Finally, retail consumers have a safe cleaning alternative for your entire wardrobe. Your clothes are one of your most valuable possessions. Caring for them in the safest and environmentally friendly manner is important. Now you can with GreenEarth.

See What Consumers Are Saying Throughout the World . . .

Find a Progressive Cleaner

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/stories/5-eco-friendly-alternatives-to-dry-cleaning

"Seek out a professional who offers non-perc dry cleaning. There are three popular alternatives right now: high-pressure cleaning using liquid carbon dioxide; silicone-based cleaners (known as GreenEarth cleaning); and high-tech, computer-controlled wet washing. Of the three, Consumer Reports found that liquid CO2 performed even better than old-style perc. GreenEarth was close behind. CR's testers were not impressed by the wet washing results. GreenEarth offers a convenient directory for locating an affiliated dry cleaner in your city."

 

Good Stuff? - Dry Cleaning

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4131

Embracing a Clean Green Wardrobe

"A decade ago, Comet Cleaners, with more than 350 locations in 17 U.S. states and Mexico, replaced perc with a more benign petroleum solvent, Exxon D-2000. Other cleaners have switched to Chevron-Phillips’ EcoSolv, also a hydrocarbon-based alternative, though both of these products still rely on fossil fuel inputs.

GreenEarth Cleaning has patented a silicone-based dry cleaning solvent called Cyclic Silioxane, which degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide and poses no known threat to the environment or human health. General Electric and Procter & Gamble have formed a joint venture with GreenEarth to help dry cleaners worldwide adopt this alternative."

 

It May Market Organic Alternatives, but Is Your

Cleaner Really Greener?

nytimes.com/2009/01/12/nyregion/12clean.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

"Judith S. Schreiber, the chief scientist for the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State attorney general’s office, said the solvent, which is petroleum-based, was “a cleaned-up version of gasoline” and only slightly less toxic than perc."

 

Greener Dry Cleaning:GreenEarth and CO2
by Robin Shreeves http://www.ecovian.com/docs/l/greener-dry-cleaning

"Traditional dry cleaning methods may get clothing clean, but they can wreak havoc on the environment and even possibly people’s health. There are earth friendly dry cleaning alternatives, and more and more cleaning services are popping up that offer these methods. . .

One alternative is GreenEarth, a silicone-based cleaner. It’s environmentally superior to perc cleaning because the liquid silicone used in GreenEarth is non-toxic. When it breaks down it becomes sand, small amounts of water, and carbon dioxide. None of these elements are inherently harmful to the air, the ground, the water, or the people who come in contact with them.

GreenEarth is also gentler on clothing than the traditional dry cleaning method. Clothing does not fade or wear out as quickly when regularly cleaned with the GreenEarth method as it does with perc. GreenEarth is also odorless so clothes don’t end up with that ;dry cleaning' smell."

 

Bridal Shops Recommend GreenEarth . . . by
http://1stopbridalshop.com/local-bridal-shops.php and
http://www.creditwedding.com/get-the-facts-wedding-dress-cleaning.html

"Silicone solvent is not as aggressive as Perchloroethylene. But like Hydrocarbon, it is safe for beads and sequins. It is also the most environmentally friendly of all available solvents besides water."

 

Cutting down on

chemicals/toxins by http://biofriendly.com/blog/tag/greenearth/

"For an individual or family, this can be as simple as getting rid of your toxic cleaning supplies and buying eco-friendly cleaners. Or better yet, making your own cleaning supplies. Cutting down on our use of chemicals and toxins is a simple way to go green. However, for some businesses, it may not be so simple.

Take for example a dry cleaner. Cost is a real concern for an independent dry cleaner who is looking to turn over a green leaf. Many dry cleaners still use perc machines to dry clean clothes (although I’m not sure why considering the EPA classifies perc as a Toxic Air Contaminant). If they need to purchase a brand new machine, it could cost them upwards of $175,000.

However there are a few options…if a dry cleaner is currently using a hydrocarbon machine, they could potentially convert their machine over to a greener cleaning method, such as GreenEarth® Cleaning, without having to purchase a new machine."


'Create the environment for others to be more

sustainable. . .

The Sustainable MBA provides the knowledge and tools to help you "green" your job and organization, to turn sustainability talk into action for the benefit of your bottom line and society as a whole.Based on more than 100 interviews with experts in business, international organizations, NGOs and universities from around the world, this first of its kind guide brings together all the pieces of the business and sustainability puzzle including: The basics on what sustainability is, why you should be interested, how to get started, and what a sustainable organization looks like. A wide range of tools, guidelines, techniques and concepts that you can use to implement sustainability practices."

