I'm really glad I found this cleaner. It may be a little out of the way for me, but I genuinely don't mind going the extra distance because they're dependable and committed to being a green cleaner, which is something I really value. The vibe is very relaxed and welcoming. It's usually just one person working when I stop by, and they're always friendly, helpful, and easy to talk to. It feels like the kind of small, neighborhood place where you're treated kindly and your clothes are in good hands. If you're looking for a dependable cleaner that uses greener practices and offers genuinely kind service, this place is definitely worth the trip. read more

DO NOT BRING YOUR CLOTHES HERE TO BE CLEANED! I brought a pair of suede pants to be cleaned because they had informed me of their "professional leather cleaning services."When I tried on the pants, I realized that the " professional leather cleaner" had completely ruined my pants. They had not tested a small part of the pants before proceeding, but instead they had applied whatever cleaning product to mass parts of the pants, which had completely changed the color and texture of the suede. When I brought it in today, the lady there took one look at the pants and rudely replied, "well that's why we had you sign a waiver." No apology, just annoyed. SHE REFUSED TO REFUND ME THE HUNDRED DOLLAR COST OF CLEANING THE PANTS. They had me sign a carpet and curtain waiver to absolve themselves of any liability. Nice try. After I complained more, she reluctantly decided to take the pants back to be sent out again. She had me sign the drapery and curtain waiver again, even though I told her my pants are not curtains. Completely rude customer service, unprofessional and incompetent. If they want us to support small businesses, this is not the way to go. Do better Arlene. read more

Arlene's Cleaners - Splotchy, color and texture change. Completely ruined my suede pants. - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

Got my suits back within a reasonable time, at a good price, smelling good and looking clean. I will be back. Would recommend. Thank you! read more

Arlene's Cleaners - My dry cleaned suits! - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

Clark Dec, 19, 2025 Clothes (colors) come back faded. Their quality is not what it used to be. Regretfully, after many years I am not gong back to Arlene's Cleaners again. read more

Friendly service. Went in to get a dress pressed. It was ready 3 days later. Good price. No issues upon pickup. read more

First, I want to state that I will never shop at Arlene's Cleaners again. Here is what happened: At Christmas time, I received 3 very nice sweaters which my daughter purchased from Banana Republic. After wearing the seaters for a month or so, I felt that one of the seaters needed to be cleaned, so I took it down to Arlene's for dry cleaning, The sales person said that the sweater would be ready in a few days. When I handed the seater, it had been gently used, no change in size, still in great shape. In a week or so I went over to Arlene's tp up the sweater. The The sales person asked me if I wanted to take the s sweater out of the bag and inspect it to see if I was happy. So I took the seater out of the bag and What I saw was a bit shocking ! The sweater had shrunk to half it's original size.. and obviously I could not wear it. This problem needed a resolution which should have been that I needed or my daughter needed to recoup the money that was paid for the seater. So that is what I asked for. The salesperson said that I would have to come back because the owner of the shop would not be back until the following Thursday. So I went home, but annoyed by having to wait to get the problem solved, getting the purchase price returned to me from Arle.$70 So after a week, I want down to Arlen's This time the owner was there, So I introduced my self to the owner, she was aware of the problem. But she did not have the money on hand, but she took down my address, saying that she would mail it to me and I agreed to this. I waited a few days, no, s sweater came in the mail. She check to see if the address was correct, it was correct. The own once again said that she would mail it to me. No sweater arrived. Its's now been approaching half a year, no sweater. At this point, I am going to carry this further, It's just t not worth my time. But I did want future customers of this business to that at least one of Arlene's customers had been ripped off and is very dissatisfied with the way I was treated. read more

I thrifted a wool coat and they had it ready the next day! It was very well cleaned and was set for a fair price. Will definitely bring more coats in the future. read more

