I stopped going to Virginia Cleaners today. I started going when we got back from Oaxaca in 2005. I had a job in the city and it was relatively easy to swing by and park in front after having stopped at the Cheeseboard bakery for cherry corn scone and coffee. Most of the people who work here are very nice and customer-oriented. It's a bit different in the afternoon, but the morning is bustling and smooth. There are two main issues: 1) it is expensive, 2) they are very rough on clothes. Now, I can handle expense when it means that I'm taken care of. It's when I pay high prices to destroy my clothing that causes me some problems. Here is a list of the clothes that have been affected by Virginia Cleaners. 12 shirts - developed small, un-mendable holes in the sleeves. All in the same spot. 1 shirt - bleach washed out color in collar. 2 linen shirts - roughed up to the point of holes forming in the collar. I just went a couple of rounds with the management over the 12 shirts with holes. It's a bit awkward since the holes are small, but the fact is they are going to grow; several already have. The bottom line is that I came up with a value for replacement and was told over the phone that I could get the full value I requested if they were to keep the shirts, or I could get half back and keep the shirts. Since I truly felt the shirts were trashed, I said, "Okay, send me the money and keep the shirts." They agreed. That was a week ago. Today I get a response to the letter I sent with a new determination of the value--no mention of the original agreement we had on the phone--that was about half. This new value came after a round of "research". Well, I hadn't had any coffee yet when I got the letter. It nearly burst into flame in my hand. So I went to see the owner/manager(?). Short version is that I was able to sneak in an espresso at Guerilla Cafe first. That was good for all concerned. The best offer I could get at the counter was even less than they offered in the letter. He really wanted to give me back those shirts! (Full disclosure: the shirts were cleaned for free.) And then he pressed me to keep coming back. I had been poring over Yelp for some time to find an alternative. I ended up at Sam's down the street before getting another espresso at Peet's on Shattuck. Virginia Cleaners Summary: too expensive. Too rough on clothes. Not easy to get replacements for things that are destroyed (in degrees). Nice staff (very nice) and the manager was a decent guy. I can't trust this place to return my clothes to me safely. read more

Pluses: they do a GREAT job on your clothes. This is the best dry cleaners I've ever taken my clothes to. Virginia Cleaners really pays attention to detail. Really. Plus they have "drive through" parking which is very convenient. Minuses: they are more expensive than most cleaners (but, they do a great job, so you get what you pay for). They also charge extra if you need a "rush". Also, they have inconvenient hours for the normal working person - Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Uh, when am I supposed to drop off/pick up my clothes? I highly recommend this place to anyone if you're willing to shell out a little extra $$$ for your cleaning. read more

I live locally and have used this cleaners several times for convenience. It is more expensive than others but I can be lazy! However, this winter they boil-washed a designer, all-wool white sweater of mine. It was a sort of blanket/poncho design and was returned in a size that would fit a large doll. I called them and visited twice to complain. All I got was recognition that it happened, no apology, no recompense, no replacement offered. I have not walked through their doors since and strongly suggest you don't either. I understand mistakes can happen but a mistake and service like this? . . . Completely unacceptable. read more

Great place for cleaning services. The staff here is very friendly and gets the job done at a convenient time. Definitely recommend trying it out! read more

I rarely use a dry cleaning service, but a friend recommended this place to me and I'm happy with my service! Owners are friendly and were able to clean hard to remove stains :) read more

They did an amazing job on my jacket! It came back spotless and I couldn't be any happier. I got it back in a timely manner as well. I would totally recommend! read more

Honestly, all I have to say is that this place is great! Definitely coming back here to get my clothes cleaned. They felt like they were newly bought! If you're looking for somewhere to get your clothes cleaned, definitely come here. read more

The other reviews have really articulated the plentiful failings of this establishment, but I think I can summarize: Would you like to pay unreasonable amounts of money to have your clothing ruined, without any kind of compensation? Then by all means, take your stuff here. About the only thing this place has going for it is a drive through, but I can pretty much guarantee that the extra 30 seconds to find street parking near another cleaner will be worth your trouble. read more

