The husband and wife have been running this place for at least as long as I have been in Berkeley, over two decades. They are always welcoming and friendly. I have used their dry cleaning service for big wool blankets, down comforters, cashmere scarves, and the two dresses that I wear over and over again to weddings and holiday parties. As a petite woman, I appreciate the fast hemming service. I have also had zipper repairs and other small mending tasks. Today as I picked up a little bundle of items, I realized how instrumental they have been in extending the life of my belongings. Businesses like this are vital to society as we need to reduce buying new and care for what we have. I hope they stay around for years more, though I haven't seen a younger generation helping out in the shop. read more

I do not recommend this place for alterations. I needed an elastic waistband on a pair of jeans taken in; the woman measured my waist but did not have me try them on. I should have insisted because they were barely - if at all - adjusted. When I asked her to re-do it, she would only correct it if I paid another $25. read more

Great, efficient cleaning! Super nice and honest store owners, in a convenient location in DT Berkeley.

I have now had three bad experiences here. I dropped off two items for alterations, and they were not done to completion. I brought the items back in and they fought me on it. I decided to give them another chance and took a trench coat for dry cleaning. They returned it to me and had not washed it at all - it was literally in the exact same condition I dropped it off in, and they charged me for it. I will not be going back. read more

My cotton twill trench coat came back with no stains removed, and a little shrunk (hem is shorter by an inch, and the sleeves are tighter and roughly half an inch shorter). Baffling result -- this kind of shrinkage isn't possible with dry cleaning, and I suspect they just chucked it in the washer and heat-dried it. read more

Oh my God they were Lifesavers!! I had this very expensive dress arrive less than a week before a fancy holiday party When I tell you, I was so worried when it didn't fit. I called other places in area and nobody could do it on such short notice (understandable). The owners were so nice, got me in right away, it was much more affordable than the other places quoted me! I will always give them my business when it comes to alterations and dry cleaning and I really suggest you do too read more

This place is amazing!!! My daughter needed a last-minute alteration for a dress for a wedding and they turned around the job in one day for an extremely reasonable price. Thank you so so much. Very grateful and very happy - would recommend this place to anyone!!!! read more

very nice couple, just like grandpa grandma shop around the corner of my childhood. My family were in town for Cal event and had to get some laundry done before leaving. Dropped at 8am, ready at 1pm. Superb service! Will always use Sam's Cleaner when we are in town! read more

Friendly, affordable, and quick quality service. What else can you ask for? I have been here twice to repair the zipper on different pairs of jeans. I looked around before coming the first time, but found that other places were either considerably more expensive, only had one type of zipper that did not fit the color of my jeans, or the person in charge of the alterations was not at the store. The lady working here is very sweet and efficient. As someone mentioned in a previous review, what is amazing about Sam's Cleaners is that they always ask when you need your item(s) by. I have had my orders completed in a couple of days. On top of this, there is never a line! To repair a zipper it is $16. Not bad compared to $25 at other places. I know that next time I need to look no further. read more

Go somewhere else / they don't clean / spot remove / or iron on premise / when none of my things NONE of them / were cleaned as we discussed they just shrugged and said there was nothing they could do . Go somewhere else read more

I needed pants hemmed the day I called. The lovely proprietor did it and did a great job for a great price. I will take my future alterations here. read more

This family business has been washing, dry cleaning, mending, hemming and caring for our clothes for many years now. They are very reliable, kind and efficient folks. We highly recommend Sam's Cleaners to care for your suiting, dress shirts and any tailoring you might need. read more

Outstanding service! Sam's is the place to go if you need items washed, folded, dry cleaned, or altered. They rushed our job and everything turned out amazing! Great for college students who need to wash, fold, and store sheets and towels for the summer. We were so happy with the service and the quality of their work! read more

Sam's Cleaners - Our sheets, towels, and comforters - Dry Cleaning Near Me - Berkeley, California