Nice people but I was very disappointed in the quality of their cleaning. I took in a cashmere sweater and asked to have the sweater measured prior to cleaning to insure the finished product, after cleaning, would not have shrunk. I emphasized my concern about shrinkage.They pleasantly agreed and measured the sweater. When I brought the sweater home after cleaning, it had shrunk by 1 1/2 inches. I expected them to measure the garment after cleaning but they apparently did not do so. (In fairness, I chose not to return to them for any compensation so I can't say how they might have responded.) I cannot recommend this business read more

I have been coming to Arlene's Cleaners for the better half of the past 10 years and I can attest these good people are always professional and do a fantastic job with the clothes I drop off. I've dropped off some of my favorite collared shirts that needed new life to be breathed into them and Arlene's gets the job done. I was recently here on 10/26/21 and hadn't been here since Covid had shut all non-essential businesses down. I found some metered parking and approached the business to find a sign posted outside and inside the store empty. My heart suddenly dropped so I walked a little closer so I could read the sign. Lo and behold, false alarm!!! Arlene's Cleaners just relocated a few hundred yards on the same street. The best part of it all is that I no longer have to pay for parking. That's right, Arlene's is now located in the same parking lot as 7-11 and the laundromat. The drive was literally 2 minutes down the street and I pulled up and found it right there fully operational. I know it's been tough on local businesses because of Covid so I'm so happy to see that Arlene's Cleaners is operating better than ever at its new location on College Ave, Berkeley. Looking forward to continuing to patronize this business for many more years to come. read more

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LUXURY ITEM RUINED -- I am a longtime resident and professional in Elmwood. I went to Arlene's to dry-clean a black polyamide turtleneck by THE ROW, which I bought at Saks for $690.00, and received a mess. The dry-cleaner scraped the front of the shirt across the breast so that the material was raw and destroyed. They also pricked the material in two separate places, creating two pulls on the front of the top. It is now unwearable. This top was worn and dry-cleaned only once, resulting in this level of damage. When I asked for the value of the item (see PDF receipt attached), I was told to come back in 5 days later, when the owner would be present. I will update this post when I meet the owner and hopefully resolve the issue. I'm requesting the value of the item. Deeply disappointed. read more

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Had great experiences for a while, but the last visit was a disaster. They probably didn't wrap the buttons properly and many buttons were ruined for 7 shirts/dresses I sent. I think they even changed some broken ones without telling me when I picked up. Very disappointed. read more

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For my purposes, Arlene's is often to my rescue. On occasion I will need a work shirt dry cleaned, pressed and ready in 24 hours and they manage to do it when no one else can. (I love my routine dry cleaner in my non-Elmwood neighborhood, but they don't do expedited orders.) The shirts by Arlene's are always perfectly cleaned and pressed. I especially love getting a text message the instant my shirt is ready for pickup. Hey, time is of the essence for we busy peeps! Thank you to Arlene's capable & friendly staff for their competence, professionalism, warmth and most importantly of all (to me) reliability! If they say your order will be ready tomorrow at 5pm, rest assured - it may even be ready tomorrow at 2pm. Thanks again for bailing me out of a "pressing situation" ‍ time and time again. It's always been a pleasure doing business with you ! read more

I used this cleaner for alterations to a man's suit. Hem pants and shorten sleeves on jacket. Not expert tailoring- at all. It was hard to communicate with the person "marking" the garment and upon inspection the work is poor. Be careful where you take your $800 suit to be altered! read more

Dropped off a comforter here for repairs! It's older than I am but it's very dear to me so I thought I'd take a shot at getting it repaired. They were upfront on this making it much more expensive, as their seamstress would have to hand-sew each little hole. Their upfront price estimate was accurate, and I ended up paying the exact cost of $60 for repairs and cleaning. I took off a star as the staff were pretty unresponsive after I dropped it off. I didn't receive a call after it had been completed, and I was inaccurately told my comforter wasn't ready to be picked up when it was. read more

