Our Services

Below you will find some of the services we offer at Gold Star Cleaners. Take a look through them using the links below. You can return to the top at any time. If you have any more questions on them, e-mail, call or stop in today!


Alterations & Repairs

Expert alterations and repairs for all your garments can be taken to any of our 7 staffed locations. All alterations and repairs are subcontracted and will take up to two weeks to complete. You will be notified by phone upon completion of the alteration or repair. Prices for alterations and repairs cannot be quoted as they are priced by the subcontractor. Inquiries on pricing are estimates only.

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Fatigues

Gold Star can dry clean and press your fatigues for that perfect inspection look. We also can wash, starch, and press them for that crisp, hard finish many of you prefer.

Gold Star can also provide all the alterations and repairs for the many patches that need sewing. We have instruction books from all the armed services as to the specific locations and measurements for all patches.

As always, the prices are discounted by approximately 20% automatically, and of course, AMERICAN FLAGS are FREE since 1905.

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Bed Pillow Restoration

More than 1/3 of your life is spent in bed, and you're not sleeping alone. If you do not clean your pillow on a regular basis, dead skin, dust and bed bugs and their feces can be a large percentage of the pillows total weight.

Gold Star Cleaners can clean, deodorize, and put a brand new cover (ticking) on your pillow. This service is for standard, queen, and king sized bed pillows only. It's just like getting a brand new pillow. Sleep healthy and clean your bed pillow every year.

We can clean throw pillows and custom sized pillows too. They would either be dry cleaned, laundered, or wet cleaned. This is much different from the bed pillow restoration. Signed permission is required for processing throw or custom pillows.

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Drapery Cleaning

Draperies are the center of accenting any room. The investment can be large, but ironically, maintenance of your investment is generally ignored for years.

Draperies should be vacuumed once per month and professionally cleaned once per year. If at all possible, rotate your drapes so that heavy sun exposure is not always permeating the same drape year round. Sunlight is very damaging to your drapes as it can fade color and rot material which is exacerbated by any future cleaning process. Drapes can literally fall apart during cleaning if not properly cared for.

Signed permission will be required for cleaning. Please read the drapery permission slip that you will be signing. It has valuable information of the potential risks involved with cleaning your drapes.

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Fire and Water Restoration

In the unfortunate event that you should have smoke or water damage in your home, Gold Star Cleaners can assist you in the cleanup process. Simply call (207) 989-5170 and speak with our main office and we will explain what is requested and answer any questions you may have.

Let Gold Star take the worries away. We have a 99% success rate in reconditioning your clothing. We work with your insurance, so you won't have to worry about payment. We can process essential items that are needed within 24 hours so you have clothing to wear.

Please allow a minimum of two weeks for processing. You will be able to take clothing as it is completed if you wish.

Here are the forms we use when performing fire and/or water restoration for our customers.

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Fur Cleaning

Furs are sent to a furrier for professional cleaning. This process takes four to six weeks and costs will vary from $50.00 to $150.00. Signed permission and a $20.00 deposit are required for processing furs. A value of the fur is also needed for insurance purposes. You will be notified upon the return of your fur by phone.

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Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning is a process that includes cleaning and pressing of your garments. Clothing is cleaned in a large dry cleaning machine with a cleaning solution called K4. This is a synthetic cleaning solution that is break-through green technology. K4 is non-hazardous, 100% biodegradable and safe for our environment. It has also been dermatalogically tested as "very good" to that the risk of skin irritations can be excluded for healthy skin. The dry cleaning machine rinses, washes, and dries the clothing much like your home washer and dryer. The cleaning solution is filtered and distilled back to crystal clear condition for the next load of clothes to ensure the cleanest cleaning solution available.

Today's technology prevents any cleaning solution from remaining in clothing. The dry cleaning industry is the safest it has ever been when it comes to the environment. We are a certified environmental dry cleaners and all waste generated is 100% recycled.

Gold Star Cleaners is also a certified professional dry cleaner to ensure that our customers are receiving the highest quality standards in the industry. Combined with the most up to date equipment, you are assured the best of the best.

Pressing is included in the price of cleaning. Great care in training of personnel is taken to ensure the highest quality standards.

Gold Star Cleaners is one of a handful of cleaner's nation wide that is triple certified and can be called a certified garment care professional.

For more information on K4, see this article: https://kreusslerinc.com/what-is-systemk4-dry-cleaning/

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Hand Washing

Yes, Gold Star can hand wash those delicates for you. No more soaking in the sink or tub. No more air drying on towels, the floor, or the counter. You don't have to buy special detergents or live with garments that are stiff when they dry.

Let our professionals perform this unwanted duty for you. Gold Star receives several garments every day that receive special hand washing as part of our regular service. There is no extra charge and no need for you to even mention that you want hand washing. Every garment is inspected and cleaned professionally by the method our cleaner deems necessary for the best results.

