Ask anyone if they have a good dry cleaner, and odds are you’ll get one solid recommendation for every 10 horror stories about lost garments, broken buttons and outrageous charges. Tales of misplaced pants aside, there are several options to consider: Do you take a chance on the ultra-cheap operation near your office? Or spend more at an eco-friendly cleaner and avoid some of the harsh chemicals?
To get the dirt on coming clean, we conducted an experiment: I bought four identical button-front shirts and spilled the same amount of red wine in the same place on each. Then I took three to different dry cleaners — a wallet-friendly same-day-service spot in Silver Spring, an organic cleaner in the District and a long-established chain’s location in Arlington. For the fourth, I scoured the Internet for a home remedy and tackled the stain with a cocktail of household products. Read on to see the winners and losers in this quest for clean.
The BOTTOM LINE: let's be stronger here.In my admittedly limited test, Bergmann's was the clear winner. Turns out The well-established Washington area chain won on points for price,convenience and — what really matters — cleaning.xxxx When choosing a dry cleaner, a good reputation goes a long way. Find a cleanernvestigate your nearest well-established company — look for ones with multiple locations and added services. , such as free pick-up. If you're looking for an eco-friendly establishment, get a price ahead of time. before you hand over your garments. And never — most important — don'tleave the cleaner without checking the results. giving your neatly-pressed piece a once-over.
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ECO-FRIENDLY
Georgetown Valet
1100 13th St. NW
202-289-7779
These days, it can be tough to find a dry cleaner that doesn't have "organic" somewhere on its signage, but not all things organic are created equal. There are no industry regulations on the use of the term, so in some instances, including Georgetown Valet, organic means using a nontoxic hydrocarbon solvent. It's better than the old-fashioned chemicals but not completely natural. it could mean all-natural products, while in others, it could simply indicate an alternative carbon compound that isn't necessarily natural. In this case, Georgetown Valet uses a non-toxic hydrocarbon solventTKTK
Pros: The customer service here was top-notch. All three employees greeted me and thanked me for coming in, plus they remembered me when I came back for the shirt, which was spotless. did the stain come completely out?
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Cons: It's not always easy — or cheap — being green. At just under $7, the dry-cleaning bill was almost a third of the cost of the $24.95 H&M shirt.
LOCAL FIXTURE
Bergmann’s Cleaning
2147 Lee Hwy.
703-276-3947; bergmanns.com
This family-run company has operated in the D.C. metro area since 1917. With 11 home pick-up and delivery routes from Reston to Columbia and a range of payment plans, Bergmann's approach is decidedly old-fashioned — customers can place their items to be cleaned outside their front door, where they'll be dropped off when the job is done. The company switched to a biodegradable solvent in 2007 but has steered clear of the "organic" label.
Pros: First, the obvious — Bergmann's charged the least and got all the wine out. With two freestanding locations and 50 Safeway drop-off spots, there's probably an outpost near you, plus the chain offers free home pick-up and delivery.
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Cons: Call ahead. If you're hunting a deal, calling ahead should become standard practice. Using the "Store by ZIP" feature on the Web site sent me to a Wilson Boulevard location that no longer exists.
FAST AND CHEAP
Dryclean Direct
Share this articleShare13411 New Hampshire Ave.
Silver Spring
301-589-7400
holly, does this work for you?
Fixed-price discount dry cleaners have cropped up in recent years, but it this a penny-wise, pound-foolish approach? I pointed out the general stain when dropping off the item and the efficient clerk marked it with tape. The marked spot that was marked came clean, but there were adjacent small spots that didn't get that level of care. attention. This place is about volume and convenience and so if you want extra attention paid to something, be prepared to be specific.
Pros: Same-day service means that the shirt, which was dropped off at 8 a.m., was ready for pick-up before dinner. This location has extended weekday hours and is open onon Sunday.
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Cons: This is the only cleaner that didn't remove all the wine, leaving behind small obviousspots. on the collar and pocket. Cash-only payment is required in advance. , and you have to leave four garments at a time to get the $1.98-per-item rate. i called the check; they recently abandoned this. so there's no minimum.
HOME REMEDY
Hydrogen peroxide, soap
$0.99 for 8 fl. oz.
and $1.39 for 16 fl. oz. at mass retailers
The at-home stain showdown began with an Internet search for the most popular do-it-yourself method. I started by wetting the stain and then coating it with salt, which some online sources claimed would soak up the wine. That doesn't work for a set stain. might work for a fresh stain, but not this one. As plan B, I mixed one part hydrogen peroxide with two parts water and a squeeze of dish soap, poured it on the stain and waited. for the disappearing act. After about 30 seconds, and zero magic, I gently dabbed at the stain — don't scrub, or else you'll fray the fibers in the shirt — for a few minutes and voila! The wine was gone and the shirt looked likenew.
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Pros: The DIY approach gets the stain out endered the same results as the two successful dry cleaning services, and leaves plenty of extra solution for future spills. It took about 10 minutes. The process took roughly 10 minutes.
Cons: Be careful if you try this quick fix on a colored shirt, as Hydrogen peroxide can bleach certain fabrics, so test the solution on a hidden section first.
Have an idea for Deal Hunter? Let us know at dealhunter@washpost.com
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