Dry Cleaner Business Going Green

For years, dry cleaners have been at the epicenter of a battle with environmentalists about the safety of their industry. Now, more dry cleaning businesses are turning to “green” cleaning in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment. Dry cleaning chemicals have long been accused of contaminating drinking water and ground water, and causing more harmful health and environmental concerns.

Public Enemy Number One in terms of dry cleaning chemicals is perchloroethylene, or “perc.” Perc exposure has been identified as a carcinogen and an environmental hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency. Now some dry cleaner businesses are turning to silicone-based cleaning solutions instead of perc. The silicone solution breaks down into sand, carbon dioxide and water and is currently considered both safe and environmentally friendly. Laboratory testing has shown that the solution is associated with a higher risk of cancer in laboratory mice. In addition, the solvent’s manufacturing process uses chlorine, which can generate harmful emissions.

Consignment Shops Doing Brisk Business

Retail clothing sales were up in August, primarily due to back-to-school shopping. One area of the retail clothing business that’s seen excellent growth in this troubled economy is consignment sales.

At a consignment shop, the storeowner acts as a broker for customers who want to sell goods. The consignment store owner provides retail sales space and conducts the transaction for a small fee on behalf of the merchandise owner. In consignment shops, goods are often displayed as they would be in a regular retail shop. The most successful consignment shops include those that feature children’s clothing, sporting goods and household items.

Photo Credit: Ralph Hockens, via Flickr

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