Went here to drop of items on a very tight schedule and their hours on Yelp do not match their actual hours. Even tried calling to get clarification before hand. Not always an issue, but when you're schedule is tight and you take limited time to take care of an important errand, it's frustrating when businesses hours don't match their online listing. Respecting folks time - including keeping consistent hour listings is important bc you can't get lost time back. Giving them 2 stars because of that - open to adjusting in the future, though. read more

This is most definitely a 2.5 star rating heralded as 3. Very nice people own this place, but I felt gypped with my order. I had two jackets mended and dry-cleaned. When it came back, the mending looked only slightly better than what I could have done myself. As for the dry cleaning, I found a sticky stain that should have come off but was still there. I'm sticking with the 3 stars but posting example photos so customers can see for themselves. I paid $14.50 for the dry cleaning and $5 for the mending. Minimum purchase to use credit: $15. read more

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Great dry cleaners with reasonable prices and convenient hours! They managed to work wonders on a wool Christmas tree skirt that I had given up as a lost cause. read more

After seeing positive reviews, I decided to send two dress shirts in for a try. The owners are friendly alright, but one of my blue shirts came back with large bleach stains all over. It was attached with a tag that said the spots and stains cannot be removed. Obviously, these stains were a result of the chemicals used, therefore had not been present when I sent my shirt in... I am quite disappointed with the outcome to say the least and CANNOT recommend their service. read more

Sam's Cleaners - One of many large stains left on the shirt. - Dry Cleaning Near Me - Berkeley, California

Sweetest couple; excellent service. Been going here for almost ten years now, and don't plan on making any changes :)

Great service. My clothes always come out immaculate! Super affordable, too. Only con, the turn around rate is usually 5 days. I'm sure you can ask for it sooner, but the female owner usually tries to convince me to expect it in 5 days, probably because they clean some clothes out of house. Special occasion dress: $16 (I've had to pay $35 to clean the same dress at other cleaners) Blazer: $8 Sweater: $8 TIP: Minimum credit card purchase is $10. Sometimes they'll let you off the hook if you're short on cash. The owners are really sweet and generous. read more

Simple humble dry cleaners + alterations shop. Strong Points: 1) Perfect for impatient (busy) people like me! I didn't have to wait in line on all my visits (of varying times). I really like that their business hours accommodate people with a 7-5 schedule (they're open from 7am-7pm). I was in and out of their shop on each of my visits. They really paid attention to me and listened to what I needed! 2) Pro. Speaking of convenient, I came in to cram my military uniform for an annual military ball I have to attend to. I was so last minute and I know, that was less than great planning on my part. Thankfully, Sam's Cleaners took all my uniforms and took care of them for me. I brought in my skirt for alteration, plus my skirt, dress jacket, and blouse for dry cleaning. They had no complaint or hints of judgments, just undivided attention and professional demeanour, that's it. They welcomed my dirty laundry like a true family would (say what? I know right, but yes). 3) Timely & Reasonably Priced. So I asked the lady: "when's the soonest, you think, that I can pick it up?" She replied, "when's the soonest you want it by?" I was surprised--I get to choose? Apparently so. I got to pick up the clothes right the next day, and the cost was very reasonable too. I probably spent $40 on everything (both alteration and dry cleaning + good customer service + last minute/expedited service + convenience). No complaints. It's every penny's worth, I'd say. read more

This is the sweetest little mom & pop (literally) dry cleaning store in the East Bay! They always do an extremely thorough job and never disappoint when it comes to returning items on time. Thank you! read more

I bought a halter dress at Tommy Bahama that was too wide for me. It is of silk material and had pockets. I asked if it could be altered to a slimmer fit. She asked me if I wanted the pockets and I said no thanks. No problem. The result was perfection, at a fair price. I now have just the dress I wanted for a wedding event, and one that fits me just right. Looking forward to wearing it at many future events. read more

