Dry Cleaning & Laundry in Charleston
Three generations at the same counter. Dry cleaning, shirt laundry and wash-dry-fold done in our own plant, with two tailors on site for the things that need mending rather than cleaning.
What We Do, And What It Costs
Everything except gown work is done in our own plant on King Street. Nothing is sent out to a wholesaler.
Standard turnaround is 48 hours on cleaning and next day on shirts. Same-day is available on anything brought in before 9am, at no extra charge.
One Shop, Three Generations, No Franchise
Havermont was opened by a tailor who thought the cleaners around him were ruining perfectly good clothes. His granddaughter runs it now, from the same counter, with the same rule: if we cannot clean something without damaging it, we say so before we take your money. That is why there are two tailors in the back — a surprising amount of what arrives here does not need cleaning at all, it needs a seam restitched or a lining replaced, and sending it through a machine first would only make that harder.
- ✓Everything but gown work cleaned in our own plant
- ✓Every garment inspected and spotted by hand first
- ✓Told what we cannot fix before you are charged
- ✓Two tailors on site, fittings without an appointment
Three Things We Would Tell A Friend
Shirts Should Be Washed, Not Dry Cleaned
Dry cleaning a cotton shirt is more expensive and worse for it. Shirts here are laundered in water and finished on a press, which is why they cost $3.25 rather than $9.50.
Tell The Counter What The Stain Is
Red wine, oil and protein all need different treatment, and the wrong one sets a stain permanently. Thirty seconds at the counter saves a garment more often than anything we do in the back.
Cleaning Less Often Is Usually Better
Most suits want airing and a press far more than a full clean. We will tell you when that is the answer, even though it is the cheaper option for you and for us.
Five Shirts A Week, Done The Same Way Every Week
The busiest thing this shop does is shirts. Drop them Monday, collect them Wednesday, or leave a standing order and we will simply do it. Your preferences sit on a card at the counter — light or medium starch, folded or on a hanger, collar stays in or out — and they do not change unless you change them. Buttons are replaced without being asked and without being charged for, because a shirt that comes back with a button missing has not really been cleaned.
- ✓Laundered in water and finished on a shirt press
- ✓Starch, hanger and collar preference kept on a card
- ✓Buttons replaced free, every time, without asking
- ✓Standing weekly orders billed monthly
Smaller Things People Don't Know To Ask For
None of these need an appointment.
Button Replacement
Free on anything cleaned here, matched from the drawer
Moth Hole Reweaving
By hand, on wool and cashmere · quoted per hole
Leather & Suede
Sent to a specialist we have used for 20 years
Curtains & Drapes
Taken down and rehung on request, priced by the panel
Table Linen
Damask, lace and heirloom cloths pressed flat
Ninety-Day Holding
Collected late is fine — nothing is disposed of before then
Bring It In And We'll Tell You Straight
An honest assessment at the counter costs nothing, and quite often the answer is that it does not need cleaning at all.
Forty-Eight Years Of Opinions
I brought in a linen jacket a previous cleaner had shrunk and asked if anything could be done. They spent a week on it, charged me for a normal clean, and it fits again.
Five shirts a week for eleven years. They know my collar preference, they have never lost one, and when a button goes it comes back sewn on without me asking or paying.
They cleaned and boxed my mother's gown for my wedding. The woman who did it explained exactly what she could and could not fix on fifty-year-old silk before taking a cent.
Questions At The Counter
What is the difference between dry cleaning and laundry?
Laundering uses water and detergent; dry cleaning uses a solvent instead of water. Water is better for cotton shirts, towels and bedding. Solvent is better for wool, silk, structured tailoring and anything that would shrink or lose its shape wet. We do both here and will tell you which your garment actually wants.
Why are shirts so much cheaper than a dry clean?
Because shirts are laundered in water rather than dry cleaned, then finished on a shirt press. It is a different, faster process and it is better for cotton. Any cleaner charging you a dry-clean price for a cotton shirt is charging you for the wrong service.
Can you get this stain out?
Sometimes, and we would rather say so honestly at the counter than after we have your money. Age, fabric and whatever was tried at home all matter — heat and rubbing set stains permanently. Bring it in unwashed if you can, and tell us what the stain is.
How long does a wedding gown take?
Four to six weeks, and we assess it in front of you before quoting. Old silk, beading and previous repairs all change what is possible, and on heirloom gowns the honest answer is sometimes that cleaning would cost more than it should. Boxing is acid-free and included.
Do you do alterations on things bought elsewhere?
Yes, and most of what our tailors do arrives that way. Hems, waists, sleeves, zips and linings on anything, cleaned here or not. Fittings are at the back of the shop without an appointment during opening hours.
What happens if I forget to collect something?
Nothing, for ninety days. Orders hang on the rail under your name and we will text you twice. After ninety days we call before anything is moved, and we have never disposed of a garment without speaking to its owner first.
Book A Pickup Or Ask About A Garment
Send this and we will call you back the same day. For anything urgent, or if you want an opinion on whether something can be saved, the counter is quicker.
- Visit us219 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401
- Call us(843) 555-0156
- Email ushello@havermontcleaners.com