Dry cleaning is expensive, and let's face it, pretty inconvenient. Two good reasons why we, The Budget Babe, never utilized this service on more than one occasion (took a white dress to be cleaned, and it came back with yellow spots! Another reason why we were turned off to dry cleaning forever.)

Also, roughly a decade ago or so, we started hearing about how bad dry cleaning was for the environment. If you don't know how dry cleaning works, well, it's not dry and there's nothing clean about the process. Just watch the following video on How Dry Cleaning Works:


Phew, we thought. We're not just cheap and lazy for avoiding the dry cleaners. We're actually doing something good for Mother Nature!

As if the toxic chemical bath wasn't enough to dissuade people from getting their clothes dry cleaned, get this: On a recent episode of The Oprah Show, heart surgeon and health expert Dr. Mehmet Oz advised viewers to not only dispose of their dry cleaning bags before entering their home—he also recommended airing out the clothes for at least a day before wearing them again to ensure any remaining toxic residue could dissipate. Gross!

Now that's one angle we hadn't fully considered, but to think that there are toxins left on your clothes after they're dry cleaned is, in our opinion, yet another reason why washing your clothes at home is not only the BUDGET thing to do, it's the BEST thing to do.

Still can't live without dry cleaning? Why not? Got great tips and techniques for at-home cleaning? Share them in the comments!!