How can it possibly cost $1,200.00 to clean my window treatments?! Need alt. suggestions to Parkway

[Anonymous]

I gather that Parkway Cleaners are the best in the business, and while I don't doubt they're great after 100 years in business, I nevertheless cannot afford one thousand, two hundred dollars to clean my draperies and roman shades in 2 rooms. For that kind of money, I would expect them to perform acupuncture and a customized healing ceremony for each panel, but no. It's just hand cleaning.

Have you had very good service (ie, NO shrinkage, NONE) from any competitor to Parkway, at a lower cost? I'm in CC DC.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we bought a house with the most deliciously gorgeous silk window coverings! I mean TO DIE FOR!!!
I took them to Parkway to get them cleaned prior to move-in, they quoted me right around $1K. Could not believe my ears :O
Anyhow, they were very cumbersome to drag in and out of my car - so I told them "no thanks" and got their permission to leave them at Parkway....

I know this doesn't answer your question, but wanted you to know that you are not alone. Good luck in locating another service. I will tell you to not expect them to be that much cheaper than Parkway though.

[Anonymous]

I'm confused, you gave your silk window treatments to Parkway?

[Anonymous]

I'm confused. You gave your window treatments to Parkway?

[Anonymous]

Yep - they came with the house when we bought it. They were filthy - smoke and dog hair, also VERY HEAVY and cumbersome.

When Parkway gave me their price, I asked if I could just leave them there as I did not want them if I had to pay $1K to get them cleaned, nor did I want to lug filthy window treatments back to the house. They were thrilled, I think they saw the potential and kept them!

[Anonymous]

So you never even looked into an alternative? Wow.

[Anonymous]

$1200 is nothing compared to the cost of quality new window treatments.

[Anonymous]

So how much did you spend on new window treatments for the entire house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$1200 is nothing compared to the cost of quality new window treatments.

Agreed. Plus, anything silk is "iffy" to clean. I wouldn't trust just any cleaners with silk drapes.

[Anonymous]

$1200 is nothing compared to the cost of quality new window treatments.

I am the OP. I spent about $5,000 on these custom draperies and roman shades in 2008.

In any case, I am not going to spend $1,200 every time I want them cleaned, that is preposterous. That's a quarter of their value +/-. If you buy a nice $800 custom suit, you don't spend $200 every time you dry clean it, right? No one would suggest that makes sense just because the suit is a nice suit in the first place.

So I will continue to look for a dry cleaners that is competent and has a good track record but is not as spendy as Parkway. My MIL has some leads!

[Anonymous]

Parkway does a wonderful job but is also the most expensive dry cleaners I have tried in the DC area, which is saying something. OP, please share which one you used instead!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

$1200 is nothing compared to the cost of quality new window treatments.

I am the OP. I spent about $5,000 on these custom draperies and roman shades in 2008.

In any case, I am not going to spend $1,200 every time I want them cleaned, that is preposterous. That's a quarter of their value +/-. If you buy a nice $800 custom suit, you don't spend $200 every time you dry clean it, right? No one would suggest that makes sense just because the suit is a nice suit in the first place.

So I will continue to look for a dry cleaners that is competent and has a good track record but is not as spendy as Parkway. My MIL has some leads!

I'll be very curious as to what you find out. Based on friends' experiences with silk, it's part of the expense of having draperies made of that fabric, as opposed to less expensive materials or shutters.