How do all these drycleaners survive? I took a walk down Wilshire — and found 4 drycleaners within 6 blocks.
I passed these by, however, cuz I know ’bout eco-friendly dry cleaning :) Conventional dry cleaning — which uses perchloroethylene — is v. bad for ya. Silicone cleaning’s somewhat better, but still kinda not that great.
The best options are wet cleaning and carbon dioxide cleaning. And luckily for me, I’ve got a wet cleaning dry cleaner (I know — It sounds really confusing) near me now!
So I took my rug to Cleaner by Nature :) The woman was sweet, and even gave me a recommendation for a nearby shoe repair dude when we got to chattin’ a bit.
A few days later, I got my rug back — clean, chemical free, and ready for my new apartment :) Cost: $8.
Other wet and CO2 cleaners in the LA area include:
* Filo Cleaners. 432. N. Canon Dr. Beverly Hills. 310.275.2303.
* Royal Cleaners. 256 26th St. Santa Monica. 310.451.3663. (high-end couture)
* Sunset Blvd. Cleaners & Laundry. 7723 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles. 323.874.5627.
If none of these’re near you, at least opt for silicone cleaning, which is easier to find. It’s what I was doing until I moved to Santa Monica :)
Cleaner by Nature. 2407 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica. 310.315.1520.
Update, 1/21/07: The LA Weekly’s put together a nice roundup of the dry cleaning options, with a list of “where to wash.”
Update, 1/27/07: More fascinating drycleaning news: Perc’s on the way out! The Cali Air Resources Board voted to “ban the purchase of new perc machines as of 2008 and to phase out the use of all perc by 2023.”
By CO2 cleaning, do you mean hydrocarbon cleaning? That’s what they do at my new cleaners, Paragon, at Vine & Fountain in Hollywood. They have the “clean air” certification from the SoCal air quality management govt group, for what it’s worth, but honestly, I can’t figure out if it’s just a shade better than perc, or way better than perc. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but it shouldn’t be so hard to live an environmentally-better (not even great, just better!) way….
Comment by Paige — October 16, 2006 @ 8:10 pm
Hey Paige — No — Sadly, hydrocarbon cleaning isn’t the same thing as CO2 cleaning. But hydrocarbon — like silicone — is still better than perc cleaning, so you’ve made a step in the right direction :)
Comment by Siel — October 16, 2006 @ 9:20 pm
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
CO2 is a process that has been developed for use by commercial and retail dry cleaners. CO2 is non-flammable, non-toxic, colorless, tasteless, odorless naturally- occurring gas that, when subjected to pressure, becomes a liquid solvent. The CO2 used in this process is an industrial by-product from existing operations, primarily anhydrous ammonia (fertilizer) production. There is no net increase in the amount of CO2 emitted; therefore, this process does not contribute to global warming. CO2 is naturally occurring and is use in other applications such as soft drinks, keeping harvest goods fresh by packaging, potato chips. (As reported by the E.P.A.)
FACTS… there are only two types of cleaning systems out in the marketplace that are non-toxic, the other one is water. In California there are 12 CO2 plants.
if you want more info please call Brentwood Royal Cleaners @ 3104513663 ask for bob or go to http://www.findco2.com
Comment by Robert Smerling — November 13, 2007 @ 11:54 am
Hi Siel, what about Green Earth Cleaning?
Comment by Gavin — September 5, 2010 @ 8:54 am