Many think all dry cleaners are created equal. Don’t all dry cleaners basically do the same thing? In fact, the industry as a whole is seen as a commodity; where the only thing that makes one dry cleaner different then another is price. That kind of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth.

So what distinguishes one dry cleaner from another and what should you look for when trying to find a good dry cleaner? The quick answer is quality, convenience, customer service and then price.

Let’s talk about quality first. How do you figure out if a dry cleaner has good quality or not? Of course there are many factors that can be considered, but in my 7 years of experience as a dry cleaner; the number one way a person can determine the overall quality of a dry cleaner is by looking at the cleaning and pressing job preformed on laundered dress shirts. When you get your shirt back, if you notice clamp marks, missing buttons or overall poor pressing job, one could surely consider those to be bad signs.

So why are laundered dress shirt so telling of the overall quality you can expect from a dry cleaner? In the dry cleaning industry dress shirts are least profitable item to clean and press. In fact many dry cleaners only launder and press dress shirts so that they have a chance to clean and press your dry cleaning. Keeping the above facts in mind f a cleaner has enough pride in his work to do a good job on a dress shirt where he isn’t making very much money, and then logically you can conclude you will receive very good quality on the more profitable dry cleaning items. Right?

Convenience. This one is really a no brainer. Anytime you can save time and gas for about the same price or maybe even less, than you are currently paying for dry cleaning why wouldn’t you use a pick-up and delivery service? One of my most dreaded chores was having to pick-up and drop off my cleaning. Because of that, if at all possible, I always look for a cleaner that will come to my house and pick-up and deliver my clothes at no extra charge.

Finding a cleaner with good customer service is really the key to long term dry cleaning happiness. The sad thing is that most dry cleaners (especially in the Treasure Valley) offer very little, if any, customer service. Frankly no or poor customer service isn’t acceptable no matter what the price is. Over the years I have personally had ruined items. Having to go to a cleaner and ask them to replace those item always seems to turn into an argument. If the cleaner does actually give in and offers to replace my garment, they always have a strange formula where they estimated the life left of that garment. Then they would only give me a partial replacement fee because I have gotten “use” out of the garment. As any Wife can attest to the “estimated life” remaining on any man’s garment is very relative.

Finally we get to price. Like everyone, I want a great deal, but if my clothes are lost or they look so bad I have to press them myself again, I don’t care how cheap it was to get my cleaning done. I’m just not interested in using that cleaner. If I wanted pressing that looked simply OK I would have pressed them myself. In no way am I suggesting you pay more for cleaning than fair market value, that’s not a good option either. But when you find a dry cleaner that has fair prices, meets expectations in convenience, customer service and quality; don’t wait around to change cleaners. Do it today.

Here are just a few reasons why Dry Cleaning Butler has chosen NOT to use PERC.

Out of all the dry cleaners in the US, 85% still use the toxic solvent perchloroethylene (PERC) known to cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and which has been linked to reproductive problems, including miscarriage and infertility in men, as well as disorders of the central nervous system. If these health risks aren’t enough, the International Agency for Research in Cancer has labeled PERC a probable human carcinogen, as has the EPA in a recent Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment. PERC is also environmentally very unfriendly and when improperly handled can create health and environmental risks in the atmosphere, soil, groundwater, drinking water, and waterways threatening many forms of life. Small amounts of PERC have been shown to be toxic to some aquatic animals where it is stored in their fatty tissues. Small amounts of PERC contaminating soil or irrigation water can also damage or kill many kinds of plants. Due to this extensive laundry-list of health concerns, and many other environmental concerns such as air and water pollution, dry-cleaning consumers can make a significant contribution by choosing healthier, greener alternatives to PERC.

Dry Cleaning Butler DOES NOT USE PERC! We are committed to the environment, which is why we have made the conscious decision to choose a greener, environmentally friendly, dry cleaning solution. We use a hydrocarbon dry cleaning solution. With this solution, not only will your clothes NOT shrink or stretch, but the colors remain true, it is not harmful to the environment and it is odorless!