Is there a healthy alternative to dry cleaning in Peoria?

I've known that dry cleaning is bad for the environment for a while. I did the research to see if there were better options in Peoria and there weren't so I forgot about it.

Well, in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times, the Health Dilemmas article detailed the issues and alternatives of Dry Cleaning. Here's the low down, based on the article:

• Dry cleaning uses the liquid chemical perchlorethylene (perc) to clean clothes.
• "Perc is extremely toxic," a carcinogen, causes headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting
• Not only is perc a danger for people working with it, but some of it lingers on your clothes
• Perc is a serious pollutant, especially to groundwater and soil
• Perc is "listed in the Clean Air Act as a hazardous air pollutant"
• California is in the process of phasing perc out by law and New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts are likely to follow
• The Sierra club has sued the EPA for not being more proactive on the use of perc

So basically this stuff is bad for everyone's health, but to my knowledge the only alternative to dry cleaning in Peoria is to simply not go to them and take your chances washing at home. But, we can also encourage our local dry cleaners to switch. Surely they know the dangers of their business, but just in case, it doesn't hurt to let them know you are concerned about their employees, your family and the community.

As for the alternatives, according to the article they only one worth suggesting as a viable solution is Wet Cleaning. Others have side effects that aren't much better than perc's. According the article, Wet Ceaning:

• Is energy efficient, doesn't pollute and uses nontoxic detergents
• The detergents are cheaper than dry cleaning supplies
• Cleaners would also save money by not paying for hazardous waste disposal or regularty permit fees
• So overall it is cheaper for the business owner and better for our health
  

P.S. While I've only cited this one article, this information can be found via many credible sources. The cited article just made it easy to understand.