a contributor to smog formation. They would also likely require clean up if spilled. And, like perc, hydrocarbon is listed by the EPA as a neurotoxin and skin and eye irritant for workers. The good news is that most machines designed to use hydrocarbon solvent are also designed to use GreenEarth solution, so dry cleaners using hydrocarbon can affordably convert to a truly green system if they want to.
