The Chemical in Your Dry-Cleaned Clothes You Should Know About

Most people hand over a silk saree or a wool sherwani to a dry cleaner without asking a single question. The garment comes back pressed, wrapped in plastic, and smelling faintly of something chemical. That smell has a name. It is perchloroethylene — commonly called perc — and it is worth understanding what it is before it comes home with your clothes again.

Perc is not obscure. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a body under the WHO, classifies perchloroethylene as a Group 1 carcinogen — meaning there is sufficient evidence that it causes cancer in humans. The US National Toxicology Program lists it similarly. Yet it remains the most widely used dry cleaning solvent in India and across much of the world, because it works exceptionally well and costs relatively little.

This is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to be informed.

What perchloroethylene actually is

Perchloroethylene is a chlorinated solvent — a clear, heavy liquid with a sharp chemical odour. Its chemical name is tetrachloroethylene, abbreviated as PCE or PERC. In a dry cleaning machine, the garment is tumbled in liquid perc, which dissolves oils, greases, and many types of stains without using water. This is why dry cleaning is safe for fabrics that water would damage — silk, wool, structured jackets, embroidered lehengas.

The process is designed to be a closed loop: the perc is filtered, distilled, and reused. Modern machines recover most of the solvent. But "most" is not all. Some perc evaporates into the facility. Some clings to garments when they leave.

Why it matters for Indian households

India has thousands of dry cleaning establishments, ranging from large organised chains to small neighbourhood shops. The equipment quality varies enormously. A well-maintained, modern machine recovers perc efficiently. An older, poorly maintained machine may not.

There is no publicly available national data on perc emissions from Indian dry cleaning facilities, which is itself significant. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies perchloroethylene as a hazardous chemical under the Hazardous Waste Management Rules, but monitoring of small dry cleaning shops is limited in practice.

For the average Indian family, the risk pathway is primarily through two routes: residual perc on clothing that off-gasses indoors, and occupational exposure for the workers inside dry cleaning shops, who spend eight or more hours daily in those environments.

Research published in occupational health literature has linked chronic occupational perc exposure to increased risk of bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and neurological effects. For customers who wear dry-cleaned clothes occasionally, the exposure level is far lower — but not zero, particularly for people who store fresh dry cleaning in a closed bedroom.

What happens to garments after dry cleaning

A well-run dry cleaning facility does two things before returning a garment: allows it to air in a ventilated space, and checks that the chemical smell has dissipated. Some facilities skip the airing step when they are busy.

When you collect a garment that still smells strongly of chemicals, that smell is perc. Unwrapping the plastic immediately and allowing the garment to air outdoors or in a well-ventilated space for several hours before storing it reduces the residual concentration significantly. This is simple and takes no special equipment.

Never store freshly dry-cleaned clothes, still wrapped in plastic, inside a wardrobe in a closed bedroom. The plastic traps the off-gassing solvent. In an enclosed space, indoor air perc concentrations can temporarily rise to levels that exceed recommended guidelines — particularly concerning for children and pregnant women, who are generally considered more sensitive to volatile organic compound exposure.

What to ask your dry cleaner

The good news is that alternatives to perc exist and are increasingly available in Indian cities.

Wet cleaning uses water with specialised detergents and controlled mechanical action — it is gentle enough for many fabrics traditionally sent to dry cleaners, and it produces no chemical solvent residue.

Hydrocarbon solvents are less aggressive than perc and considered lower-risk, though they still require proper handling and ventilation.

Liquid CO2 cleaning is the most environmentally benign method — pressurised carbon dioxide acts as the solvent. It is rare in India currently but exists in some high-end facilities in larger cities.

Silicone-based solvents (sold under trade names like GreenEarth) are another perc alternative. The silicone degrades into sand, water, and CO2.

Before you hand over a valuable garment, these are reasonable questions to ask:

• • What solvent do you use for dry cleaning?
• • Is your machine a closed-loop system that recovers the solvent?
• • How long do garments air before being wrapped and returned?
• • Do you offer wet cleaning or hydrocarbon alternatives for delicate fabrics?

A dry cleaner who cannot or will not answer these questions is worth reconsidering.

The occupational health side of this

Workers in dry cleaning shops deserve a specific mention. Chronic occupational exposure to perc — breathing it at work, day after day — carries substantially higher risk than the occasional customer exposure. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workers in perc-using facilities should have adequate ventilation, personal protective equipment, and air monitoring to ensure exposure stays within safe limits.

This is as much a public health issue as a consumer one. Supporting dry cleaners who have invested in modern equipment and safer alternatives is one way consumers can influence the industry's direction.

The practical summary

Dry cleaning using perc is not something to avoid entirely — for certain fabrics and garments, professional cleaning with appropriate solvents remains the correct choice. What changes with this knowledge is how you interact with the service.

Air your dry-cleaned clothes before bringing them indoors. Remove plastic wrapping immediately. If the chemical smell is strong when you collect a garment, ask the shop to air it further. And if you are in a city where wet cleaning or hydrocarbon alternatives are available, consider asking for them specifically — particularly for children's clothing or garments worn close to the skin for extended periods.