Waited three days for a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt to get cleaned. I picked it up earlier today and I recall explicitly telling the clerk on my first visit that I want everything cleaned, including my tags. I thought it would be pretty obvious that when I take my clothes to a dry cleaner I want EVERYTHING cleaned. This picture shows what I received: I was told by the clerk that it was my fault for not being explicit as to what I wanted despite the fact that i perfectly described the individual who I met with previously and what I wanted. With all of this said, I was offered another resolution which was to wait another three days for the tag to get cleaned which is a ridiculous time frame. Very disappointed now that I paid to get my items cleaned and I still have to do some cleaning. read more

Arlene's Cleaners - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

We got my husbands wedding suit tailored here a week before the wedding and they did a great job hemming the length and taking in the back so that it fit him perfectly. I was so stressed out because of course we didnt realize it fit him till the last second. We were able to go in on a tuesday and get it done by friday at 5pm. We've also gotten a few items dry cleaned here and they do a great job. I plan on coming here to get more things tailored. They have a small dressing room so you can get pinned and fitted by their team. Thank you Arlene's Cleaners! read more

Arlene's Cleaners is resting on the reputation of the previous owner! Totally dishonest people work there now! The worker helped me remove cufflinks from my shirt and complimented them. And then she scooped them up while we were looking at stains on my other two items. I left notes on the door because they closed right after and there was no response. Then I promptly called when they were open and asked for them she said, "You put them in your bag." I didn't bring a bag. When I picked up my shirt, she was smiling in an ugly way and also also kept two of my items and only returned the one dress shirt. I was so worried about my missing cufflinks and my dress shirt I didn't notice right away. Just an awful person. When I mentioned the cufflinks. the other worker just gave the phone to her without saying saying anything, because apparently she knew what the employee did (and maybe what she is like). It makes me mad that the positive reviews are very misleading!! You should not have to look over your shoulder with a neighborhood mom and pop business like this!! Why do people who behave like this have jobs?? See photo. read more

Arlene's Cleaners - My beautiful antique cufflinks taken by Arlene's cleaners worker when she "helped" me remove them... just bought with shirt, worn once. - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place was great! It was my first time getting anything dry cleaned at all and had no idea how much everything would be. The owner carefully went through each of my pieces with me and gave me the price before I had to decide whether or not it was worth dry cleaning. As well, she recognized that it was my first time here and offered a generous 15% off discount without us even asking for anything. It made me feel so taken care of. When I went to pick up my items the next week, she pointed out that one of them still had a stain left and if I gave her another week, then she would be able to get it out. She did the redo for no charge and the top came out like new! Would definitely return for future dry cleaning needs! read more

I've been coming here since I first moved to Berkeley five years ago! Since then it's changed ownership but their value for money, attention to detail and excellent service hasn't changed. I come in every few months to get a dress shirt laundered, or to get a tough stain from my clothes removed and they're consistently on-time and professional with their service. They'll even do minor fixes - repairing a bad zip on a pair of jeans and saving me some potential embarrassment! My only wishes are that it was closer to my home and that it was possible to dry clean clothes without getting so much plastic and a disposable hanger back. On the plus side, they're pretty happy to accept hangers, so I usually gather them up and drop them off periodically. read more

Brought my wedding dress here for cleaning and they did an excellent job. They were honest about what they could do and what they couldn't. It came out looking better than I'd hoped. The price was very reasonable and better than what other cleaners in the area quoted me, especially since the dress has complicated beading. read more

I've had three pairs of jeans hemmed here, all Levi's, all 100% cotton, one of them selvedge. All perfectly and expertly done, with the correct and matching thread and precision. Can't even tell there was any alteration, which can be tricky with jeans. This is the place Slash Denim sends all there customers for hemming, which is how I discovered them. Now they're my go to for any alterations in general! read more

I've been going here for years and I haven't found a better dry cleaner. Trustworthy :)

My favorite place to go to get coats and professional clothing to be dry cleaned. I usually drop off 3-5 items every other month and get them back within a few days. Price has always been great, at least compared to San Francisco! Usually costs me ~$30, and they have gotten some really solid, caked-in stains out before which I appreciate. Location is convenient and they're open for a while each day. read more

The person I engaged with was very friendly, helpful and the garments looked great! I'll go back! read more

