Dry Cleaning Solvents (Perchloroethylene PERC) — household safety profile
Elevated riskPerchloroethylene (PERC, tetrachloroethylene) — the primary dry cleaning solvent used by 70% of US dry cleaners.
What is this product?
Perchloroethylene (PERC, tetrachloroethylene) — the primary dry cleaning solvent used by 70% of US dry cleaners. IARC Group 2A probable carcinogen (bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma). Dry-cleaned clothes off-gas PERC for 1-7 days after pickup. Workers in dry cleaning shops have 40% elevated liver cancer risk. 'Take-home' contamination: PERC transfers from cleaned garments to home air, furniture, and other clothing. Wet cleaning (water-based) and liquid CO2 are PERC-free alternatives.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Solvent
Red flags — when to walk away
- Exposure without required PPE or engineering controls — Risk of acute injury or chronic disease.
Green flags — what to look for
- OSHA-compliant engineering controls and PPE in use — Exposure controlled to below permissible limits.
Safer alternatives
- Professional wet cleaning — water-based — equivalent results for most fabrics
- Liquid CO2 dry cleaning — Solvair, Tersus
- GreenEarth — D5 siloxane) — debated environmental profile but non-carcinogenic
Frequently asked questions
Are there safer alternatives to Dry Cleaning Solvents (Perchloroethylene PERC)?
Yes — consider: Professional wet cleaning; Liquid CO2 dry cleaning; GreenEarth. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.
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Open in home View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →