Notes From Under the House

I think the October issue of Health magazine is one of their best issues. Usually they’ll have a couple of good articles, but in this issue, every single article and blurb is right-on. They have write-ups on mammograms, the (new) Mediterranean diet, insurance company secrets, medicine and weight gain and tips for a healthy office. One of the questions they address on the Q&A page is on dry cleaners. Dry cleaners use a chemical called Perc that is environmentally unsafe and is known to have carcinogens. My Dad told me years ago that when you first get your clothes from the cleaners, you should take the plastic wrap off immediately and let your clothes air out for at least twelve hours. I do that and sometimes I let them air out for a couple of days, and I still smell the chemicals on them. It’s faint but it’s a distinct smell and sometimes it makes me cough. My friend has been telling me that when I go to the dry cleaners, I need to ask for a wet cleaning. Wet cleaning uses biodegradable detergents and is supposed to be environmentally safe and gentle on your clothes and skin.  I’ve used Dryel, which is biodegradable, on a sweater and honestly, I can’t tell if it really cleaned it. It came out smelling fresh, but I guess the real test would be on something that was “dirty” dirty to see if it takes the stains out. I have a couple of Dryel cloths left so I’ll try it again.