If you had the luxury of extra time on your hands, what would you do?

If you’re like most folks, work and home life keep you very busy. Wouldn’t it be nice if your dirty clothes could magically be cleaned, ironed, and ready to wear again without making trips to the cleaners? That’s the beauty of dry cleaning and laundry delivery services. But it’s not magic.

In this article, you’ll learn the ins and outs of dry cleaning delivery services and what makes each delivery service different.

Throughout our long history, Snedicor’s has always offered pickup and delivery service. Times have changed since I came on board in the early 1980s. Back then, customers would place a Snedicor’s placard in their window when they had a pickup, so the driver knew to stop. Later we kept a Rolodex file in each van with a card for each customer placed in the route’s stop order. Today, customers can schedule service online, and each van has a dedicated device running our delivery app for maximum efficiency.

Who does the cleaning, and who makes the deliveries?

Most dry cleaning delivery services own and operate both the cleaning operation, where the clothing is cleaned and pressed, and the delivery operation, which is responsible for picking up cleaning from customers and delivering the finished orders back to them. Companies that own and operate both facets have the most control over both the cleaning and pressing quality, and also the pickup and delivery quality and service.

Some delivery services farm out the cleaning of their customers’ clothing to a different company. These services have less control over the quality of the finished product.

Some dry cleaners farm out the delivery of their laundry and dry cleaning to a delivery company. They have less control over the quality and service of the pick ups and deliveries.

How to investigate the best laundry and dry cleaning delivery services

You’ll want to find out if the company that does the cleaning and pressing also handles the pick up and delivery. Then check the online reviews of the company or companies that will be handling your garments from start to finish.

More stars plus more reviews is the quickest way to get a reading on the quality and service of an operation. Look at not only how high a company is rated but how many reviews it has. It’s a lot harder to maintain a high rating with hundreds or thousands of reviews compared to a company that just has a handful. Reading some of the reviews, including a few negative ones, can give you a better sense of who you could be entrusting with your valued garments. Here you want to focus on the quality of the actual cleaning. Are stains removed? Do colors remain vibrant? Do whites come back dingy, or are they returned bright white? Are there any reported odors? Have items been lost or damaged? If so, how were claims handled?

Once you’ve established that a company has a good reputation for clothes cleaning, pressing, and customer service, it’s time to investigate the quality of their pick up and delivery service.

First, check the online reviews of the company that provides the pickup and delivery service. Remember, they are probably the same company, but they could be different ones. Are they on time? Do they miss stops? Are finished orders returned when promised? Is the order process easy or even automatic? Any reports of unsafe driving?

What kind of vehicles are used to pick up and deliver your clothing?

In the restaurant industry, it is said that if you want to know what a restaurant’s kitchen looks like, check out the restroom. If a part of the building that’s open to the public is gross, just imagine what it looks like behind the scenes!

The same can be said for dry cleaning delivery services. If you want to know what the production facility looks like, check out their delivery van. If it’s old, rusty, or damaged that can be a good indicator of how they maintain their production facility and the equipment used to clean and press your clothes.

Are personal vehicles used for deliveries, or does the cleaner have dedicated delivery vans? Delivery vehicles that are dedicated to dry cleaning deliveries usually have custom-made garment racks that help keep the clothing from getting wrinkled while being transported back to the customer.

Once you’ve narrowed your search, it’s time to contact a few of the cleaners that appeal to you. Here are seven key questions to help you find the dry cleaning and laundry delivery service that will be the best fit for you and your wardrobe.

1. How often is service available at my location?

Does the delivery company provide service only once or twice weekly on set days?

2. Can I get service on demand?

Is Will Call service available, in which you contact the company when you want service?

Is On Demand service available? Can you get service on days when the company is not already in your neighborhood?

3. What if I need next day or same day clothes cleaning?

Same-day and next-day service used to be common in the drycleaning industry, but fewer and fewer cleaners offer such fast service these days. Far fewer offer same-day or next-day pickup and delivery service, but some do!

4. What is the charge for delivery service?

Is there a delivery fee?

Is there a minimum number of items needed for service?

5. How is payment handled?

Can I pay my bill online?

6. How easy is it to communicate my needs with the company?

How responsive is the company, and what avenues of communication do they offer? Do they only offer communication by telephone? What about email, text, or live chat?

Will I get a reminder notification the evening before my service day? Can I opt in or out of notifications?

Will I be notified when my cleaning is picked up and when the finished order is delivered?

7. What if I travel for work?

Can the service accommodate special needs such as in-garage pickup and delivery?

Will they accommodate my travel schedule with on-demand scheduling and off-day pickups and deliveries?

What’s the best dry cleaning and laundry delivery service for you?

When you found this article, you were looking for a convenient, time-saving alternative to going to the cleaners, but you were unsure of the options.

Now you have a better understanding of how different dry cleaning services handle pickups and deliveries, and you can make an educated choice that best fits your lifestyle and wardrobe.

If you’d like to try our award-winning pickup and delivery service risk-free, you can schedule service now or whenever is convenient for you 24/7.

Still not sure? Check out our Learning Center for more articles about garment care, the dry cleaning industry, and dry cleaning and laundry pick up and delivery services.

Have more questions? You can text, chat, email, or phone us at any time.