I just took four curtains here to get an estimate for dry cleaning and minor mending. Here's the deal: $22/yd. for dry cleaning alone. My curtains are 50" wide, and I was told I would have to pay for two yards, since they only charge by the yard. That's $44 for each curtain - $176 total. That's crazy! And that doesn't even include mending. Good grief! That's ridiculous, I told the lady. She agreed, but clearly had no authority here. So I took the curtains to a place on Solano. They're charging me $15 per curtain. That's $60 to dry clean and mend 4 curtains - $116 LESS than Virginia Cleaners (actually, more than that since it includes mending). Awesome! I'm very happy. Of course, I haven't seen the results yet so I probably shouldn't jump the gun. I don't go to the dry cleaners very often - usually just for sweaters, coats -heavy stuff like that. I've gone to Virginia Cleaners before - mostly because it's convenient. I was willing to pay a bit more and tolerate the apathetic staff because it's super close to my place. But no more. Unless they're cleaning everything with the tears of Hygieia, it's totally not worth it. read more

I'm not sure why this place has such bad reviews but let me say.. earlier this week I was desperate and didn't check the reviews before I left.. good thing because I probably wouldn't have picked Virginia Cleaners, but I'm so glad I did! So this is how it happened.. I decided to get creative and take my favorite work slacks in myself.. horrible disaster.. I came in to Virginia Cleaners, asked for a rush order and the tailor sympathetically pushed my rush through. I was surprised to pick them up by the end of the day. I received them and they were PERFECT. Pressed, and they even fixed the pockets that I had completely messed up. So let's see.... rush order...same day...even fixed other problems with no additional charge. I'm happy. Did I mention I paid $15 for the whole thing? read more

Virginia cleaned my wedding dress for $180, when I had gotten quotes up to $400! They did a *nearly* perfect job, which I was still impressed with given how dirty my train was after my wedding. They were very responsive & thorough in communicating how they were planning to clean my dress, which I appreciated, and did it all in under two weeks! Would recommend. read more

These guys were able to do what other dry cleaners could not: remove the cat barf and water stains from a new pair of wool suit pants. I thought I was going to have to throw the trou away after other attempts. And, it's Berkeley, right? But parking is not a problem! You drive right up to the front door. And inside? It's crammed with dry cleaning and it smells like dry cleaning is going on. Virginia Cleaners is my new one and only... read more

I've been coming here for 5 years or so, 1-2 times a week. I really feel bad not giving Virginia a yelp before now. Why 5 stars - because in 5 years they have never damaged a single item, never been late on delivery and never lost a thing. That is a pretty good track record. As for customer service - fantastic! They start getting my order when I am getting out of the car, and it is always a quick, pleasant and efficient drop/pickup. And guess what, that is what I want from my cleaner - don't lose my stuff, don't mess my stuff up, and get me in and out fast. it's the NYC in me. The drive-up is a nice bonus, you never have to hassle with parking. read more

For years I only went to Viriginia Cleaners. I didn't know much about dry cleaning, so one place was as good as another, right? One day I am putting on freshly cleaned slacks, and the pockets are PINK. I took them back and mentioned that they had turned the pockets pink. They insisted that that would never happen at their store. It's one thing to make a mistake, but to deny that it could have happened there? One star because it's convenient if you live nearby. read more

This is the WORST experience. DO NOT GO HERE! I brought a dress in to be cleaned after wearing it only once. There was a stain on the front of the dress, which I showed to the attendant. After coming back to pick up the dress, not only did they NOT get the stain out but the entire dress is frayed! 100% silk, $300 dress ruined. They have the nerve to charge me for the cleaning! I have now been back and forth with the manager, Sonya, who is infuriating. They have mixed up my name with someone else's TWICE. After telling me she would remove the charge, she called back and said "sorry, we mixed up your name with another customer, we will have to charge you". They do not get things clean, your clothes come back ruined, they mix you up with other customers, and they have horrible customer service. STAY AWAY!!! read more

Great service and such nice people! Got all my clothes back quickly and so clean. Will definitely be coming here again!

Best cleaners ever! #1 choice! Highly recommend! Won't go anywhere else but here! Thank you Virginia Cleaners!

