Everything Greenville asks about dry cleaning

Price depends on the garment rather than the category, so we quote at the counter instead of publishing a list. Fabric, lining, pleating, beading and trim drive the cost far more than the label does — a simple cotton dress costs less to clean than a lined silk one, and two suits can price differently. Call the store nearest you, describe the item, and we will quote it before any work starts. Pickup and delivery is always free, with no delivery fee, no minimum and no contract.

No. FabriCare of Greenville's pickup and delivery is completely free — no delivery fee, no fuel surcharge, no order minimum and no contract. Delivery customers pay exactly the same per-item prices as customers who walk into the store.

Standard dry cleaning at FabriCare of Greenville takes two to three business days. Same-day service is available at all three locations for garments dropped off in the morning when you call ahead, while specialty work takes longer — wedding gown preservation runs two to four weeks and leather or suede cleaning two to three weeks because both are handled by specialists.

Yes. Garments dropped off by 10:00 AM at any of our three locations are ready by 5:00 PM the same day, for an $8.95 rush fee per order. Same-day work is pulled out of normal production and run on its own, which is what the fee covers. Standard dry cleaning and laundered shirts rush well; wedding gowns, leather, suede and heavily stained garments need longer and cannot be rushed responsibly.

You sign up once, we assign you to a route with two service days a week, and you leave your garments in a branded FabriCare bag at a spot you choose — porch, side door, garage or office front desk. Our valet collects the bag on your service day and returns your finished order on the next run. You do not need to be home, sign anything, or call when you have nothing out.

FabriCare of Greenville delivers free to Greenville, Greer, Simpsonville, Mauldin, Five Forks and Taylors, including downtown Greenville, Augusta Road, Alta Vista, Chanticleer, Verdae, Thornblade, Pelham Road, Riverside and the Woodruff Road corridor. Call 864.877.7701 to confirm your street is on an existing route.

No. Nearly all of our delivery customers never meet their valet. You choose a drop spot when you sign up and we use that same spot every time, so there is nothing to schedule, sign or be present for.

Dry cleaning uses a chemical solvent instead of water and is for tailored, structured or delicate garments — suits, dresses, silk, wool, linings and pleats — that water would shrink, distort or fade. Wash and fold uses water and detergent and is for everyday washable clothing, towels and bedding, returned folded and ready to put away. Dress shirts sit in between: they are laundered in water but pressed professionally on hangers.

Yes. We clean wedding gowns according to their specific fabrics and trim, then pack them in an acid-free archival box with buffered tissue to prevent yellowing and permanent creasing. Bring the gown in as soon as possible after the wedding — champagne, cake and perspiration stains are sugar and protein based, and they oxidise into visible brown discoloration the longer they sit.

Yes. Leather and suede jackets, coats, skirts, handbags and accessories are cleaned by specialists and then reconditioned to replace the natural oils that cleaning removes, which is what prevents the stiffening and cracking that untreated cleaning causes. Allow two to three weeks, and bring matching pieces together so their colour stays consistent.

Yes. Comforters, duvets, quilts, blankets and mattress pads are cleaned in commercial-capacity equipment at all three locations. Bulky bedding needs room to move so that detergent rinses fully out and filling dries evenly — that is why home washing so often leaves a comforter with residue, clumped fill and a musty smell.

Two of our three locations have a drive-thru lane: Thornblade at 405 The Parkway in Greer, and Woodruff Road at 185 Woodruff Rd in Greenville. Both open at 7:00 AM on weekdays, so you can drop off or collect an order on the way to work without getting out of the car. Our Augusta Road store is a walk-in counter with street parking at the front.

Dry clean a suit every four to six wears, or at the end of a season before it goes into storage. Cleaning more often than that wears wool down unnecessarily, while cleaning less allows body oils and perspiration salts to oxidise and set into permanent discoloration. Between cleanings, brush the jacket, hang it on a wide hanger and let it rest a day before wearing it again.

Most garments can be cleaned by some method, but a few need special handling or should be declined: PVC and vinyl, some glued-on appliqués and sequins, foam-backed fabrics, and pieces where the trim and the base fabric require incompatible treatments. Bring the item in and we will tell you honestly what is possible before anything is attempted — the inspection is free.

Sometimes, but the odds fall sharply with age. Fresh stains are usually removable; stains that have oxidised, been heat-set in a home dryer, or already been treated with an over-the-counter remover are much harder and occasionally permanent. Never iron over a stain or put a stained garment in the dryer, and tell us what the stain is when you drop off — knowing whether it is oil, protein, tannin or dye determines which agent we reach for.

Properly performed dry cleaning does not shrink garments, because the solvent used contains no water and it is water plus heat that causes most shrinkage. Garments that appear to shrink at the cleaners have usually either relaxed back from being stretched in wear, or were made with a fabric or lining that was not pre-shrunk.

Take the plastic bag off. Dry cleaning poly is meant to protect a garment on the trip home, not in the closet — it traps moisture and can yellow fabric over time. Store cleaned garments on wide or padded hangers with room to breathe, and use a cotton garment bag for anything going into long-term storage.

FabriCare of Greenville has three locations: 405 The Parkway #600 in Greer, SC 29650 (864.877.7701), 3008 Augusta St in Greenville, SC 29605 (864.558.0311), and 185 Woodruff Rd in Greenville, SC 29607 (864.234.0036). Thornblade and Woodruff Road have drive-thru lanes; Augusta Road is a walk-in counter. All three offer free twice-weekly pickup and delivery.

Our Thornblade and Woodruff Road stores are open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Augusta Road from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All three locations are open Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and closed Sunday.

Yes. FabriCare of Greenville is owned and operated by Keith Schemm, a family-run business with three stores in Greenville County and our own cleaning plant behind them. Our cleaners and pressers are trained in-house and the work is done here rather than shipped to a regional processing facility, so when there is a question about an order you can call the store and speak to someone who can walk to the rack and look at it.