Friendly service. I go to Sam's for my dry cleaning and shirt washing mostly because it is conveniently close. That said, I don't mind coming back because service is always very cordial and they are very accommodating regarding pickup times . Service usually takes 2 days. Prices for dry cleaning are not super cheap if you are doing a very large number of shirts so I usually just order most shirts to be washed and starched instead. They come out nicely wrinkle free and in hangers. No complaints so far! read more

Seems to be a fairly small mom-and-pop operation here, and they were really friendly. I had a fairly straightforward set of dry cleaning to do (a suit, some men's shirts, and two women's dresses), and everything looked great when it came back. I appreciated how, when dropping the items off, in front of me the woman behind the counter gave the items a once-over and marked with a piece of tape any particularly soiled spots. All stains came out. It was no rush for me, so the 1-week turn-around-time was fine. The 6 pieces averaged to be ~$8 per piece, so not bad in my book. Parking was a bit of a pain, but that's Berkeley. read more

I live less than one block from Sam's Cleaners and I have had my shirts (and sometimes sweaters) laundered there each week for well over a year. That's a lot of business and it stops now. It's as simple as this: They lost my shirt. I bought in 5 shirts, I paid for 5 shirts to be cleaned, I picked up what I believed was 5 shirts, and after a day or two, I realized they had only given me back 4 shirts. I knew exactly which shirt -- a relatively inexpensive navy blue shirt with tiny white poka dots -- just in time for summer. When I returned to Sam's and explained what had happened, I was met with head-shaking and a faint, "no." That "no" was repeated the entire time I spoke. I was being stonewalled: "No, we count everything that goes out and comes in. We keep records." She points to her notebook with my name, a date, and the number 5. "See? 5 shirts!" "Yeah, I understand that you wrote down 5 shirts and the receipt lists 5 shirts, but I only received 4 shirts." "No, we count them." When I asked if they would look for the shirt, she effectively shrugged. I tried to give her a detailed description of the shirt, but she didn't bother to write anything down. Today, I returned in vein to show them a photo of the shirt, and she just commenced shaking her head and saying, "no." I asked if I could leave my phone number so they could call me if they found the shirt, and she walked off to help another customer. I didn't ask for compensation for the lost shirt. I didn't even ask to be refunded the amount I paid to have the shirt cleaned. All I was asking for was help. read more

Friendly, excellent, fair, and I especially appreciate the longer hours. This really helps me fit in the dropping off and picking up.

I'm still chasing down a dress that Sam's Cleaners cleaned and ruined. Do not go here. I had a dress I picked up at a second-hand store that needed some alterations, and also needed to be cleaned because it smelled like smoke. The alterations from my tailor were great, but pricey. $60. On top of the $30 I paid for the dress. I picked it up at Sam's and saw they'd attached a tag that said "Your item still has stains," which was odd because there had been none when I dropped it off; it had just smelled. The dress was covered with brown splotches. It was unwearable. It looked like the fabric had been burned. The woman at the counter tried to tell me I must not have noticed them. Then, that it looked like rust, then that the stains had been on the inside of the dress and leached out through cleaning. It ended with a standstill, and she took the dress back to be cleaned again. I went back two weeks later to pick it up, and they told me the plant they use to do the actual dry cleaning had it and I needed to call them. Including the cleaning, I am out $100 and still don't have the dress. Not only is my dress ruined, but they tried to cover their mistake by telling me it was my fault. Not cool. The good: reasonable prices if they don't screw it up. The bad: everything else. read more

Love this place! I used to live 2 blocks away so it was really convenient for me to stop by. For a college student ballin on a budget, this is the place to go to bring your dry cleaning or dress shirts! The nice couple running the place advised me to just wash my dress shirt rather than dry clean, saving me about $3! Just washing it would be $2.50. Bill Tip: $10 minimum for credit card. Bill Tip #2: They ask when you'd like to have the clothes by. They prefer 4-5 days which is always fine with me, but I've also been in a hurry before and asked for 2 days, and they've gladly obliged. read more

I was able to get a one day turn around for dry cleaning a sparkly dress and they didn't charge extra! Stellar service

