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Hi Hat Cleaners
Rating Details »
Category: Dry Cleaning & Laundry [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lower Hills2996 MacArthur Blvd
(between Hopkins Pl & Maple Ave)
Oakland, CA 94602
(510) 482-3094
12 reviews for Hi Hat Cleaners
The staff is always quite courteous. I get my suit jackets and my wool clothing items dry cleaned here and none of my clothes ever smell like chemical, there is no fading, shoulder padding is all good, and the prices are reasonable.
Saturday hours are great.
here's a star for each of the best things about hi hat:
1. eco dry cleaning! since the 90's too, not all recent with the green washing of the past few years,
2. family owned business,
3. black owned business,
4. hella nice,
5. cute signage.
okay, that last star is totally aesthetic, but still. they are the only dry cleaner that i go to. not just cuz they're eco, but because i know my clothes won't get jacked up.
Fantastic neighborhood business. They didn't have pricing on the board for beaded sweaters, so I left my sweaters & contact info there. The owner called me back promptly and left the nicest message with the price and wished me a good day. I got the clothes back and there was no chemical smell, the beads were all in tact. Everything impeccable. Excellent customer service.
Old school family owned business.
Mr. Denton was one of the first local dry cleaners to recognize the need to use environmentally friendly solvents for dry cleaning. He not only wanted to protect the environment but he was also worried about his employees - he wanted a safer place for them to work.
That is enough for me to patronize a business but this is the real reason. . . they are the best damned cleaners in the whole wide world!
Why you ask?
Because I have a favorite pink wool swing coat with a big sassy button closure that I love more than anything and I ruined it. I got axle grease all over it . . on the pimpy little cuff sleeves. On the back, on the front . .. right near the big, shiny button that I love so much. . . I was heartbroken. And mad at myself for not taking it off before I tackled looking for a hide-a-key on my boyfriend's friend's truck. . .I was just trying to help but then realized that I was too pimped out for such a dirty job. Too late. Axel grease galore. :-(
I took my coat to Hi Hat. Gave them my best boo boo face and implored them to try to get the grease out. Mrs. Denton too one look, shook her head and said, "Well, we can always try." My heart sank . .I pretty much thought it was curtains (or more likely pot holders) for my coat.
I picked it up today.
Good as new. . . if not better 'cause it was nicely pressed.
I was so happy that I giggled and I think I might have actually jumped up and down with happiness.
So not only does Hi Hat take care of your environment and their workers, they save your most favorite garment from being converted into pot holders.
Hi Hat Cleaners rule. Local, family owned, conscientious toward their workers, customers and the environment, friendly staff and amazing work. There really isn't anything more you can ask from a business.
My Hi Hat cleaning story: I left a bright red Burts Bees lip balm in the breast pocket of my favorite camel colored cordouroy jacket, forgot and washed it. The result was a huge, hardened waxy red stain. It was like someone had ironed a red crayon into my jacket. I really doubted anyone could get it out and figured the jacket was ruined. When I got it back, I couldnt even tell which pocket had been stained. Hot damn.
Gracious staff - and they're magical, as they performed a miracle for me.
I have this really lovely mid-60's Lauhala hostess dress that had the most unfortunate stain right about 'crotch' level (Hey, I found it at the thrift store that way! If this dress wasn't soooo exceptional, I would have thrown it down in horror when I first noticed).
I saw the initial review of this cleaners and thought to myself, "I happen to have a litmus test for a good cleaner...." I nonchalantly dropped off the dress, along with one of my husband's suit, a shirt and two other dresses.
Hi Hat did it, they got the stain out. Well, I mean, if you squint and really look for it, you might see a faded remnant, but I'm pretty sure I won't be putting myself in a situation that some one will be scrutinizing my nether region, so I'm not worried.
Everything else was nicely done, too.
And the family that runs the place is really lovely. I'm so glad to have another neighborhood business I will frequent. Wheeeeeee!
The (very) good: No perc, family owned neighborhood institutions.
The Bad: Unfriendly operating hours (8-6 and No Mondays???) make it tough to get your stuff if you work regular hours. The posted price for shirts is nebulous -- and mine turned out to be $4.75 each. $4.75!!??!! That's 2.5-3x anywhere else in the neighborhood.
This is a great dry cleaners. I don't do dry cleaning much but the folks here always tell me helpful tips about washing my clothes and often tell me how to clean things on my own, rather than getting them dry cleaned. The staff is obviously much more interested in being kind and helpful than making an extra dollar.
Was quoted $25 to steam & press my polyester formal dress. When I got there he charged me $30, and said he only pressed it, (not steamed it seperately). I could have done than my self, easy! They misled what I was buying & charged me the price to get it actually dry cleaned, not to mention more than what I was originally quoted.
Not being a regular patron of drycleaners, I always feel a bit awkward. I don't know the system; I'm lost on the lingo. So, recently I needed to spruce up my motorcycle jacket and realized that it violated my golden "I shall not own anything that requires drycleaning" rule. dang. Fortunately, the place that's closest to home also seems to be one of the best around. Everyone I spoke with was friendly and helpful, the price was right, they got my jacket sparklingly clean, and they didn't get themselves sick in the process. It's not even stinky in there! Thanks, Hi Hat, for making me feel like I, too, can do drycleaning.
Talk about Green. This cleaners has been using environmentally friendly solvents for 10 years. They'll be celebrating their 10yr. anniversary in June. I truly appreciate not having to worry about bringing those toxic chemicals into my home, you can definitely smell the difference. I also appreciate not breathing them in the air, I live within walking distrance. The chemicals most cleaners use have been known to cause asthma, Los Angeles has banned cleaners from using those crazy toxic chemicals. So much for Eco-conscious bay area, it hasn't happened here. Hi Hat also uses recycled paper hangers. This is a family owned business not only cares about the environment but they care about the community, everyone knows them in the neighborhood. I rarely use the cleaners, but when I do, I make sure to go somewhere local, a place I trust and even if I pay a little bit more, I know I'm worth it and so is the environment. If your practicing being GREEN, this is the place.
I just discovered this place and immediately absolutely loved it! Not only is it family run and paved the way as one of the bay area's first environmentally friendly dry-cleaners, but Don and his mom seem to be just about the nicest and friendliest business people I've met in a while. And, they're masters at defeating stains to boot.
