Vapor Sudden Service Cleaners

a regular for years, but reviewing a special experience– they got quite a bit of paint off a favorite wool shirt. They took me from very bummed to very happy

Excellent service with a genuine smile. This is a family run business and the father and son do it well. They were such a pleasure to meet and they handled my bridal gown with such care from start to finish. We are so pleased with our experience!
They even provided tips to care for the wedding gown after the wedding day.
What a great team and wonderful service!
Thank you Vapors!

I thought this place was great. Very conveniently located between NPS and MPC. Always got our stuff on time and well pressed or cleaned. Had a lot of tailoring done as well. Have taken both wedding dresses and uniforms here for cleaning and tailoring and have been satisfied with all of the results. Prices were reasonable, staff was friendly, never had stuff lost.

Quick and dirty:
+1 star for speedy service
+1 star for being able to properly alter uniforms
–1 star for price
–1 star for terrible hemming job (on jeans)
–1 star for attitude/​unclear information
Longer version:
The husband and I have been taking our dry cleaning (mainly uniforms) to this dry cleaners for a year now. They weren’t always the friendliest or forthcoming (about costs) but the 1 day turn around was a big plus. They also did a fabulous job on the alterations for my husbands dress blues (had to get the sides pulled in). I’ll probably keep taking the uniforms in (until I find a cheaper place — $ 9.75 for clean and insignia sewn on), but that’s about it.
Seeing as how good of a job they did on the uniform I felt confident with taking my expensive new jeans in to get them hemmed. When getting them fitted the seamstress pulled the jeans up a bit higher than I wanted her to so I asked to to make it longer; where in she started to tell me it looks better the way she had it and about how her length was better than what I wanted. From my previous experiences with getting pants hemmed, I knew that they usually make them too short for me, so I had her measure it longer — which she eventually did after much debate. I then asked her to make it original hemming, but she explained to me that it wouldn’t be a seamless hem (which I thought was weird, as I have had other jeans done with seamless original hems) so I opted for a new hem. The husband called the next day to ask if they could clarify how the hemming would look like (we thought that there might have been a miscommunication/​language barrier when asking the seamstress). The woman who answered the phone (who I believe to be the owner) reasurred my husband that an original hem would be barely visible. Having heard that we switched all our pants to original hemming. After picking up the pants today and trying them on, I noticed two things. 1. The hemming was NOT seamless. In fact it looked extremely sloppy (uneven seam line and slightly mismatched vertical seam) and 2. the length of the pants came back a lot shorter than what I wanted. What gets me the most about this whole ordeal was that an original hem cost $ 15 per pair ($ 12 for new hem)! I know now, after a little more research, that there is at least one other place in Monterey that is reviewed to do a great hem on jeans for around $ 7 or $ 8 each.
If the quality of the work was impeccable I’d understand, but for such sloppy work? I feel that I have just paid $ 175×4 ($ 160/​pants and $ 15/​hem) to ruin 4 great pairs of jeans .
As a side note, while I was there, there were a few other customers picking up some uniform items, and one did not receive one of his shirts. When he asked about it, they could not find it initially but, after searching the racks and back room, later postulated that the shirt tag’s date was likely incorrect and thus the shirt was still in cleaning. Now, it is not a huge problem typically, but for single junior enlisted servicemen, most of whom do not have a car and must find a carpool just to get off post, simply coming back the next day is not an easy task. While I’m uncertain of the ultimate outcome of the incident, it is a bit unsettling to hear when this kind of incident occurs.
EDIT:
I thought something felt off about the pants after wearing them for an hour or so and decided to compare the lengths of the legs. I was appalled to see that on the pants I was wearing, the right side is 1 mm shorter than the left! I checked the other 3 pants one is 0.5mm difference, another is 2.3mm difference, and the last is 1 mm difference. I can not believe that this establishment can’t even sew the hems to an even length!

I have used them twice and both times I have not been satisfied. The first time I brought in my Navy white dress uniform, and I needed a new rank patch. I left specific instructions in how to sew it in, saying I needed a stripe removed to have two rather than three. I went to pick it up and the patch still had three stripes on it. I told them it needed to be fixed. The patch was fixed, but the girl gave me a dirty look before taking it back. Everything was fine after being fixed, and though they were pricey, I was satisfied.
Forward to last week. I had to get a new neckerchief for an inspection, and I was told Vapor rolled them. Since the only thing wrong with my last visit was fixed, I decided to go there. Once again, I mad to have them fix their work. One half was folded out and would not lay flat. I accepted the item and brought it home, but upon further inspection I saw they didn’t line up the sides properly, and folded it upside down. I might as well have burned the $ 7 I paid them. I discussed their process with them before I dropped it off as well. if you’re going to provide a service, do it right! Know the regulations and know you can do it before you charge. I ended up doing it over myself.
Needless to say, I won’t be using them again, at least for uniform items.

