Organic Dry Cleaning?

A reader asks the Green Guide:

The other day I took a quilt to an "organic" dry cleaner in my neighborhood. When I asked the lady behind the counter what chemicals they used, she told me they didn't use any, that the process was entirely natural and chemical-free. In the interest of convenience and time, I went ahead and left my quilt with them to be cleaned, but when I got it back, it had such a strong, synthetic, floral odor that I can't imagine how the cleaner they used could have been "natural and chemical-free." Do you have any idea what they might have used?

Emily
New York, NY

The Green Guide responds:

Thanks for your question. The first thing to remember is that some green labels may not be as meaningful as others, especially when it comes to dry cleaning. The term "organic," when applied to dry cleaners, could be referring to any carbon-based chemical, like hazardous perchloroethylene. It could also mean that your dry cleaner is certified by the International Fabricare Institute as a "Certified Environmental Dry Cleaner," which means the cleaner has passed a test certifying that they have the knowledge and ability to maintain their facility in an environmentally responsible way but doesn't actually ban the use of chemicals like perc.

Basically, there's no regulation of the term "organic" when applied to dry cleaning, and you really should press the cleaner to reveal exactly what chemicals are being used. Most "organic" or "natural" dry cleaners label themselves as such simply because they've stopped using perchloroethylene (or perc), a hazardous chemical considered a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Perc also contributes to air pollution and has been found to contaminate water and soil. In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency passed a law requiring any dry cleaner located in a residential building to phase out perc by 2020, and last year, the state of California approved a plan that would phase out all California dry cleaners' use of perc, which is on their list of toxic air contaminants, by January 2023.