For a long time, my black trousers were being held up by a safety pin. Then they came back from Sam's with a button. I didn't ask for this -- they just did it for me. This seems like a small thing -- but it makes such a difference when I'm getting dressed! Fixing things without being asked and without charging is the kind of customer service that deserves five stars. read more

I went to Sam's about 6 times. I just can't do it any more. That's two cleaners on Shattuck I've given up on. Virginia and now Sam's. Here's why. To begin, sure, they are nice people. To be right, I've only seen the wife part of the husband and wife team. She's nice and straightforward. The rates are cheaper than Virginia St Cleaners and there's a reason for this. The ironing is way below par. According to the woman they use a machine to save time--they would be happy to iron by hand for me, but that would be extra and even more than Virginia St. So, no. The machine that they use simply doesn't get shirts pressed at all. Shirts - collar mashed and then folded under - placards not flat, but wrinkled - etc. When I brought this to the attention of the woman, she shrugged it off and told me that they didn't make much money on shirts and had to use the machine which didn't allow them to iron the shirts correctly. Then the offer of hand ironing, etc. I can wash the shirts myself. I really take laundry out to have them pressed. Oh, also it's more expensive to have them fold the laundry--so I was having them give them to me on hangars and then folding them myself. When I got two rounds of wrinkled shirts and thought about ironing them myself it cracked it. Come on! What am I doing here? I really didn't want to find another laundry. I am now officially looking again. read more

They're absolutely wonderful! I broke my strap on my dress while out and about, but they were able to fix it on the spot! I was so thankful because without the repair I wasn't able to take my jacket off. They are fantastic! read more

Love this mom & pop cleaners! Fast, reasonable prices, and great service.

I went in on a Wednesday around noon and was able to pick up a dry-cleaned men's dress shirt by 6:30pm the Friday, though they were trying to push me to do Saturday instead. While drop-off was seamless, I arrived on Friday, a little after 6:30pm, with my pick-up ticket, then proceeded to wait for 5 minutes while they looked through every rack more than several times because they couldn't find my shirt. This was a bit stressful for me because I was already in a rush and I was afraid they had lost it. After some frantic searching on their part, I paid $5.50 and had my shirt. Overall, I'm not sure I'll go back because I don't want to wonder if they lost my item again... read more

Great service in a very welcoming atmosphere. The couple running the business were extremely friendly and sweet. I had a dress and sweater cleaned, and a pair of jeans patched. Prices seemed about average, and everything came out great. I was especially happy with the patch job. One thing to watch out for: the credit minimum is a little high, I believe it was $15. read more

The lady that runs this place is very sweet. I always take my dry cleaning here. She's also great with hemming pants and fixing clothes. I bring my sweaters with holes and she'll fix them up. I think it's reasonably priced. Especially since I've never had a bad experience here. Definitely been disappointed by the quality of other dry cleaners. So I'll keep supporting this place since I trust them. And they do a good job!! read more

Everything a neighborhood cleaners should be, and right across the street from the crib. The owners are a very nice couple that will go out of their way to please you. The husband does not speak english very well, so save any communication for the wife. The prices are just right, and the hours work well with my schedule. I even trust them with my diesel jean collection...that says alot. read more

I came in to get a light pink chiffon dress with tons of beading/sequins pressed and altered for a banquet that I had coming up. I had originally told them that I needed it for the Friday of next week (it was a Wednesday when I came in). However, I actually needed the dress for THIS Friday (two days later). I told the lady who was working at the counter and she told me that she could do it. The alteration was perfect, and they didn't charge me extra. The people at Sam's are so incredibly kind, and did me a huge favor. I will definitely be coming back for all my dry cleaning! read more

A Family-run business. Been going here for maybe 20 years. Very reliable, very fast turn-around.

I love this place so much. I usually just get my dry cleaning done here (which is always great) but brought my graduation dress that another tailor did an awful job on, and Sam's was able to fix it beautifully by the next day and for so cheap. Get all your dry cleaning and alterations done here!!! read more