So don't waste your time and don't give it a second thought. Bring all your special care garments to Gold Star and spend your time doing what you really want to do.

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Laundered Shirts

Professional laundered shirts are a must in today's business world. The process includes washing, pressing, and starch by request. It is not possible to only press a laundered shirt due to the fact that the shirt is pressed while wet. We recommend that all shirts are washed prior to home pressing so that stains are not set in.

Folded shirts packaged in 100% bio-degradable plastic are also available for those with limited closet space or those who travel extensively.

Starch is provided upon request in light or heavy. Starch will build up in shirts over time, especially when the shirt has higher contents of cotton. The starch does not flush out for several washes, and a light starch shirt may feel like heavy starch over several washes. Starch adheres differently to all shirts due to weaves, thread counts, and fiber content. A consistent feel should not be expected due to these factors, although the difference would be only very slight. Starch is applied during washing, so extra starch in collars and cuffs cannot be applied. It will appear that extra starch is in all collars and cuffs due to the fact that there is double material in these areas and thus they absorb more starch.

Broken buttons are a factor when processing laundered shirts. Manufacturers are producing buttons with less and less hardener for economic purposes. This makes buttons very brittle and they can break easily during pressing which is done on what you may call a mannequin type press under about 80 pounds of pressure. We provide a guarantee if you should receive a shirt with a broken button, you would receive two free shirt cleanings, as long as the shirt has not been worn.

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Leather & Suede Cleaning

Leathers and suedes are sent to a professional cleaner that processes leathers and suedes only. The process takes four to six weeks and you will be notified upon its return. A $20.00 deposit, signed permission slip, and a value for insurance purposes are required when dropping off the garment. The approximate retail cost of a leather or suede jacket cleaning is about $65.00.

Please read the permission slip you will be signing for valuable information about leather and suedes. If you would like more information on the cleaning process, simply click on the link for Hudson Leather at www.hudsonne.com.

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Odor Removal

Skunk, smoke and musty mold smells are not a problem. Gold Star removes odors with ozone. We us a machine that electrostatically charges oxygen molecules which completely eliminates all odors. This is not a masking process, but rather a permanent removal of odor.

Clothing is placed in an air tight room. The oxygen is forced through an ozone machine which adds an atom to O2 and creates O3. O3 molecules cannot physically carry odor and thus the clothing becomes odor free. The ozone naturally changes back to oxygen within twenty minutes. This is harmless to your clothing and the environment and your clothes will smell fresh just like after a thunder shower. In fact, that is exactly what happens when lightening goes through the air, we just recreate it in a small room.

Normal price per garment is $6.00 if you ozone only. The cost is 50% of the dry cleaning cost if you choose to have your clothing cleaned also. The process may take several days for processing to remove the entire odor.

If you should have a whole house that is contaminated, we would be more than happy to work with your insurance company. You may refer to the fire and water restoration info on this page for further information.

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Pickup and Delivery

Gold Star Cleaners provides pickup and delivery to area businesses. It's simple and it's free. Simply click here to read about the service. Just follow the directions, and before you know it, you'll never have to stop at the cleaners before or after work again.

Home delivery is provided through our main office in Brewer. Simply call (207) 989-5170 and a representative will assist you.

Delivery services are limited to the Bangor and Brewer areas only, with exception to large commercial accounts.

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Coin-operated Laundromats

Gold Star Cleaners operates 7 clean, and safe laundromats for your home laundry. Gold Star prides itself on having the cleanest self-serve laundries with a variety of washing and drying equipment options. We have washers up to 80 lbs. for those large comforters and the hottest dryers for fast drying. While waiting, surf the web with FREE Wi-Fi, watch TV on our large screen TVs or go for a tan in one of our tanning booths (tanning and TVs not available at all locations).

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Rug Cleaning

Yes, Gold Star provides area rug cleaning. Rugs are cleaned both in house and by a professional upholstery cleaner. Most rugs are sent out to be professionally hand cleaned due to the fact that most rugs cannot withstand the aggressive cleaning action of dry cleaning and would fall apart.

Charges for professional hand cleaning is dictated by the vendor and can be expensive. We cannot give you a quote on pricing. Generally, the pricing will fall between $1.50 and $2.00 per square foot.

You should allow two to three weeks for rug cleaning and you will be notified upon its return.

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Same Day Service

This service is provided at our main plant. Our main plant at 200 Wilson Street in Brewer can take in dry cleaning for same day service up to 9:00am Monday through Thursday. No dry cleaning services are available on Fridays, but drop-off and pick-up services are available from 9:00am to 5:30pm.

All other Gold Star locations have next day service except our Bucksport location which is every Tuesday and Friday and the Lincoln location which is every Monday and Thursday. Dry cleaning services are not available at our Orono location.

