FAQs
Questions people ask
If yours isn’t here, just ask. We’d rather answer than have you guess.
General questions
How long does cleaning usually take?
Most orders come back in about a week. We’d rather give you an honest range than a fixed date we can’t always hit. Some items, particularly wedding gowns, leather, and heavily stained pieces, need longer to do properly. If yours is one of them, we’ll tell you when we collect it.
Do you charge extra for pickup and delivery?
No. Pickup and delivery is part of the service, not an add-on. We collect from your home or office and bring everything back clean.
What is Green Earth cleaning, and why does it matter?
Green Earth is a non-toxic, silicone-based cleaning process that replaces the petroleum solvents, like perchloroethylene, that most dry cleaners still use. It’s gentler on fabric and on skin, and it doesn’t leave the chemical smell people associate with dry cleaning. It cleans just as well.
Do I need an appointment?
Not for drop-off. For pickup and delivery, get in touch and we’ll agree a time that works around your schedule.
What if something can’t be cleaned, or needs special treatment?
We check every garment when it arrives. If something needs specialty treatment, or if we don’t think cleaning will improve it, we’ll contact you before doing anything, and before charging you anything.
Can you get out a stain that’s already set?
Often, yes, but it depends on what caused it and how long it’s been there. Tell us what the stain is when you hand the item over; knowing whether it’s wine, oil, or makeup genuinely changes how we treat it, and it’s the single biggest thing that improves the odds.
How should I get a wedding dress ready for cleaning?
Don’t try to treat it yourself, and don’t leave it in the garment bag it came home in. Bring it to us as soon as you reasonably can. Champagne and sugar-based marks are invisible at first and turn yellow over the following months.
Do you work with businesses?
Yes. We handle linens, uniforms, and workwear for hotels, restaurants, salons, and offices on a scheduled basis, with consolidated invoicing. Get in touch and we’ll set an account up around how your business actually runs.
Dry Cleaning
How often should I dry clean a suit?
Less often than most people think. For a suit worn about once a week, every four or five wears is plenty. Air it out and brush it between times. Over-cleaning wears fabric faster than wearing it does.
Can you clean leather and suede?
Yes. Leather and suede are cleaned and conditioned separately from everything else, and we can handle suede restoration and colour work on pieces that have faded.
Will dry cleaning shrink or damage delicate fabrics?
Not when the method matches the fabric. We sort and spot every garment by hand first, then choose the treatment based on the fibre and construction rather than running everything through one cycle.
Wash & Fold Laundry
Is my laundry washed with other people’s?
No. Every order is washed by household, start to finish.
Can you use my detergent, or skip fabric softener?
Yes. Tell us once and we’ll keep your preferences on file: water temperature, detergent, softener, and anything you’d rather we hang-dried.
What’s the difference between wash & fold and hand-pressed shirts?
Wash and fold comes back folded and sorted, ready to put away. Hand-pressed shirts are finished on a press and returned on hangers, with proper attention to collars and cuffs. Plenty of people use both.
Repairs
How long do alterations take?
Simple work like a hem or a button is quick; fitting work takes longer, and anything needing a fitting will need you to come in. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe when we see the garment.
Can you repair a zipper rather than replace it?
Sometimes, it depends on how the zipper failed. If replacing it is the better long-term answer we’ll say so rather than doing a repair that won’t hold.
Do you alter garments I didn’t buy from you?
Of course. Most alterations we do are on clothes people already own.
Wedding Dress Preservation
How soon after the wedding should I bring my dress in?
As soon as you reasonably can. Champagne, sugar, and clear liquids leave marks that are invisible on the day and oxidise into yellow-brown stains over the following months. Early cleaning is the difference between easy and difficult.
What’s the difference between cleaning and preservation?
Cleaning removes what’s on the dress. Preservation is how it’s packed afterwards: folded with acid-free tissue into an acid-free box, so the packaging itself doesn’t damage the fabric over the next twenty years. Ordinary boxes and plastic garment bags do.
Can you clean a gown with heavy beading or lace?
Yes. Beading, lace, and tulle are treated by hand rather than run through a standard cycle, and the gown is pressed and detailed before it’s packed.
Household Items
Can you clean a king-size comforter?
Yes. Comforters, duvets, and bedding of any size are handled here rather than being forced through a domestic machine, which is what causes the filling to clump.
Do you clean curtains and drapes?
Yes, priced by the panel. Take them down and bring them in, and they come back finished and ready to re-hang.
What about slipcovers and upholstery?
Removable slipcovers and table linens, yes. Send us a photo of anything you’re unsure about and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help.
Commercial Laundry Services
Do you set up scheduled collection for businesses?
Yes. Commercial accounts run on a fixed schedule that fits how your business operates, with consolidated invoicing rather than per-order billing.
Can you handle a busy week without notice?
Usually, yes. Absorbing peaks is most of the reason hospitality clients stay with us. Tell us what’s coming and we’ll plan around it.
Can we trial the service before switching everything over?
That’s the sensible way to do it. Start with part of your volume and compare it against your current supplier before committing.
Pickup & Delivery
How does pickup and delivery work?
Get in touch to arrange a time, leave your items out, and we collect them. They come back clean to your home or office on a schedule that suits you.
Is there a charge for pickup and delivery?
No. It’s included, not an upsell.
How quickly will I get my items back?
Typically about a week. We don’t promise a specific date, because some pieces need longer to do properly and we’d rather be straight with you than miss a deadline we set ourselves.
Ready to hand it off to us?
Tell us when suits you and we’ll collect from your door. There’s no extra charge for pickup and delivery.