Any recommendations on local dry cleaning options? I think I saw a sign once at Country Squire on Springfield being environmentally friendly, but I never inquired about what they used, and can’t find anything on their website.

Our Answer:

As far as we can tell, there are three greener alternatives to typical dry cleaning.

1. A professional ‘wet clean’. Wet Cleaning is safe for ‘dry clean only’ items, and uses a computer-controlled machine and special stain treatment to clean clothes gently and safely.  This method works on most ‘dry clean only’ items, and toxins and VOCs are eliminated from the cleaning process, and it is highly energy efficient.

2. A liquid CO2 clean. Liquid CO2 is used in place of perc, the main toxin in typical dry cleaning, making this a much greener clean.  No new CO2 is produced in this method, and the clothes come out equally clean.  This is slightly less efficient than the wet clean method, and costs of the machine are high.

3. A DIY.  Most dry clean only items can be gently hand washed with a mild detergent (check out our laundry post for a recipe!).  Lay flat to dry, and then take them to your local dry cleaner for a professional press, leaving them looking brand new and without all the chemicals.

Our research shows that some dry cleaners may be advertising as a greener method, however, most of these methods, outside of the ones listed above, are similar to and just as bad as the original dry cleaning methods.

Unfortunately for us, in the Champaign-Urbana area at this time the DIY-style is as good as the greener dry cleaning gets.  However, there are many greener ‘wet cleaners’ opening in Chicago, and we can do our best to drive local cleaners in a greener direction.