I have never done a review on Unilocal,however, this experience has made me want to inform people regarding their service. I had taken a shirt and pant uniform in to be dry cleaned. I know this place is pricey, but $ 10.50 for a dry cleaning of a shirt and pant seemed a bit much to me. When I picked up my uniform, I noticed a set printed price within the business showing $ 8.00 for a two piece uniform. When I asked the lady behind the counter why I was charged $ 10.50 and not $ 8.00, she looked up my transaction and said the extra $ 2.50 was because they had to roll my uniform, prior to be cleaned, of pet hair. Now, I do have pets, but my uniforms are not worn home. I could see if a few strands of dog hair could end up on my pants or shirt. But to charge $ 2.50 additional at the onset of the transaction and not tell the customer they are charging an additional fee is shady to me. But shouldn’t the removal of pet hair be included when you clean a garment? I will never patronize this business again.

The operation is well run, garments are always ready when promised. My particular draw is the cleaning agents (methods) used. Traditional cleaning leaves clothing with a film and scent I can only describe as «oily». The items come back from Vapor in great shape and void of chemical residue. I’ve noticed their fees a bit higher than the main stream cleaners but the result is worth the difference.

George, the tailor who works for the Quinones family who are the owners of Vapor Cleaners, did a superb job adding pockets to a pair of lined pants. The job was particularly tricky because all I had was the remnant from having shortened the pants earlier. I asked George to add a pocket on the right seam which he did. But he also added a pocket on the left. Integrating the pocket on the left meant he had to figure out how to maintain the hidden zipper there.
I am a seamstress and could not have figured out how to make it all work, but George did. I could not be happier. Reasonable price. Ready when promised. BETTER than expected.

They were the first «green» dry cleaner in the area, and that’s what brought me in the door. I keep coming back because the service is good, the staff is courteous and the quality of the work is excellent.

They are the worst people

I am appalled at the rude review one person wrote. How did this get put online?
I’ve been using Vapor for 10 years now and I’ve never had a negative experience. Yes, they are priced a bit higher than some other cleaners, but the quality of the work is well worth it to me. The main thing that brought me coming back was the complete lack of chemical smell that most cleaners leave on clothes.
The owner specializes in challenges! I took in a 100+ year old table cloth that was badly stained and, I thought, hopeless. The result was a beautiful, nearly perfectly cleaned and pressed, piece of art! They also transformed some doilies to looking beautiful. No stain is too tough to remove. I’ve taken in shirts with grease stains, blood stains, and mystery stains. All clean. I have a collection of old quilts that I will trust them with, as well as my wedding dress.
The women who work up front are always friendly and professional and the place is pristine inside. I believe in this cleaner; they care and have integrity. Time has been the test for me.

I use them consistently and am always pleased. They are pricey, but they’ve always done nice work with my work clothes. The only complaints I could possibly have is with some fabrics I’ve seen the color fade around the creasing. This may be from the starch but I still don’t like it. Also some of my sweaters have definitely shrunk after coming out of here. I’ve had to toss about 4 different Banana Republic sweaters after having them cleaned here once or twice. I think it’s the fabric — but be cautious.
Otherwise– best dry cleaner that I’ve used, so I stick with ‘em.

Two experiences with Vapor cleaners — one regarding my trusty ol’ work pants. Dropped them off and when I went to pick them up they couldn’t find them. I shouldn’t known never to trust these fools again but I couldn’t help being charmed by the drop off slot — I somehow never can make it to the drycleaner before or after work. The drop off slot is genius.
Second experience — I was desperate to get some stuff dry cleaned through my work — where they have a pick up and drop off service. So he picked up on Tuesday evening which would mean that my stuff would be back on Wednesday evening the latest. It is Thursday late day now and nothing.
I will update when I get my stuff back!!!

Outrageous: I brought in 3 pairs of pants to be hemmed here– I was swayed by their proximity to my house and consistent standing as a «best of Monterey» pick. When I came in to pick them up at my scheduled time, they claimed they could not find them… excuse me? Again, this is not one, nor two pairs of pants I’m talking about, but THREE. I’m sorry, but how the $%^& do you «misplace» 3 pairs of pants? It was no mystery to me the pants went home with someone. especially since two of them were brand new and still had the tag. How else do three pairs of pants disappear? Needless to say, I was enraged and not about to let them get away with this. There was no manager at the time, and I was told they’d «look» for the pants. I came back the next day to speak to the manager and basically threatened to take them to small claims court if they didn’t find the pants. The manager insisted that we give them a few more days, and that if not they’d compensate. Later that week, they called me and, sure enough, the pants had magically turned up… consider yourself warned.