I was out running my suburban errands a few weeks ago and a new sign in one of the many local strip centers caught my eye - Eco Safe Cleaners. As a lover of natural, non-chemical items I thought to myself "could it be true? A dry cleaners that doesn't use those gawd-awful smelling chemicals? And, if so, just how does that work?"
So, I popped in and, lo and behold, it smelled like freshly laundered clothes, instead of chemically dry cleaned ones. I was greeted by the owner, Luai Zureikat, and my questions tumbled forth - why, how, when did this all happen??!!!
He explained that the traditional dry cleaning process uses "perchloroethylene" or PERC which is considered one of the most toxic substances emitted into our daily lives! Your clothes are submerged in this wonderful toxic solvent to help get rid of stains and spots; which is why your clothes come home smelling like chemicals. Oh, and you get a nice dose of toxic evaporation in your house; maybe this is why so many of us are experiencing Alzheimers-type symptoms at such a young age - chemical brain damage??!!
Eco Safe cleaners uses an ancient, secret ingrediant - WATER; along with a very mild, environmentally friendly cleaner in their state-of-the-art facility and machines. Luai was quick to point out the fact that real, live green plants were growing in his establishment; something that is not possible in a traditional dry cleaners because of the toxins in the air.
You may ask "but does it actually clean those clothes that say 'dry clean only'?" I am happy to answer with a resounding "YES"!! I have taken everything from silk to cotton to linen there and they came out beautifully!! The first time I picked up my clothes, I whipped off that plastic cover while I was sitll there to make sure the chemical smell was not lurking underneath. I am happy to report they had a wonderful, fresh scent, looked great and Luai had a very satisfied look on his face; something to the effect of "I told you so"!!!
Their motto - Cleaner, Greener, Fresher - to which I say "way to go"!! Now, check your local listings and if you are lucky, there will be an Eco Safe cleaners in your area. If not, why not start bombarding your local dry cleaners with questions about this new process. Who knows, maybe they will eventually switch to this environmentally friendly process. read more