Scoop: Clean Green

Category: Green Living

 

Seattle’s newest clothing cleaner helps you feel better about your carbon footprint

You may have noticed that most dry-cleaning establishments welcome customers with a whoosh of hot air and chemical odors. That’s because traditional dry-cleaning methods rely on heat and a solvent called perchloroethylene (go ahead, try to pronounce it), a chemical deemed a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency that requires cleaners who use it to have a hazardous-waste permit. Which raises the question: Does that coffee stain really warrant a hazmat team?

 

Seattle’s newest cleaning company, Blue Sky Cleaners (blueskycleaners.com), says no, and is proving it by bringing more green to clean. Their toxin-free technique uses “naturally occurring and reclaimed” carbon dioxide—compressed so that it becomes liquid—to lift coffee (or whatever you’ve dripped all over yourself) from your favorite clothes. No toxic waste, no pollution and no contaminants—plus, as opposed to standard dry cleaning, the liquid CO2 method doesn’t rely on heat (which further sets stains), so colors remain vibrant and fabrics don’t get flimsy.

 

And, the company’s free pick-up and delivery service utilizes hemp laundry bags and natural-gas-fueled vans. Green enough for you? Currently open in Interbay (1111 Elliott Ave. W), Laurelhurst (3511 NE 45th St.) and on Capitol Hill (1515 14th Ave. E), Blue Sky is planning additional locations in Medina and Bellevue. Prices range from $7.89 for a blouse to $17.60 for a tuxedo. Just think of it as saving the planet, one dress at a time.