Sam’s Cleaners

I have been coming here off and on for the three years I have lived in the neighborhood. How lucky to have a laundromat across the street… Not so… the woman who owns the place consistently changes her hours without warning and sometimes just put signs up the day before saying she is coming in at whatever time. It is ridiculous! The worst was yesterday I dropped my laundry off and she told me it would be ready at 10:00 am today… I went by the shop at 10 and there was a note on the door saying she would be in at 12!!! Seriously!!!

i *used* to go here routinely for dry cleaning and last week i brought in a silk dress to be hemmed and taken in for a friend’s wedding.
i went to pick up the dress a few days later and the owner lost the accompanying belt to the dress! she insisted that she did not have it even though i am 100% certain i left it with the dress with her. i told her to watch the security video which i’m certain would have vindicated me, and we did, however, due to the world’s worst camera angle and a giant spool of thread blocking the transaction of her taking the dress, it was a bust. you could’t see anything but sewing materials for 25 minutes! (so what’s the point of having an in-​store security system?!) the worst part wasn’t even the lost belt, it was the owner’s attitude: R-​U-​D-​E!!! instead of taking responsibility, she became incredibly rude and continued to insist that she did not lose the belt. long, frustrating story short: the owner lost an article of clothing, was anything but apologetic, made no offer of good gesture to refund my money and to make this whole nightmare even worse, the seam of the alteration opened up and i had to get it re-​sewn the morning of the wedding.
take your business elsewhere!

My wife and I recently moved to the Hayes Valley so are looking for a new dry cleaning spot. We saw Sam’s and realized it’s a new business so we wanted to give it a try.
The moment we arrived, an Asian woman came out and met us by the door. From other reviews, I believe she is the owner.
Before we can get anymore than asking to confirm it’s the right place, she immediately started telling us there are other dry cleaning places that are cheaper. What?
I started getting a weird vibe from her. But since the conversation just started, we weren’t exactly sure where she was going with that.
We asked her how much would it cost to dry clean something. She asked us what type of clothing. Since my wife brought it with us, she thought the best way is to take it out and show it to her.
This lady immediately told her not to bother, but just tell her what it is.
We told her it’s a jacket. She told us the price, but immediately followed by another suggestion that we can go to other dry cleaning for much less. She even started telling us exactly where other dry cleaning places are.
She kept on talking like that, not letting my wife get 1 sentence in.
At this point, I haven’t said a word, but I just couldn’t hold back anymore. I asked her, point blank, «You don’t really want our business?»
She acted like I had just insulted her. She responded, rather indignantly, «I’m just trying to help you save money.»
This is so unusual I had no idea what to make of it. We finally left, walking away feeling like we had no idea what just happened.
I think I’ve just been told I’m not welcome at her business. It’s like walking into a restaurant, and the owner telling you how you can go somewhere else for dinner and save money.
The entire conversation took place while my wife and I stood on the sidewalk in front of her business.
We walked over to the dry cleaning we’ve always used in the past, Page and Pierce. The owner welcomed us with a smile and was very nice, just like before.
We compared the price at Page & Pierce to what the lady at Sam’s quoted us. We would save $ 2.
This is a true story. When I got home, I had to look up the definition of «Capitalism» to be sure I’m not going mad.
We will never go there again.

This is the best wash and fold service in San Francisco. The woman who owns the place is extremely friendly and amazingly helpful. She seems to run the whole place by herself and works tremendously hard to provide excellent customer service.
I actually have a washer and dryer at my flat but bring everything except for towels and sheets to Sam’s because of the amazing service.

The woman who runs the place is wonderful. She’s incredibly nice, and fun to engage with. She has given me a quick turn around on my Wash & Fold, tailored and dry cleaned for me as well. She cares greatly about her services and always asks if things look good. Her Wash & Fold price per pound is reasonable too. I highly recommend.

This is the best wash and fold place around, if the number of people who bring their clothing in neon green Laundry Locker bags is any indication (which it is).
The lady who runs it takes cleaning seriously — she bought all new machines, uses fancy detergent that doesn’t smell, and we’ve never had an article of clothing lost in the two years she’s had our business. Plus, she’s an absolute firecracker with the sunniest disposition I think I’ve ever seen.
Sam’s is just totally better than any of the other self-​service laundromats or services anywhere around.

