Lester Cleaners

They lost my two dress shirts and would not reimburse me. The owner promised he would pay me if the clothes did not show up in two weeks and he didn’t.
Very bad experience, please don’t use a reputable place.

Lester’s has been near Lonsdale Avenue a long time. Maybe too long for everyone’s good! Unfortunately, the few times in my life that I chose to use a cleaner were all nightmares including this one.
I went in and spoke to the male owner and his wife. I told them I hadn’t been to a cleaner in a few years and I hope that they would not remind me why lol! I took in 2 blouses (no sleeves, just spaghetti straps) — one polyester, the other pure silk and both indigo blue of the most beautiful kind. The polyester was $ 7 or so but didn’t look it, and the silk was $ 50.
I told the guy that it’s more important the color of the blouses remain the same and that they keep their texture especially since one was silk. I explained again that if they couldn’t remove stains then just leave it. I wanted it with a stain more than no color and flimsy material after the effect.
I went in to the store to pick up and what I saw was shocking! The wife explained through a slip of the tongue that they were treated the same. Well, you are supposed to use a different chemical on silks than polyester. She fixed her words immediately and said that it was so. It wasn’t. I left with both shirts looking like they were found in the bottom of a yard sale bin and overused– little color, dead, texture hard and no sheen/​shine, faded, thinned material… basically dead.
They charge a steep price as well for their tremendously lousy and lack of attention work. I paid and gave her a piece of my mind, while the guy behind me was pissed off for waiting. I hope your signed jersey bled and faded too Mr!!!
Thanks for nothing. Now I recall why I stopped going to cleaners.

Lester Cleaner’s is in court today being charged with using tetrachlorethylene for dry cleaning, storing it in closed containers while not in use and failing to submit a report. STAY AWAY!!!
What are the potential health effects of trichloroethylene?
Main Routes of Exposure: Inhalation; skin contact; eye contact.
Inhalation: TOXIC, can cause death. Can irritate the nose and throat. Can harm the nervous system. Symptoms may include headache, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and confusion. A severe exposure can cause unconsciousness.
Skin Contact: SKIN IRRITANT. Causes moderate to severe irritation. Symptoms include pain, redness, and swelling. The vapour also irritates the skin. Can be absorbed through the skin, but harmful effects are not expected.
Eye Contact: EYE IRRITANT. Causes moderate to severe irritation. At high concentrations: the vapour also irritates the eyes.
Ingestion: Can irritate the mouth, throat and stomach. Can cause effects as described for inhalation.
Effects of Long-​Term (Chronic) Exposure: Commerical trichloroethylene contains stabilizers, which may contribute to toxicity. Can cause dry, red, cracked skin (dermatitis) following skin contact. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the limited studies available. May harm the nervous system. Symptoms may include headaches, fatigue, memory loss, irritability, depression and reduced ability to think or reason. The nerves of the face and head (cranial nerves) may be affected by long-​term exposure to trichloroethylene or chemicals formed when it decomposes. May cause hearing loss. May harm the liver. May harm the kidneys. May harm the immune system.
Carcinogenicity: Carcinogen. Known to cause: kidney cancer. Has been associated with: liver cancer, cancer of the lymphatic system.
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): Group 1 — Carcinogenic to humans.
American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH): A2 — Suspected human carcinogen.
Teratogenicity /​Embryotoxicity: Not known to harm the unborn child.
Reproductive Toxicity: Not known to be a reproductive hazard. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the limited studies available.
Mutagenicity: MUTAGEN. May cause genetic damage based on animal information.

Ok so, I try to be fair with reviews. First, my family has been going to Lester’s my entire life. I’ve never had a problem so, after my wedding, I took my custom made couture wedding gown to them. It was destroyed. The fine silk was discoloured and a different texture and some of the hand-​stitching was cut out. The woman I spoke with said that she had to cut it to steam it??? Who cuts a custom sewn gown? However… the reason I have given them 3 stars is because the owner stood up and took responsibility. He insured my dress and was visibly remorseful and apologetic. Basically, he did everything he could to fix the issue. In the world of drycleaners, I would say this is rare. I would not take any gowns or silk garments to them in future but I would take my suits and other clothes that I’d taken for years without issue. Strange review, I know… negative and positive. Just think it’s good to know when companies are at least good enough to stand behind their mistakes.

This drycleaner’s is terrible! The service is horrendous. Walked in today and had to wait almost 5 minutes while the employee finished up a personal phone call.
I had a pair of pants that needed to be repaired. I was very specific about what needed to be done when I dropped the pants off 2 weeks ago. When I went to pick it up last week nothing had been done. (Good thing I checked before I left) And they said that they would speak directly with the seamstress to ensure it would get done. When I went back today it was STILL NOT DONE. The employee proceeded to berate me about how I should have spoken directly to the seamstress
Also claims to have the best prices in town. $ 9.50 for a sweater vest? I think not!
Terrible. Avoid them if you can. Save yourself a few bucks and a lot of aggravation!