GREEN RESOLUTION: NO MORE DRYCLEANING

I'd hate to put local, family-owned drycleaners out of business, but one easy green thing to resolve for 09 could be to cut back or cut out the chemical kind.  When you choose a cleaner, make sure it uses pressurized or liquid CO2 or "wet cleaning" for its cleaning process.  The typical process uses perchloroethylene (often called perc), a neurotoxin, carcinogen, and big baddie for humans according to the EPA, in addition to being a groundwater contaminator and ozone-layer offender.

It's a great idea to read labels before buying anything to avoid "Dry Clean Only" garments, but I've found that I can hand wash almost anything--bamboo, silk, wool, cashmere, you name it. I use a little Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap and things come out swimmingly.

1. Steaming vs. ironing which both smoothes wrinkles and kills microbes.

2. Using a good, old-fashioned brush or microfiber cloth before hanging up hardy clothing like suit jackets to ditch surface dirt.

3. Making your own "clothing cocktail." A spritzer filled with plain old vodka works great for underarm areas to kill bacteria and in turn kill odor (I can't wait to try this for times my natural deodorant has left me feeling good but left my clothes smelling just slightly, well, earthy).