I have an all white dress that has been hanging up in my closet for almost a year, somehow it had stains on it. I took it into one cleaner and they turned me away. I saw that Arlene's was nearby and took my chances. I called first, and over the phone David (works in the front) was extremely professional and inviting. When I came in (on a Thursday afternoon) I said I would need it by Saturday. David was reassuring, personable, and very flexible. I don't have before pictures, but there appeared to be some type of yellowed water stains all over/front/back - when I got my dress back it was like it was brand new! First impressions are ever lasting and their care for their customers truly shows! read more

Arlene's Cleaners - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I brought my Wedding dress filled twigs and dirt in for a cleaning 2 months post wedding. They did great and I felt safe leaving my dress and the process was seamless read more

I thrifted a beautiful suede jacket and Arlene's did an amazing job cleaning it. Gorgeous, looks brand new!

This is my go to dry cleaners and I love that they are in my neighborhood. I've never had an issue with them and I've used them for at least 5 years!! They are always helpful and friendly. TIP: If you pay in cash you'll get 10% off the bill! read more

Arlene's is by far one of the dry cleaners that is superior in their attention to detail. Karen is both amazing and professional. I've taken her high end labels and Karen and her staff have always delivered perfection in the way my garments were handled!!! read more

very sneaky charges which is a nice way to say that they are a ripoff. I dropped 4 sweaters to be cleaned by them- when I turned the sweaters in ,i asked how much it would cost, and they told me $6.95 a sweater which is fine. No receipt for prices quoted were given to me even though I did ask for a written quote. When I went to pick up my sweaters , the bill was much higher than I expected, and I asked for an explanation. They charged 10% more for two sweaters because they were a "name brand"- Banana Republic and Calvin Klein. They did not add 10% for Saks Fifth Ave sweater but instead added $2.00 more because the sweater had a hood. For the final sweater , they decided that it was an outer jacket /windbreaker and not a sweater-so they basically doubled the price. It is clearly a sweater and not a outer jacket. So the bill ended up being 30% more than the original price that they quoted. No signs are posted for pricing or that they charge more for "name labels". Feel that they were dishonest and totally ripped off. I cannot and will not support a dishonest, crooked business read more

My go-to neighborhood cleaners. I trust them with everything from dry cleaning to alterations.

People here are so kind and attentive. 15% off your first visit! I dropped off my Canada Goose Parka Saturday evening and picked it up Wednesday morning. After the dry clean, it looked almost new again. 10/10 for service and value. I would definitely recommend taking your clothing here! read more

As a general rule, I don't review an establishment until I've gone there several times. But as they say, rules are meant to be broken. My experience was so good that I just have to tell the world!! My down winter jacket is 3 years old and was looking pretty grungy, so I decided to take the plunge and take it to the cleaners (see photos!) After selecting Arlene's based on the reviews, I was not disappointed. When I brought it in, the sleeves and neck areas of my coat were dark and oily and there were some weird splatters in the back. Now it looks brand new! Even the faux fur on the hood looks nice. I'm really impressed with the quality and cost if this place and will definitely be back. read more

Arlene's Cleaners - ...and after! - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This review is long over due, because I've been getting my dry cleanings done here for the past 4 years. Alene's Cleaners pays close attention to details. I had my Caché top with crystal buttons dry cleaned and they came back in perfect condition. The reason I mentioned the crystal buttons is because I took another top also with crystal buttons to El Portal Cleaner's in Richomond and they came back half broken. Upon arriving to pick up my clothes, I was greeted by a young gentlemen name Henry (owner's son). OMG! Cute (lol)! He insisted on helping me bring my items to my car which was only parked 1 block away. I was like, hell yes! Haha... Love them and as long as I need dry cleaning services, I will be coming to Arlene's. read more

Highly recommend. I underestimated an alteration and they gave me 1/2 off the second alternation even though it was my fault. Accommodating and reliable! read more

