As an environmental consultant, I am often dealing with the PCE (tetrachloroethene) which breaks down to TCE and a host of other contaminants. These are dense chemicals that sink in water and they are quite toxic. It makes them particularly difficult to clean up. I don't generally deal with dry cleaners directly but their traces are nearly everywhere in the groundwater. I have sites with unknown offsite sources that are in the thousands of ppb. I think they are cleaner now than they used to be and they have to keep account of their inventory. It used to be they would just dump the excess PCE. I think when you include the drive to the drycleaners, it is probably worse but as long as they do their business above board, it isn't so bad.
They do different things, as anyone who's ever accidently thrown suit pants into the washer will tell you. The solution is to incent dry cleaners to use better processes. However admirable, it is unrealistic to expect professionals to give up well taylored and dry-cleaned clothing.
I don't see how it can fit the transit analogy. People can be transported more efficiently in large numbers than individually. Already dry cleaning is pooled for efficiency rather than individuals doing the process individually. Any improvement in efficiency is good.
I do all my washing on the cold cycle and hang my clothes to dry. So for me I use less energy and thus less CO2 then if I drove to the dry cleaners.
It is about the same.
Doing some research and came accross that drycleaners are among the worst in emissions and wondering if it has a public transit effect. Like how a bus would emit more than a car but carpooling saves.
