Happy Earth Day!

I believe that everyday is Earth Day. Today I want to express my opinions about drycleaning and the environment. These are my opinions from working in the industry for many years and being interested in protecting our environment most of my life.

The most frequent questions I get from the general public are normally related to drycleaning and the environment. Drycleaners get a lot of bad press in this area. And really that is too bad. However, the industry has brought this upon themselves through poor practices. Today this industry is heavily regulated. Drycleaners, like any business, respond to what their customers want. So the biggest thing you as a consumer can do is voice your opinions!

Here are some things you can think about when considering environmental concerns:

1. Ask your cleaner what they are doing to be environmentally conscious. The answer should be a list - not just the type of solvent
2. Be aware that operating in an environmentally conscious way is more expensive - beware of the "cheap eco-cleaner"
3. Take back your plastic
4. Take back your hangers for reuse - please be gentle with them! Reuse saves tremendous resources. Often the fatigue strength of hangers (due to the extrusion process) is such that the metal can no longer be recycled. Hangers are the last stop for metal on the way to a landfill - so be gentle and re-use them.
5. Voice your willingness to pay extra for environmental bags
6. Be aware that using less chemicals, or less harsh chemicals increases the labor necessary to remove stains. More time must be spent doing hand removal by a specialist - this increases the cost (Harsh chemicals in the machine removes more stains). Something that use to be removed without comment may need more time and effort.
7. Solvent types include: perc, petroleum (often called organic, however perc is organic by definition also), green earth (silicone based, and not organic), water, CO2. ----

Perc and Petroleum have been around pretty much since drycleaning started. So any cleaner that uses something other than these 2 solvents, is probably working to minimize their environment impact.

Drycleaning uses very special chemicals and solvents that are not fully understood. The majority of publicized environmental concerns are about the solvent. While it is true that if a drycleaner does not maintain their equipment, or operate it correctly, they may release toxins into the atmosphere and into the ground, careful use of any equipment results in 95% or better recycling of the solvent. The remainder should be disposed of properly.

The 2 most "environmental" forms of drycleaning are considered to be "wet cleaning" or CO2 cleaning. Wet cleaning uses water instead of a chemical solvent and CO2 uses liquid Carbon Dioxide.

Wet Cleaning is promoted by our local EPA as environmentally superior. However I question this, at least where I live, where water shortages occur more frequently than I would like. Drycleaners (as opposed to industrial laundries) are still allowed (and really have no other choice) to discharge the water, soap, etc., down the drain. NONE of the water is recycled by the cleaner. Even if the cleaner is conscientious and uses only full loads - there is still an impact on the environment.

Thanks for your time, and remember to tread lightly!

What do you Wear to a Recession?

The fastest growing clothing retailer in that area is Goodwill Industries!
This is from an article in The National Clothesline (http://www.natclo.com/0904/content.htm) that cites the Chicago Tribune.

The article also stated that Americans own more clothes than any people on the planet!

Contrary to the trend among other retailers who are scaling back and even closing stores, Goodwill plans on opening 5 new stores in the area this year. Breaking from the mold of its appeal to edgy art students and hard-luck hobo's. And it appears to be working. While sales at major chain stores fell 2% during the last three months of 2008, Goodwill store sales in southeastern Wisconsin and metropolitan Chicago rose 8%!

I googled the head line "What do you wear to a recession?" and to my surprise, there were at least 5 news articles with this headline (including: http://www.observer.com/2008/arts-culture/crashion-what-wear-recession). Perhaps one silver lining of our current economic turmoil will be the acceptance of second hand purchases! Not only is it easier on our pocketbooks, it is good for the planet - in my opinion, new items always impact our planet more than reusing items. After all, where does your old clothing go if no one buys second hand? By giving clothes a 2nd life, we are promoting sustainable living.

Consignment shops come in many varieties - you can find couture used clothing or typical thrift store fare. Often, when you donate, they will give you a receipt for tax purposes.

I have a few thoughts on this trend:

1. When you buy 2nd hand clothing, send it to your cleaner before wearing. Many thrift stores cannot afford to clean clothes before putting them for sale.
2. If you are donating - please send clean items (see #1)
3. If you are uneasy about going to a 2nd hand shop, consider having a clothing swap party. Everyone can bring items from their closet they no longer wear (I know I have lots), and make a party out of it!

Some cleaners will accept clothing donations, clean them at no charge and then distribute the clothing to different organizations. Ask your current cleaner for advise.
They say that difficult economic times foster creativity and new business models. I hope that this trend will continue after our recovery:-)