Dec. 19, 2001

An Orange County dry cleaner has become the first in the Southland to receive a grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District to switch to an environmentally friendly, water-based cleaning technology.

San Clemente Natural Cleaning Center owner Moon Noh (pictured at left)  converted his dry cleaning operation to professional wet cleaning earlier this year, with a $12,500 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Professional wet cleaning uses water, biodegradable soaps and computer-controlled washers and dryers instead of the toxic chemical perchloroethylene, or "perc," used by more than 95% of dry cleaners.

"AQMD is committed to reducing toxic air pollution from all sources, including dry cleaners," said Barry Wallerstein, AQMD’s executive officer. "Professional wet cleaning is one option for reducing perc usage and the health risks associated with it."

AQMD currently is developing a proposal to phase in newer and less polluting dry cleaning machines, and ultimately phase out the use of perc at dry cleaners. (See related story.)

To help demonstrate alternatives to dry cleaning, AQMD's Governing Board last year approved $242,798 for a program of financial incentives, workshops and technical training to encourage dry cleaners to switch to wet cleaning.

"This effort is needed to introduce this alternative cleaning technology to dry cleaners in Southern California," Wallerstein said.

The financial incentives consist of eight $12,500 grants to help eight dry cleaners purchase wet cleaning equipment. San Clemente Natural Cleaning Center is the first grant recipient.

"Since I switched to professional wet cleaning, my customers have thanked me for becoming an environmentally friendly business," said Moon Noh. "I have professionally wet cleaned all types of delicate garments — even angora sweaters — and my customers are completely satisfied with the quality of the work."

Although dry cleaners have substantially reduced their perc emissions in recent years due to air pollution regulations and more efficient equipment, they still are the largest single source of perc emissions in the region — responsible for an estimated 8 tons per day. Perc is considered a suspected or probable human carcinogen and has been designated a toxic air contaminant by the state of California.

An AQMD case study of wet cleaning completed in 1997 showed that 99.9 percent of garments, most marked "dry clean only," were successfully cleaned, and that customers rated wet cleaning as equal to or better than dry cleaning in almost all respects. In addition, wet cleaning equipment typically costs less than dry cleaning machines.

The wet cleaning incentives and training program are being directed by the Pollution Prevention Education and Research Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Program officials now are selecting the remaining seven grant recipients and expect those businesses to install and operate wet cleaning equipment by next spring. Prior to AQMD's incentive program, three other wet cleaning businesses in the region started up.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

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This page updated: March 01, 2004
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/OC_Wet_Cleaner.htm