Our ratings of 458 area cleaners reveal that there are many excellent shops-including some with very good prices. But beware: not all drycleaners are able to produce top-quality results consistently, and with a few, the risk is high that what you get back will be barely better than what you dropped off-or that your garments will be damaged or lost.

Read our article and findings (available exclusively to CHECKBOOK subscribers)

Back to Washington Consumers' CHECKBOOK Table of Contents.

Sample Subscriber Comments/Reviews About Drycleaners

CHECKBOOK provides subscriber comments on their experiences with the firms they use. Please remember that individual subscriber comments are informal. Subscriber comments may give you insight into the types of features and problems that exist in a service field, but are not the best basis for selecting or rejecting a specific firm. To assess the quality of a firm's performance, we recommend that you give more weight to the percentages of favorable ratings. Those percentages are generally based on much larger numbers of consumers' ratings (the number of consumer ratings is noted above).

As You Can See Below, Some Drycleaners Get High Praise from Their Customers. Some Others Don't. So Choose Carefully.
Here Are a Few Samples of the Thousands of Comments CHECKBOOK Has Collected on Hundreds of Different Drycleaners.

• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Hakeem Raqi is the delivery person. He is courteous, and helpful........
• Subscriber from MC LEAN, VA wrote Another Cleaner: This firm is properly called McLean Cleaners, not McLean Rug Cleaning........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: I use this firm because it is right next to the house. I am satisfied..........
• Subscriber from GAITHERSBURG, MD wrote Another Cleaner: The service is adequate, but the price is outstanding!.......
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: Shoe repair is a convenience. Contract cleaning and laundry prices are high, which is why..........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: Lustre is a family owed Capitol Hill Dry Cleaners that give personal service and dry..........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: Employees are friendly and very helpful. i have been going to Woodmoor Cleaners for almost..........
• Subscriber from NORTH POTOMAC, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Very unpleasant staff, poor alterations, harsh cleaning process, never admit their errors........
• Subscriber from LAUREL, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Ok of my work and play clothes would not take my good clothes there.......
• Subscriber from GREAT FALLS, VA wrote Another Cleaner: too bad it closed/moved.......
• Subscriber from POTOMAC, MD wrote Another Cleaner: The quality of their work is such that I bring things to them from our..........
• Subscriber from RESTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: service is too pricey. buttons oftern smashed in cleaning/ironing process........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: The only time I went there, they lost 6 shirts and never found them. It..........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: careful! they destroy things!.......
• Subscriber from RESTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Weekly service is great. The shoe-repair expert is fantastic. Wouldn't go anywhere else........
• Subscriber from SPRINGFIELD, VA wrote Another Cleaner: I use them for standard dry cleaning, but would be concerned about expensive formal wear,..........
• Subscriber from SILVER SPRING, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Manager rude, insulting, and refused any responsibility after I complained that they had torn two..........
• Subscriber from HERNDON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: They closed the business and took my drycleaning with them!!!.......
• Subscriber from ROCKVILLE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: I've used Edna's through two owners for years - they are excellent........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: The best in every way. Have been going here for 10 years and wouldn't consider..........
• Subscriber from ALEXANDRIA, VA wrote Another Cleaner: High quality. But pricey. Worth it for your fine clothes! Why can a man get..........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Excellent quality and service. Plus they know all of their customers by name!.......
• Subscriber from ROCKVILLE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Very good, but you pay a high price........
• Subscriber from KENSINGTON, MD wrote Another Cleaner: They never smile and are sourpusses. Get the impression they are doing me a favor..........
• Subscriber from ALEXANDRIA, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Staff is very courteous and the cleaning is superior in every way........
• Subscriber from BETHESDA, MD wrote Another Cleaner: great service, reasonable prices.......
• Subscriber from ALEXANDRIA, VA wrote Another Cleaner: They need to take the sign out of their window. They do decent work and..........
• Subscriber from CLIFTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: I think their costs are high........
• Subscriber from OAKTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: I took in an heirloom Army-Navy tablecloth with a red wine stain. The stain did..........
• Subscriber from HERNDON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: I was very unhappy. Laundering a polo shirt cost $7.25 each and dress shirt (not..........
• Subscriber from SILVER SPRING, MD wrote Another Cleaner: And the price is right........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: This is a wonderful family-run business. I've been going for years, even as I moved..........
• Subscriber from GAITHERSBURG, MD wrote Another Cleaner: The lady is very nice and the service quality is good. However, they don't use..........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: Very good quality, but pricing is just outrageous........
• Subscriber from CHEVY CHASE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: VERY VERY EXPENSIVE! But very good end product for those things you care very much..........
• Subscriber from FAIRFAX, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Wonderful family businesses. Very good work and consistent over the years........
• Subscriber from ROCKVILLE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: I came to Parkway with some dry cleaning as well as alterations. The alterations needed..........
• Subscriber from HERNDON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Expensive. Sometimes have to send back items for repressing because they weren't done right the..........
• Subscriber from CHEVY CHASE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Expensive, but worth it for special items. Too expensive for routine dry cleaning, although they..........
• Subscriber from STERLING, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Reliable cleaner........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: George does a great job with alterations and always does outstanding work for his customers...........
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: They are the cheapest cleaners in town and do a satisfactory job. Staff like to..........
• Subscriber from FAIRFAX, VA wrote Another Cleaner: Expensive, but the quality is very good........
• Subscriber from ARLINGTON, VA wrote Another Cleaner: The Betty Brite Cleaners I am rating is on Wilson Blvd. in the Dominion Hills..........
• Subscriber from CHEVY CHASE, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Ripped clothes a few times and wouldn't repair. Constantly breaks buttons. We used for a..........
• Subscriber from BETHESDA, MD wrote Another Cleaner: Expensive. Don't do collars of shirts well, and can't seem to correct process........
• Subscriber from NORTH POTOMAC, MD wrote Another Cleaner: very expensive.......
• Subscriber from ALEXANDRIA, VA wrote Another Cleaner: The best dry cleaners in this area with a winning attitude........
• Subscriber from LEESBURG, VA wrote Another Cleaner: They deliver!.......
• Subscriber from WASHINGTON, DC wrote Another Cleaner: Fabulous value and cost!.......