I was pretty inexperienced when it came to dry cleaning, but this place was super easy and very affordable. I just started a new job and needed to get some stains out of old clothing and they got everything out perfectly! Definitely will become my go-to spot for all my dry-cleaning needs. 10/10 read more

Yo this place is fire, I had a spill of some oil on my long sleeve, dropped it off, bam. Stains gone just like my daddy. Jk on the last part my daddy still here he working lovin his family. Just like how I be lovin my long sleeve. Check out Virginia cleaners!! read more

Super friendly, fast and reliable. Would 100% come back. My clothes looked brand new when I got them back. Thank you!

I've been looking to get some of my work shirts cleaned, so my friend suggested this place to me. I also brought in a few of my family's clothes to get cleaned as well. We are pretty satisfied with how everything turned out! Definitely recommend. read more

Great, awesome service. Such a friendly environment and they do an excellent job. Would recommend.

This was my first time using dry cleaning services and it was absolutely amazing! The employees were very friendly and helpful, the environment was clean, and they handled my clothing with so much care. Will definitely be back! read more

This has been my go to dry cleaners since I moved to Berkeley. They have friendly staffs and know what they are doing with the garments, and I am sure thats why they stayed serving Berkeley over 100 (!) years. I'd recommend this place to my friends read more

I bring my husband and family's clothes to get dry cleaned every week and even couple times a week nowadays I need to come here, and each time the service is great and welcoming. Employees here work so hard everyday and I can't thank them enough for how neat and precise everything looks. Thank you so much for your kindness every time I'm here! read more

The good: parking, fast the neutral: I did not know about the 25% discount that could be found online...that would've saved me nearly $30 on 8 pieces! the bad: EXPENSIVE, poor customer service (Perhaps the lady who was hwlping me was having a bad day, but it's no excuse for her to raise her voice at me for a simple mistake she made by neglecting to give me 5 pieces that I gave her the ticket for), 4 of the 6 shirts were wrinkled, colar on an expensive robe was out of shape. read more

I wandered Marshall's and discovered a gorgeous $400 Elie Tahari strapless white dress with boning that had its original price tag. Moreover, I turn the price tag and find the Marshall's price...a whopping $22.50. I think I must be delusional...and read the price tag again. $22.50. I lift my discovery off of its hanger to find the reason for this deep discount: a bright blue ink ring and splotch from a security sensor that had clearly been tampered with. Saddened, but not deterred...I ask a Marshall's associate if the stain didn't come out if I could return the dress. Really, though? Blue Ink. Insert "Virginia Street Cleaners." I bring the dress, obviously questioning my decision making skills as I look at the bright blue ring that was larger than a quarter on the left side of the dress. Not to mention the fist size blue ink splotch. The woman looks at it, a little bewildered-- but warns me that the dress may look "worn" after the cleaning. However, 3 days later I come back and its as if the blue ink didn't exist. Almost an entirely different dress. It was amazing. Blue ink gone off of a white dress and did not look "worn" at all. 2 1/2 years later I still have that white dress. On another occasion, I bring in some Pottery Barn Baby bassinet linens and bumper that were cute, but it also had some funky mustard-like stains. 3 days later: magic...no stains. I can't say my interaction with the folks @ Virginia has been extensive-- but I suppose magic occurs in short, brief moments. Indeed. Every stain I've brought to this cleaner's has been erased like a bad memory. Highly, Highly recommended, despite its price. This kind of disappearing act is priceless. read more

I think the last time I got anything dry cleaned was before the new millennium. So I have this really cute white strapless dress that came to Vegas with me in April. It being Vegas, there was endless drinking. Of course when I wear my perfectly white dress I happen to spill cranberry and vodka down the front. Of course! Long story short, I just recently took the dress to get dry cleaned. I didn't have high hopes for this pesky cranberry stain, as it had been soaked in for 5 months. THE CRANBERRY JUICE CAME OUT!! I think my jaw popped out of it's socket when I inspected this dress in the store. I just couldn't believe it. 4 stars just for the simple fact that the cranberry juice came out! read more

I don't often go to dry cleaning services, but I was definitely impress when I went! They were amazing people and were very sufficient! I'd highly recommend coming here if you are in the area and in need of dry cleaning! :) read more

