Zips Dry Cleaners
Category: Dry Cleaning & Laundry [Edit]
Neighborhood: Van Ness/Forest Hills4418 Connecticut Ave NW
(between N Albemarle St & N Yuma St)
Washington, DC 20008 (202) 686-8495
- Nearest Transit:
Van Ness-UDC (Red)
12 Reviews for Zips Dry Cleaners
Clearly there is a huge demographic of people who would rather have a complete stranger touch all their boxer shorts for $40 a week than learn how to use a washing machine and an iron.
$1.85 per garment is actually $1.96 with tax.
Yuck, touching cash is gross.
Goodbye, button from my best suit.
People thought this was:
Funny (3)
The cash only thing is stupid. If a business can afford to set up state-of-the-art computers with key fob technology to track your dry cleaning order, then it should probably be able to spring for credit card machines. My bet is that it's a tax evasion scheme.
The customer service is comically lousy. Once, I was in line behind this woman who was in tears because they shrunk an expensive sweater. She totally lost it when the manager suggested that perhaps the sweater had not shrunk. Instead, he posited that she had gained some weight between the time she had dropped it off and when she picked it up. Hilarity ensued.
The in by 9, out by 5 thing is clutch, though, when you're in a pinch and need that suit cleaned for a last minute meeting.
In my book, it gets two stars for convenience and one star for price.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Zips is great because it is cheap, quick, and easy. Cash only.
Zips is not great because the location is inconvenient (for me at least). The worst though, is that they somehow completely stained the inner band of a pair of black Max Mara pants that I brought to them to get cleaned. The inner band is white and came back to me light orange. WTF?
Yes, the price is great. But I'm going to keep looking around to find a place that's not too expensive and I feel comfortable bringing designer clothes there. I would never bring anything a grade above the Limited / Express to Zips.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
BUYER BEWARE: Although I have been a regular customer for years they destroyed one shirt and stained another (quite obviously on the same machine) and refused to even negotiate a make good. And, the manager had the audacity to claim that it was my responsibility because I had left my laundry there too long. As I told the manager (really arrogant guy) they were there so long because Zips had lost them in the system and it took them a couple of months to find them. Nonetheless, it was a B.S. argument because they were in their possession the whole time. Suffice to say I WILL NEVER GO TO THAT ZIPS AGAIN!!
Cheap cheap cheap. Love it. I like to spend my money on expensive handbags, not dry cleaning.
Next day service. Bonus!
True, they could not get the stains out of my beloved white Theory pants after I rolled around on the floor of a Manhattan bar, but I can't really blame them for that one.
I wish they took credit cards, but I'll get over that for the price.
Zips may, in fact, be the only thing that is reasonably priced in all of DC. Thank gawd for small miracles.
I've been using Zips for about a year now. Maybe I've just lowered my standards after being burned a few times, but I find them to be one of the more reliable dry cleaners in D.C. The quality isn't anything to write home about, but the prices and turnaround are excellent. I've had a number of buttons come off and an occasional sloppy pressing, but in every case the staff have offered to repair or re-press my clothes at no charge. It looks like it would be a soulless place to work, but the staff doesn't appear to turnover excessively. Their hours are also great. One bad point, however, is that I don't think stains get any special attention. On several occasions I've pointed out spots, watched them get marked, and picked up clothes to discover them still there.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
The price was alluring....but the quality has made me a huge fan. I love the crisp, starchy clean that they give my shirts. I have never been to a "discount" dry cleaning place that does such a good job. Sometimes I'm on the cusp of sending something to the dry cleaner or handwashing it.....and with the great price of Zips I always send it to the cleaners.
1 Star for being inexpensive
1 For having parking
1 for Next day service
That's really all there is to Zips. If you get your clothing by 9am you can have it back at 5pm. If you miss that you get back the next day. You must point out all stains to them. It's like a dry cleaning assembly line. I'm really not sure what would be good dry cleaning it all seems the same to me. But for $1.87 per garment you can't beat that.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
I went here for the first time with a big pile of things to dry clean. I was impressed with their professional appearance and organized orientation for first time customers. The keychain tags are a great idea (I'm always losing those stupid receipts....), their rates are straightforward, and their goal is to get you in and out as fast as possible. I sincerely hope their cleaning quality lives up to my expectation so I give them a three right now and this will be continued.....
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
The dry cleaning is cheap, but you get what you pay for. For basic items - dress shirts, coats - it's fine, but don't bring your good clothes there. I had a nice silk dress burned (they pressed it rather than steaming) and when I spoke to the manager, he accused me of lying about the cost of the garment (until I brought in an identical dress with the tags attached). I decided to give them a second chance, but when my brand new trench coat came back missing the buckle, the manager told me they were not responsible for damage to garment "accessories." Needless to say, customer service is non-existent.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Zips is the fast food of dry cleaning. Pretty much every garment costs $1.85 to be cleaned, and you get a little membership card to put on your key chain for faster service.
Their dry cleaning is pretty standard, but I really must emphasize that you point out any spots or stains on your garment. There's a good chance they won't notice a stain unless you point it out to them. They usually have an order completed within a day or two, and there is plenty of customer parking in the rear.
They only take cash and you have to pre-pay, but there is an ATM on the premises. If you're like me and wait until you have absolutely nothing to wear before visiting the dry cleaners, I would suggest Zips.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (3)
Cool (3)
If you live in the area then you're in luck. If not, and it's not too much of a hassle to get there, you should check it out.
At just $1.85 for any garment you cannot beat the value and service. Garments are dry-cleaned and ready for you to pick up the next day. They have free parking in the rear of the building and even when the line is long I've never spent more than 10 minutes getting in and out of this place. They even have little videos playing giving you garment care tips while you're in line! Actually when they interrupt whatever is on TV and I've seen the one on shirt starching twelve times already it can be sort of aggravating.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
My Neighborhood
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,… -
DC Newbie Seeks Services
A select list of my favorite services to get the…
Hot and New
- Granville Moore's
72 reviews
Neighborhood: H Street Corridor/Atlas District/Near Northeast
- Al Tiramisu
37 reviews
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
- Koh's Bulgogi
4 reviews
Rockville, MD
- Cafe Saint-Ex
72 reviews
Washington, DC
- Montsouris
18 reviews
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