The only drycleaning solution mentioned is GreenEarth Cleaning. "Rather than just becoming a green dry cleaner, the Bancroft family went one step further. Family-owned GreenEarth Cleaning, founded in 1999, is the world's largest solution provider for environmental friendly dry cleaning. Customers now have the choice to use environmentally safe dry cleaning processes. It is now used by quality dry cleaners operating more than 1000 stores worldwide and words with companies such as P&G, GE and Sanyo. . . ", p. 125.

You can find this book at your local book store or online via Amazon.com.

Green Living Guide by
http://www.greenlivingonline.com/article/laundering-dirty-business-dry-cleaning

"With such strong stain-fighting power, have you ever wondered just how safe those chemicals are? Pretty hazardous actually, but there are alternatives. . .

Cleaner choices
A few less toxic options are available to consumers. One of the most widely used alternatives is GreenEarth, which uses a silicone-based solvent that carries detergent to the clothes and rinses away trapped dirt and oil. No chemicals are brought to the clothing. Colours stay vibrant and the fabric remains soft with little wrinkling."

"Green" dry-cleaning by
http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/stain-removal/dry-cleaning

"A handful of dry-cleaners use hydrocarbon or liquid silicone instead of perc. Although less toxic, hydrocarbon-solvents are still petroleum-based and aren't "environmentally friendly".

Liquid silicone dry-cleaning is gentle on clothes and degrades to sand, and traces of water and carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the manufacturing of silicone solvents is anything but green."

GreenEarth: We are proud of the improvements that have occured in the manufacturing of liquid silicone. The liquid silicone used in Australia and New Zealand is produced by Simcoa, an Australian-based manufacturing company.

To minimise on the impact of the plant on the environment, stringent guidelines are adhered to by Simcoa with particularly tight control over atmospheric and noise emissions.
There are no effluent to the streams and no visible or toxic emissions from the plant.
Although Simcoa has a very comprehensive environmental management system (EMS), they are now looking to upgrade it further in order to be the first silicon smelter to have an ISO accredited EMS.

We hope that this information and a review of the Simcoa process, available on their web site at: http://www.simcoa.com.au/process.htm will help you support GreenEarth Cleaning as the best available technology for the replacement of the hazardous perc used by most cleaners in Australia and New Zealand.

Is There a Green Alternative . . . by
http://good.net.nz/magazine/6/good-start/when-greenwash-is-good

"Drycleaning is a dirty business. Most drycleaners use a liquid solvent called perchloroethylene, or ‘perc’, to lift dirt and odours from garments. Perc is a highly toxic central nervous system depressant that must be disposed of as hazardous waste. There shouldn’t be any traces remaining in your clothes, but if your poor drycleaner inhales too deeply it can cause confusion, nausea, difficulty speaking and walking, unconsciousness and, in big doses, death.

A few New Zealand drycleaners use hydrocarbon solvents or liquid silicon instead of perc. Regal Drycleaners and Blue-N-Green Drycleaners in Auckland, and Mall Drycleaners in Wellington use hydrocarbon solvents. Central Drycleaning in Queenstown and Preens Drycleaners in Dunedin use a silicon process.

These alternatives are less toxic than perc, but they’re not perfect solutions. Hydrocarbon solvents are still volatile organic compounds that irritate skin and eyes. Liquid silicon is biodegradable, gentle on clothes and completely non-toxic for drycleaners, but the silicon extraction process leads to lung disease in miners."

GreenEarth: The GreenEarth cleaning process uses Quartz (silicon dioxide) which is mined and smelted to produce silicon which in turn is used for the production of silicones.
It is true that mining of quartz potentially gives rise to crystalline quartz dust which in case of human exposure may lead to silicosis – a form of lung disease. There is a similar risk when you go to the beach as wind blown dust there is also crystalline quartz.

In all western countries mining regulations are extremely strict with respect to all types of dust generated in mining operations. In the first instance dust is contained or suppressed; operating plant, mobile equipment and trucks have sealed air conditioned cabs and if the operator leaves the cab he will wear respiratory protection if necessary.

In Australia, where quartz is mined for GreenEarth which in tern is used in New Zealand, the plant regularly monitors dust exposure of employees with all results being submitted to the mines department and employees undergo regular health checks – this is not just for quartz mining but all mining in Western Australia.

In many cases the quartz used for silicon production is river pebbles involving no crushing or dust.

In summary dust is only a hazard if it is not managed.