Perchloroethylene, better known as perc, is used by 80 percent of dry cleaners in the United States as a solvent to wash clothes that are dry clean only. Despite its effectiveness, the use of this chemical has been linked to a range of health side effects and has recently come under heavy public scrutiny. With heavy regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency, professional dry cleaners are seeking the use of a safer chemicalliquid carbon dioxideto provide a green laundry alternative. At-home dry cleaning kits such as Dry Cleaners Secret are providing the option of affordable & environmentally safe dry cleaning, that cuts down the energy-burning, waste producing processes that the professionals use.
The first step to green dry cleaning is replacing harmful chemicals with natural cleaning products. Perchloroethylene (perc) is a synthetic chemical that is made from a reaction between ethylene and chlorine. Like many synthetic chemicals, it poses a threat to our health. Perc is a central nervous system depressant. Exposure to it can occur in the workplace or in the environment when it is released into air, water, land, or groundwater. It can also occur...