Green Dry Cleaning

The "Green Chemistry" section of this chapter that focused on -friendly dry cleaning peaked my interest as another way to cut back on the use of traditional organic solvents. The conventional solvent used in dry cleaning is perchloroetheylene (PERC) which contaminates ground water and is suspected to be carcinogenic in humans.

Joseph DeSimone developed a polymeric surfactants for carbon dioxide and founded a chain of dry cleaners that uses liquid carbon dioxide instead of PERC to clean clothes. This method not only cuts down the use of harmful organic solvents but also captures CO2 for practical purposes when it would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and cause global warming. The following website has a directory of green dry cleaners in the area :

http://www.ecovian.com/s/sandiego/green-dry-cleaners-wet-cleaning

So next time you need to get something dry cleaned, try it out!