Best Eco-Friendly Dry Cleaners in Australia: A Comprehensive Directory

Dry cleaning your clothes is known to extend their life cycle and help protect their color and shine – a major win given our growing concern and awareness about the impact of fast fashion and textile waste. However, the chemicals used in the process can have a significant impact on waterways and the surrounding nature. And as we begin to better understand, the environmental impact of clothing does not stop at the production stages, with the products used when cleaning the garments also being a concern.

That’s part of the reason Sydney-based brand Noble Label has taken matters into its own hands by launching the Eco Dry Cleaners Directory, a comprehensive national guide to eco-friendly dry cleaners for your clothes. Inspired by customer concerns, co-founder and creative director Courtney Noble decided to simplify the process, giving people a resource for green dry cleaners.

We caught up with Noble to understand the new repertoire and what prompted the launch.

What inspired the Eco Dry Cleaners initiative?

Being a Sydney brand through and through, we often received messages from customers asking if we favored a particular dry cleaner in our area. As a few of our parts are dry clean only, we feel responsible for directing our customers to the best dry cleaners near them.

Dry cleaning is particularly effective as it extends the life cycle of products by protecting the color, shine and softness of your garment, while being gentler than other cleaning methods. The downside is that many dry cleaners still use chemicals such as perchlorethylene (PERC) which are dangerous for the environment and our health.

So what is green dry cleaning and how does it differ from regular dry cleaning?

Ecological dry cleaning offers an alternative to traditional dry cleaning. Instead of using chemicals like PERC, dry cleaners use methods like professional wet cleaning, which actually uses water rather than chemicals, as well as other specialized detergents and conditioners. via a computer-controlled washing machine. The washed fabrics are then placed in a specialized dryer equipped with humidity sensors to ensure that the fibers are protected, color fading is avoided and the fabrics do not shrink.

Why is green dry cleaning something we should engage in?

There are many benefits to using eco-friendly dry cleaners without the risk of chemical exposure. Toxic chemicals like PERC have many adverse health effects, even when exposed to low doses. It is also a persistent pollutant that can contaminate air, water and soil, posing many environmental risks.

How do you hope to see the industry adapt to changing attitudes towards the environment?

Many countries are working to phase out the use of PERC and other harmful chemicals used in traditional dry cleaning, but there’s still a long way to go. We found that in Australia and New Zealand alone there was a very small amount of dry cleaners using environmentally friendly dry cleaning techniques. Some claim to use more environmentally friendly methods, but still use toxic chemicals such as PERC.

The dry cleaning industry is a very important part of the fashion industry and there is so much dialogue in sustainable fashion about fabrics and where products are made. Dry cleaning is often overlooked and not talked about.

Finally, what’s next for the Eco Dry Cleaners directory?

The purpose of our directory was to open the conversation around green dry cleaning and where to find one near you. We will continue to develop our directory based on our research and recommendations from our customers. It’s a small stepping stone to raising awareness about the harmful effects of traditional dry cleaning and how we can push for industry-wide change.

For a full overview of the initiative, you can scroll through the Eco Dry Cleaner directory with cleaners from across Australia and around the world. As a starting point, we’ve included a selection of cleaners to get you started on your search for an eco-friendly dry cleaner.