I haven't lived in Berkeley for years, but I still bring my clothes here because of the FABULOUS job they do. Back when I was in school and had only one nice dress, I took it to a random cleaner and it came back with black, greasy marks down the front. I took the dress to a second cleaner, and they couldn't get the spots out. Then a friend recommended Virginia Cleaners. I took the dress there and it came back spotless. I've been going there ever since. Occasionally, I start thinking it's not worth the drive. I take something somewhere else and it ends up either just not cleaned well or ruined, so I always come back and end up reminded why I loved this place. Today, I picked up a light yellow purse that I had pretty much given up on The bottom corners had ground in dirt and there was a tea stain on the front. The purse now looks perfect. As good as new. read more

I've never gone to any laundry services before, but I went out of my way to get my silk robe washed after spilling wine on it. The service was quick, and the employee was very friendly (and followed safety protocols during covid). Would definitely come back again! read more

This place was amazing. I don't ever need my clothes cleaned but of course, the time came since I have a wedding coming up. It was done in such a quick amount of time and when I got it, the clothes looked new. Like, actually new -- caught me by surprise. Whenever I would get cleaning from other places, sometimes it would still have a few wrinkles or my suit wasn't hanged nicely, but this was nice for a change of pace. I'll probably be back the next time I need it... but it'll most likely be in a long while! Amazing service, y'all. read more

Was in a pinch and needed some formal clothes cleaned quick after getting a stain in them from an event earlier in the day. Virginia Cleaners helped me get the stain out and quick! Definitely recommend read more

Ehh... Ok. Well there is a 25% discount coupon on their website which helps with the cost as they are more expensive. I like the drive up parking a lot and they got my shirts cleaned fast. They have a "low temp press" for shirts that have spandex in them. Most the places I checked in Berkeley do not have a low temp. So here is the thing... communication was a bit tricky as I can tell the lady there is ESL and she did not seem to be very concerned about my questions. I kinda had to nag her to get answers. That being said, the shirts turned out great! read more

I don't relate to their overall rating at all! They are always prompt, professional, reliable, friendly and do a great job. I have had plenty of dry cleaners ruin things but never Virginia. They do a great job and always have your cleaning ready when they say they will. Very well run business - you can trust them with your most expensive and delicate clothing! read more

The best dry cleaner in the area. Great, fast and friendly service. Juanita is very helpful among the great staff. read more

Had multiple items of clothing with odd fluids dried on them from the preparation or cleaning process which I had to take back and have them fix. Also cashmere sweater was ruined by someone or something which caused excessive pilling. Very expensive as well. Avoid if possible. read more

They get 1 star for taking nice care of clothes, and if you are looking for a place that has no sense of customer service than this place is perfect for you. I got there one day 5 minutes to 6 and they were already closed and they wouldn't open back up. If they had opened up I would have remained a customer because good customer service is always very important to me. read more

I went to get some items cleaned two times before with no particular problems so I figured I'd bring in a stained garment that I had along with some more items to be cleaned. To preface I've never had a stain cleaned by a dry cleaner but I couldn't get it out myself so I thought I'd try. I carefully explained what it was and indicated where it was. The lady assured me that it was no problem. I come back to retrieve my item and asked if they got the stain out. They said yes they must have and I didn't think to check. Low and behold, the stain was not gone. I phoned and explained it wasn't gone and the lady on the phone said to bring it back. I bring it back and the lady there said, no there's no guarantee that a stain will come out and tough luck basically. They never said this before, I paid for the garment to be cleaned even though that was not what I wanted, I only wanted the stain gone. I'm annoyed that they wasted my time and did not communicate and I had to pay to get the item cleaned even though that's not what I wanted. Sadly I must find a new dry cleaner now because I'm so perturbed. read more

I have used Virginia cleaners for years mostly because of the convenience of parking. They've been OK but then I had a raincoat an expensive one with a stain and they charge me $20 and we're unable to remove the stain they also sewed on a button on the raincoat from the spare I gave them but the button stayed on only one day. I then took the raincoat to Claremont cleaners and they clean and they were able to remove the spot completely. I don't know that I'll ever use Virginia cleaners again. read more