Finding a Drycleaning Outfit You Can Trust
Last updated November 2023
Our evaluation of area drycleaning shops can help you spot good candidates. The ratings on companies’ service quality come from our surveys of area consumers. We primarily surveyed Consumers’ Checkbook subscribers, but also invited other randomly selected consumers to provide ratings. Our Ratings Tables list the shops that received 10 or more survey responses.
Respondents rated companies they used as “inferior,” “adequate,” or “superior” for “doing service properly on the first try,” “starting and completing service promptly,” “pleasantness of staff,” and “overall quality.” Our Ratings Tables report what percent of each company’s surveyed customers rated it “superior” (as opposed to “adequate” or “inferior”) on each survey question. Click here for a further description of our customer survey and other research methods.
When trying out drycleaners, perform these quality checks:
- When you drop off garments, do employees ask about stains and note the information you provide?
- Do staffers provide coherent answers to your questions about whether a difficult stain will come out?
- Are your clothes ready when promised?
- Do the garments look and smell clean?
- Were the clothes pressed properly? One of the most common complaints we get is that shops sloppily press garments, leaving “double creases” and crushing or losing buttons.
- Does the drycleaner have an efficient system for finding your things when you pick them up?
Before taking your clothes to be cleaned, check them for stains and empty all the pockets.
If there are stains, show them to the clerk and say what caused them, how long they’ve been there, and what, if anything, you have used to treat them. The more the pro knows, the better the chances of successful cleaning. Also indicate any hidden spots—particularly sugary spills (soft drinks, white wine, fruit juice). Pin a tag or have a staffer put tape on each stain.