Elephant Pharm Introduces "Green" Dry Cleaning

Partners with Blue Sky Dry Cleaners, Bay Area's only certified eco-friendly service, to offer safer, healthier, service in San Rafael.

Issued March 8, 2007

Elephant Pharm, the leading one-stop wellness store and complementary pharmacy, is now offering a safer, healthier, environmentally friendly dry cleaning service at its San Rafael store at 909 Grand Ave.

Elephant is partnering with Union City-based Blue Sky Dry Cleaners to provide the service. Blue Sky Dry Cleaners - Northern California's only 100% clean and natural dry cleaner - focuses exclusively on liquid carbon dioxide and wet cleaning technologies. It has been certified by the Bay Area Green Business Program, making it the only dry cleaning service to receive that distinction.

"Offering a non-toxic dry cleaning and laundry service to our customers is just one of the many ways we make it easier for people to live healthier lives and help keep the earth safer for everyone," said Kathi Lentzsch, president and CEO of Elephant Pharm.

Customers will be able to drop off their laundry and dry cleaning at Elephant Pharm in San Rafael, and Blue Sky will launder it and return it to the store for pick up in two days. The service costs about the same, or even less than traditional dry cleaning.

According to Blue Sky, carbon dioxide is widely regarded as the most environmentally sound cleaning technique that, in addition to its non-toxic properties, is also gentler on clothes than traditional garment-cleaning methods. Wet cleaning combines biodegradable detergents with water, and its technologically advanced washing machines ensure that clothes don't shrink.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, perchloroethylene, or “Perc,” for short, is still the most common solvent used in the dry cleaning industry. Researchers have linked Perc to a range of health problems: dizziness, nausea, liver problems and cancer. A new regulation by the California Air Resources Board mandates the gradual phase-out of that chemical's use. The solvent has contaminated one in 10 wells in California.

Other, newer cleaning technologies, such as the hydrocarbon-based solvent DF-2000 and GreenEarth, a siloxane-based solvent common in cosmetics, face concerns as well, according to Blue Sky.

The EPA and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District have supported Blue Sky's efforts from the outset. In fact, the District and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. have backed the company with small grants.

Pending a successful launch in San Rafael, Elephant Pharm plans to expand the service to three additional locations: Los Altos, Berkeley, and their new store in Walnut Creek, opening in mid-April.

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Blue Sky Cleaners (www.blueskycleaners.com) is a family owned and operated business committed to providing superior quality using environmentally-safe cleaning methods for cleaning clothes. The company uses the most environmentally sound cleaning process available – a combination of dry cleaning with liquid CO2 and professional wet cleaning technologies. Blue Sky Cleaners is the only certified environmentally-friendly dry cleaner in Northern California and has been named one of “America's Best Cleaners.”