Dropped off laundry last Friday, they told me it'd be ready by Tuesday. That was already way longer than I'd expect for wash and fold (last place I went to had it ready the next morning). I show up to pick up my laundry, and it's not ready. Won't be till Thursday. I can't wait till Thursday so I ask for my clothes back -- turns out they're not there, they're at the sister store and I have to drive there to get my clothes. Only reason it gets two stars is because they were apologetic about it and the guy working the counter was really nice about it. Huge hassle, never going back there. read more

Great service! Very friendly people. Offered me water both when i dropped off and when i picked up! Got a one day last minute dry cleaning done here. They did three of my shirts. The only issue was that she kept telling me she needed more time to get out a few of the marks on my white shirt, and didnt understand that I needed it by that night so I didnt have a choice. besides that, awesome experience. read more

The service was awesome! I brought a dress shirt and they checked if it was 100% cotton and told me that it's cheaper to laundry than dry clean. They really try to find the best deal for you. read more

Very friendly and helpful. Had three pair of pants taken in. They did great work at a fair price.

Do NOT bring your wedding dress here to be cleaned. Arlene's cleaners ruined my dress. Here's what happened: - I needed to wear my wedding dress to two events. A week after my first event I brought my dress here to be cleaned (Saturday October 7). They told me it would be ready in a week. - I picked my dress up a week later and wore it to the second event (out of town). When I put it on the morning of the event, I discovered that the entire dress had been shrunk - it was extremely tight and hard to bend over and move my legs where it hadn't been that way at all before. The biggest issue was that since the top lace layer had shrunk, the lining of the dress was visible by about an inch and a half. You could see it when I was standing still and walking so I had to pin it up. You can see in the attached photos the difference - the first photo is from before it was dry cleaned, and the dress is flush with the ground. In the second picture you can see the entire dress is almost two inches higher than it was (and the pinned lining). - I brought the dress back to Arlene's and showed them the issue, and asked that they clean it again and bring the lining up so that it would at least be flush with the lace layer. They agreed and told me to come back in a week. (Saturday Nov 4) - I returned TWO weeks later (Saturday Nov 18) and was told that the dress was not ready yet. When I asked for the dress, I watched them go back, find the dress, and see that it was still dirty (they hadn't even sent it out yet) and come back to tell me it wasn't ready. I was not happy and reiterated that I wanted it both cleaned and to have the lining fixed. They said it would be ready a week later (Sat Nov 25). - I called TWO weeks later again (Fri Dec 1) to confirm it was ready. The woman on the phone told me they had just sent it out for dry cleaning two days earlier (so already a week later than when they said it would be done) and I could get it on Monday. I said that was unacceptable and at this point I didn't trust them with my dress. She argued that the problem I had shown them with the lining wasn't true so I came in person on Sat, Dec 2. - Upon arrival the woman I had spoken to on the phone got who I presume is the owner of the place. The owner proceeded to tell me that there was no issue with the lining of the dress, even getting it out and showing me on the table but there was no problem. I told her that the issue with the lining and the dress being shrunk is evident when it is on the person, and that I was happy to put on the dress to show her. She argued for another five minutes that there was no problem with the lining, until I insisted on trying it on. When I put it on, I couldn't zip it up the full way because it has shrunken. You could also clearly see the lining was visible by an extra inch all around the entire dress. The owner physically looked at the dress and the lining and told me there was no problem again. At that point I was tired of arguing and I asked for a refund. At no point did they acknowledge there was a problem or apologize. If when I had originally brought in the dress, they had acknowledged their mistake, apologized, and fixed the dress ON TIME, then I would've had no issue. I understand that mistakes happen (even though this is their literal business) The problem was that they never acknowledged that they ruined my dress, or completed the cleaning on time (twice!). It is their JOB to clean things and they refused to address the issue caused by their dry cleaning tactics, which clearly should never have been used on a lace dress such as this. I brought my dress here after reading the numerous positive reviews about other people getting their wedding dress cleaned here. Do not risk it - take your dress somewhere else if you don't want it to be ruined! read more

Arlene's Cleaners - Laundry Services Near Me - Berkeley, California

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