Perchloroethylene is used by 80-90 percent of all dry cleaners. It's a neurotoxin and causes cancer in lab rats. It's also a major groundwater contaminant, found in more than 25 percent of U.S. water supplies. It's toxic to wildlife, especially fish. A recent study found that food, stored in a car with dry-cleaned clothing for one hour, absorbed levels of perchloroethylene. An EPA study found that people have perc in their breath after visiting dry cleaners. Yuck!
Break-up with your dry cleaner and do it yourself.
First grab a spray bottle. Any time you use essential oil, you should use glass. Over time, the essential oils will eat through the plastic. It's so hard to find larger glass spray bottles. I can find them in 2oz, 3oz and even 4oz but anything larger than 4oz seems impossible to find. So I used a plastic bottle for this, I go through the solution so fast that it hardly sits in the bottle for long.
Grab some vodka. Vodka kills odor-producing bacteria and does not leave a lingering aroma. Go to the liquor store and get a 90 proof bottle of cheap vodka. The cheaper the better (save the Kettle One for your martinis). I found one for a whopping $9.99.
Grab some distilled water. I always have it on hand because i use it in my garment steamer. You can by a gallon of it for less than a dollar.
Lastly, grab your essential oils. You need lavender and tea tree. Lavender has tremendous antibacterial and deodorizing properties. Tea tree is known for its antiseptic properties. Not only do they smell nice, they kill bacteria.
Now here is the hard part (kidding). Mix 2 parts vodka, one part distilled water, and four drops of each oil and viola you have your own dry cleaning spray!
Turn your garment inside out and put it on an hanger. Spray the areas where you sweat, armpits, neckline etc. and make sure you fully saturate these areas. Don't be stingy, make sure they are soaked. Then do a quick spray over the whole garment. Hang dry until the saturated areas are fully dry, I usually leave overnight. Obviously this only works to deodorize, it's not meant for stains.
