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Baltimore Small Business Examiner
Showing entries for Category: dry-clean

POSTED May 8, 11:10 AM

To be honest, I don’t even know what’s involved in the process. To me, dry cleaning has always been one of the great mysteries of life—for all I know, they send your precious articles of clothing off to a colony of elves for stain removal. I never really thought about it… and I suppose that makes me an irresponsible consumer.

Turns out, most dry cleaners use a nasty little chemical solvent called perchloroethylene (PERC) for their jobs. And not only is it considered a hazardous substance , but it also can cause serious health problems, especially to those who are exposed to it frequently. So when it comes to organic dry cleaning, I’m enthusiastically hopping on board.

Luckily, I’ve received a few tips as to where to find green dry-cleaning establishments in the area—and have stumbled across at least one on my own. Most notable is probably Sparks Cleaners (actually in Sparks, MD) and the newer Sparks II on York Road in the Towson/Rodgers Forge stretch. Here, there’s no perc used, but a safer, silicone-based product instead.

As icing on the environmental cake, I heard they’ve also swapped out your typical wire hangers for more earth-friendly ones made of recycled cardboard. (Which of course serves as a double bonus if your name happens to be Christina Crawford.)

As to how this perc-free process stands up to its chemical-laden counterpoint, I can’t say… yet. For what it’s worth, I don’t use the dry cleaner all that often. As you know, I work from home, so suffice it to say I don’t run through a collection of power suits on a weekly basis. And at my income bracket, my closets aren’t exactly busting at the seams with designer fashion pieces. (Oh, how I wish…)

The most expensive piece of clothing I’ll soon own will be my wedding dress. And I plan on burning that in effigy to my single life. (Just kidding, Mom! Let’s see how it fits first.) But I like to take my winter coats in for cleaning when the seasons change. So I’ll let you know… meantime, if you have any experience you’d like to share, I’m happy to pass along the talking stick.

So… greener cleaners: Yea or nay?

Categories: organic , dry cleaner , green , green dry cleaning , perc-free , dry clean

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Alicia Potee
Alicia Potee has an knack for finding those hidden gems among the rows of businesses along Baltimore's street scene and beyond. She's a modern-day Marco Polo of local businesses, from the latest hotspots to the unique and obscure.