Laundry & Dry Cleaning
Use these practical phrases at the dry cleaners or laundromat to drop off your clothes, point out stains, and arrange for pick-up.
Key Phrases
Je voudrais faire nettoyer ces costumes à sec, s'il vous plaît.
neutralI would like to get these suits dry-cleaned, please.
The standard way to ask for dry cleaning at a shop.
Est-ce qu'il serait possible de faire nettoyer ce manteau à sec ?
politeWould it be possible to get this coat dry-cleaned?
A slightly softer approach, useful for delicate items.
Vous pouvez laver et repasser ces chemises pour moi ?
neutralCan you wash and iron these shirts for me?
Direct and common when bringing regular laundry.
Je vous laisse ce sac pour un lavage au kilo, d'accord ?
casualI'll leave this bag with you for wash by the kilo, okay?
Used in laundromats that offer drop-off wash-and-fold services.
Il y a une tache de vin sur cette robe dont je n'arrive pas à me débarrasser.
neutralThere is a wine stain on this dress that I can't manage to get rid of.
Uses 'dont' which is very natural for expressing things you can't deal with.
Pourriez-vous faire particulièrement attention à cette tache, s'il vous plaît ?
politeCould you pay special attention to this stain, please?
A polite way to point out a difficult spot to the staff.
Je voudrais juste faire repasser ces pantalons, c'est possible ?
neutralI would just like to get these pants ironed, is that possible?
The causative structure 'faire repasser' means 'to have ironed'.
Ça sera prêt pour quand, à peu près ?
casualWhen will it be ready, roughly?
Very common everyday phrasing using 'ça sera'.
Quand est-ce que je pourrai venir récupérer mes affaires ?
neutralWhen will I be able to come pick up my things?
The verb 'récupérer' is the standard way to say 'pick up' or 'retrieve'.
Pourriez-vous me dire à quel moment ce sera prêt, s'il vous plaît ?
politeCould you tell me what time it will be ready, please?
A more formal phrasing, good if you are in a hurry but want to remain courteous.
J'en ai besoin pour demain soir. Vous proposez un service express ?
neutralI need it by tomorrow evening. Do you offer an express service?
Use the pronoun 'en' (j'en ai besoin) to sound naturally fluent.
Ça me fera combien en tout pour ces trois articles ?
casualHow much will that be in total for these three items?
A very conversational way to ask for the final total.
Pourriez-vous m'indiquer le tarif pour le nettoyage de ce tapis ?
politeCould you tell me the rate for cleaning this rug?
Use 'tarif' when asking about the pricing of a specific, non-standard service.
Il faut que je garde ce ticket pour venir les chercher ?
neutralDo I have to keep this ticket to come pick them up?
A simple way to confirm the pick-up procedure.
Bonjour, je viens récupérer des vêtements au nom de Martin. Voici mon ticket.
neutralHello, I'm here to pick up some clothes under the name Martin. Here is my ticket.
Saying 'au nom de' is the standard way to provide your name for an order.
Salut, je viens chercher mes affaires. J'ai oublié mon ticket, c'est grave ?
casualHi, I'm here to get my things. I forgot my ticket, is that a problem?
'C'est grave ?' literally means 'is it serious?' but informally asks if something is an issue.