The lady behind the counter is the #1 reason to go. Everything is old school and done on pen and paper, and she won’t send your things to the drycleaner without asking you first if she notices something as small as a minor snag in the hem of your pants.
I once got a call for a job interview the night before, and had just dropped my suit off for a normal three day service. She rushed it and was able to get it to me by 7am, outside of their normal rush service policies. I gave her a big tip and since then we’ve been great pals. I also landed that job so it was a win-​win for both of us!
I think my fiancé is perhaps her best customer. He’s a first year resident at UCSF, and on certain rotations he hardly has time to eat, much less think about washing his clothes. When he’s on bad rotation season, once a month I will put on my hiking boots and hobble on over with a MOUNTAIN of stuff to get it out of the bottom of the closet. I walk in all angry and walk out with a smile. We’re talking 25 pounds of wash and fold, 12 pairs of pants, 12 mens dress shirts, what would be an entire day wasted washing clothes that are not mine! All of that ends up costing us $ 125 and saves us 4+ hours of waiting, folding, and ironing at a laundry mat. In the end, having everything done at Sam’s probably only costs slightly more than the price-​gouging laundromats in this neighborhood which charge $ 6 per load! I think doing wash and fold with this lady is the same cost as doing it myself. They also make sure there’s not a drop of blood (or who knows what fluid) on any of his shirts, which is really important.
Secret tip: Sam’s will always give customers 5% off for bringing in more than 8 items of drycleaning, which we always do. On top of that, we get an extra special only for us discount for loyalty when we bring in such a massive amount of his clothing all at once.
While they’re certainly not the cheapest, for laundering such a massive amount of clothes, the super friendly service, and not wasting our entire weekend we are happy. Please give this lady your business, you’ll feel better about yourself for doing so!

This place is great. The lady who runs it is always up beat and fun to talk to. She is open both early and late on weekdays so it’s possible for 9−5ers to get their cleaning done before or after work. And the dry cleaning comes back without that terrible chemical smell! Amazing.

I first gave Sam’s a try out of sheer convenience, but have always been satisfied with their service. It appears they’ve changed ownership and the woman who mans the shop is a sweetheart. While they can be pricier than desired, their 2 – 3 day turnaround time is worth the extra buck. Generally, I pay around $ 10 per dress, $ 4.75 per blouse and $ 6 for skirts.

******* 2015 update BUMMER, this place has slipped! My white towels came back with mascara still on them, socks came back still sandy, my kitchen towels are still dirty and smell musty AND SOME PIECES OF MY LAUNDRY HAVE COME BACK WITH RIPS IN IT. WTF? Also it seems they no longer use fabric softener. Over it, especially the new rude attitude that YuYu gave my boyfriend. That’s a NoNo YuYu, you take peoples’ dirty laundry and clean it when you offer Wash and Fold services. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND BELONGINGS POTENTIAL CLIENTS, avoid Sam’s.
********2013 under new ownership since my first review. Now, they’re very good. Same day service, and very cost effective. Yay!!!
Would you like to, and can you afford to, replace a fair amount of your wardrobe because when you sent your laundry to a wash n fold it came back rinsed n stained? Then Sam’s s is your spot, and I hope you have fun shopping for new clothes!!! Yay you. Do you have a favorite sun dress you’re dying to replace because your niece got frosting on and you want that frosting to get dry cleaned into your dress forever? Winner winner. Sam’s will give you another reason to find a new favorite dress. If I had money to burn like you, I’d light a candle in your honor with a burning Benjamin.
On the other hand, if you are like me, then you will be totally ticked off that your clothes were returned to you with half the dirt remaining, but set into a stain because Sam’s overloaded washers, probably didn’t use enough detergent, and certainly did not notice that they were putting several items of soiled clothing into a hot dryer to set stains. And then you will be disgusted when Sam’s admits their fault and tells you they cannot help it or fix it or accept responsibility for it and reimburse you because they ‘only charge 90 cents and can’t afford to’ oh, and you’re ‘the first to have ever complained of this in their three years of business here (although the only opened in July ’10)’.