Question from nan46nan
hi debra,
please enlighten us on the validity of “organic dry cleaning”. i have gone to several different storefronts for my dry cleaning and they have written signs saying “organic dry cleaning” and have verbally confirmed to me that fact also. how do i know if it’s really organic or are they all (i have seen at least 20 so far) breaking the law by lying? and to what extent, technically, is this dry cleaning “organic”?
Debra’s Answer
Well, first of all there is no such thing as “organic” dry cleaning. It’s a misuse of the word.
When used with regard to food and fibers, “organic” has a very specific definition, and very specific rules must be followed to legally use that term.
No such definitions exist for dry cleaning.
I think some people are using the term in general to mean their dry cleaning does not use toxic chemicals. And there are some dry cleaning methods, such as using a food-grade level of carbon dioxide, which are nontoxic. But don’t at all assume that because a sign says “organic dry cleaning” that they are using nontoxic methods.
Here is a post I wrote before outlining the different dry cleaning methods and their toxicity: Q&A: Help Me Find A Green Dry Cleaner
Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/latest/812#ixzz1gIpHeJDM
