Safe Dry Cleaning

We all have those clothes that must be dry cleaned. What you need to look for when choosing a Dry Cleaner, is to be sure they DO NOT use perchloroethylene which is linked to cancer and neurological damage. There are legal strides being made to ban the chemical completely in various states. The Environmental Protection Agency is looking in this as well.

From treehugger:
" two alternative methods – wet cleaning and CO2 cleaning.

Wet cleaning uses water, along with computer-controlled washers and dryers, specialized detergents that are milder than home laundry products, and professional pressing and finishing equipment. The EPA considers it one of the safest professional cleaning methods; its benefits include “no hazardous chemical use, no hazardous waste generation, no air pollution and reduced potential for water and soil contamination.”

Carbon dioxide (CO2) cleaning uses non-toxic, liquid CO2—the same form used to carbonate soda—as the cleaning solvent, along with detergent. The CO2 is captured as a by-product of existing industrial processes, thereby utilizing emissions that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere; since only about two percent of the CO2 is lost into the air with each load of clothing, its impact on global warming is minimal. CO2 cleaning also uses less energy than traditional dry cleaning, which involves heating the solvent.

Not all cleaning methods advertised as “green” are as environmentally benign as they may seem. For example, a solvent called DF-2000 being touted as an “organic” dry cleaning fluid is actually a petroleum product. It is indeed organic in the same way gasoline and perc are organic: it contains a chain of carbon atoms. The word “organic” has a much different meaning when it comes to food that’s been certified organic by the USDA."

It seems you need to be careful who you trust with your clothes.
Also see if the dry cleaner uses biodegradable plastic bags or recycles hangers. There is even a Green Cleaners Council working on a 5 point system to rate cleaners. The site will also help you find a truly green dry cleaner. Who knew?!?