Friday, April 26, 2019

Drawbacks Of Going To Dry Cleaners

By Ann Hill


One of the millennia old activities in the household is laundry. Water used to be the only way to get clothes clean. As the times changes, so does the way of doing it. Now, detergents are used to clean it and remove its stains. The new age has popped up dry cleaners Apopka in every corner.

Dry cleaning does not really use dry methods to clothes. Their difference with regular laundry is the use of water. This method combines washing machine and dryer with some differences. This method does not use any water, however uses liquid solvents. It is put in the dry cleaning machine and gets soaked in liquid solvents. The solvent is then drained for reuse as the clothes continue to stumble around to dry.

These shops however have some drawbacks. This is both non economical and non environmental. Their liquid solvents have some compounds in it that are bad to health and to Mother Nature.

One angle we can obviously see is money. In comparison to regular washing machines, this method is costlier to customers. This is due to the fact they are paying for the liquid solvent. Even though it is known that it will be filtered and reused, this does not change the fact that these are expensive chemical solvents.

Perchloroethylene, known as PERC is one of the well known chemical solvent. It is developed in 1930s as a solvent that is both nonflammable and synthetic . It was, however, later on known as highly toxic which affects people and environment.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration have made a statement that contact with the chemical gives people exposed to it a high health risk. It is highly carcinogenic even when people have made little contact, especially if it is not properly dried. There is a temporary symptoms trigger of ailments if mildly exposed.

Adverse effects on health have been found by several scientific studies. It is highly common to employees working closely with the cleaning process. Mild effects are muscle incoordination, visual impairments, skin blisters, and headaches. On the opposite side of the scale, there are development of cancer cells and damage to the nervous system.

Risks in the environment happen especially when they do not properly dispose the chemicals after use. It can spread via land, water, and air. Take spillage for example. Even one drop of PERC on the ground will get it seeped into the soil to the water reserves underground. That drop can also get carried away by the wind and get inhaled by an unsuspecting person.

Some shops have gone and applied a green movement. They use liquid carbon dioxide as a liquid solvent to clean clothes safely. Still, carbon dioxide is harmful to the health. If not duly regulated, then it makes the liquid unsafe for use. High concentrations creates acidic odor when inhaled can cause dizziness, headaches, rapid breathing, and stinging on the nose. Frostbites may also occur when contact with the skin due to its cryogenic property.




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