Dry cleaning is far from being a green business. Think of all the wasted plastic bags and wire hangers, not to mention the harsh chemicals that are supposed to get your clothes clean. Most cleaners use a petroleum-based chemical cleaners called perchlorethylene, a hazardous neurotoxin and likely carcinogen according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It can cause problems for workers, contaminate groundwater, contribute to air pollution, and you have to wonder what it’s doing to you as you wear the dry cleaned clothing.  You can still take care of your delicate fabrics though, simply follow these three steps for green dry cleaning.

1. Find a greener dry cleaner. Visit No Dry Clean or Green Earth Cleaning to find one of three more eco-friendly cleaning options near you: The silcone-based solvent D5 is still a chemical cleaner but it’s safer for you and gentle on your clothing; wet cleaning, which is similar to at-home washing, but the biodegradable detergents and sophisticated machinery used are easier on delicates; or carbon dioxide cleaners–the gas becomes a liquid solvent under high pressure to clean your clothes.

2. Invest in an eco-friendly garment bag. 300 million pounds of single-use plastic dry cleaning bags fill US landfills every year. Just like you take your reusable bags to buy groceries, you should have a reusable bag to take to the cleaners so you don’t come home with plastic bags every time. The Green Garemento is made from recyclable material and converts from a hamper to a duffel so it’s easy to carry your dirty clothes for drop off. Then it’ll keep your clean clothes pristine as a hanging garment bag for the trip home.

3. Reuse or recycle your wire hangers. If your city’s recycling system won’t accept wire hangers, ask your dry cleaner if you can return them to the store. Most will happily take them back since reusing them will save them from having to buy more.

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