We can’t forget that dozens of San Francisco’s dry cleaning stores may end up hiking prices or facing closure as the July 1 deadline looms for them to comply with new environmental policies.

City officials say they’re doing all they can to encourage the shops to purchase the less toxic-spewing wet-cleaning machines, saying the technology is the best solution to achieving compliance.

The problem? The cash-strapped city doesn’t have enough dough to help the dry cleaners purchase the expensive machines.

There was a bit of good news on that front this week. The City struck a partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District that will allow it to financially help eight cleaners purchase new equipment, said Debbie Raphael with the Department of Environment.

That’s double the number of cleaners that were going to be allotted grant money prior to this announcement.

Supervisor Eric Mar, a member of the BAAQMD board of directors, has been helping out in the effort to secure the funds, Raphael said.