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Steam Cleaning

There are many garments that cannot be cleaned by washing or dry cleaning. This is why we offer steam cleaning. This process is more expensive than a normal cleaning processes, but much less expensive than a specialized cleaning process. Prices would be quoted by our cleaner only after personal inspection.

Garments that state (spot clean only) usually have glitter, sequins, beads, or something glued on the garment that prevents any type of agitation, water, or solvent. Many times we cannot spot clean or steam clean the garment due to sizing and finishes that would ring and create even more issues than the original stains. Our cleaner would speak to you about the limited options available for these garments.

Garments that state "clean by leather method" or "clean using petroleum solvent" are garments that are usually outerwear and can be steam cleaned successfully. Steam cleaning is done by hand and covers every inch of the garment. We can remove stains and flush out dust and dirt and then finish the garment as we would any other piece of dry cleaning.

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Tanning Salon/Prices

Gold Star Cleaners has a tanning salon in our Bangor, Brewer, Ellsworth, and Old Town locations. All tanning rooms have a fan or are air conditioned for your comfort.

You're always assured the best tan when you use Gold Star. We do not skimp on tanning bulbs and high quality is a must. We change the bulbs well before their light intensity is diminished. 1000 hour bulbs are changed every 700 hours, and beds are cleaned of dust and particulates to ensure the best tanning. Ask our competitors when they change their bulbs, if they even know. One boasted they change their bulbs every 800 hours. You have lost 20% light intensity by that time. Gold Star won't waste your time and money, and you're always assured the best tan.

One price for all levels, whether you want 20 minutes in a tanning bed or 8 minutes in a turbo booth.
No hidden costs, no up charges.

Wash, Dry, Fold Laundry

Let Gold Star Cleaners wash, dry, and fold your laundry for you. Why take hours away from your family doing laundry when it really only takes 4 minutes: 2 minutes to drop it off, and 2 minutes to pick it up. Better yet, let us pickup and deliver your laundry. Simply call (207) 989-5170 for pickup and delivery details.

The service provides soap and all fabric bleach to wash your clothes. We will use chlorine on whites upon request for no extra charge. Gold Star can even hang any items you would like hung.

Special items that need air drying are no problem, simply ask and we will provide the service for you. Fabric softer or dryer sheets can be added for a nominal fee, and of course, your clothing is bagged or wrapped in heavy plastic for your trip home.

Join our Wash Club and save money with $19.50 off every 10th wash. All you have to do is let us know that you have a card on file when you drop off your laundry and we keep track of the card and update it for you. It's simple and it's our way of saying thanks for your business.

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Water Repellant

You can stay dry and protect your clothing from stains with Gold Star's water repellant. Simply request for your garment to be water repelled when dropping it off. The repellant will help protect your clothing from rain and stains as they will simply bead off instead of soaking in.

This process is not a water proofing, and moisture will soak into your fabric in a prolonged rain. Water repellants are removed when garments are cleaned and should be applied with every cleaning.

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Wedding Gown Preservation

Gold Star Cleaners has partnered with Wedding Gown Preservation Company (www.gownpreservation.com) and are Elite Dealers. Gold Star Cleaners was established in 1905 and the Wedding Gown Preservation Company was established in 1913. Rely on the expertise of two companies, both over a century old and both family owned.

A lifetime of memories can be saved in our custom sealed preservation box. Wedding gowns and accessories are warrantied for 100 years against yellowing, but it doesn't stop there. Gold Star can preserve just about anything including stuffed animals, christening gowns, baseball and scout uniforms, military uniforms, prom gowns, and the list goes on.

All items are sent to a professional heirloom company in New York. Garments are cleaned, pressed, and sealed in special wrap to help prevent the natural aging process. Items are double boxed, yet you may still view and touch the item with special gloves provided in the preservation box. A great gift for a young bride or mother.

Special permission and a $50.00 deposit are required for processing. We will also need the value of the item being shipped for insurance purposes. Items take four to six weeks to process and you will be notified by phone upon its return.

Specific questions about the preservation process can be answered by calling our main plant at (207) 989-5170. Not near a Gold Star location? No problem. We have special services across the nation and can come to you. Simply call the main plant at (207) 989-5170.

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Wet Cleaning

Wet cleaning is yet another option for cleaning your clothes. This process uses water as a medium but is much different than washing. Specialized equipment and cleaning surfactants are used to ensure the highest quality.

There are garments that can't be washed, dry cleaned, or must be hand washed. Additionally, there are stains that cannot be removed by the dry cleaning process. This is where wet cleaning can be used. This specialized cleaning service is a rare option for customers, but you may have already enjoyed the benefits of wet cleaning without knowing about it.

Gold Star Cleaners is a certified professional wet cleaner, certified professional dry cleaner, and certified environmental dry cleaner. We will use the appropriate method of cleaning for your clothing to ensure the best results. Certain stains require different cleaning methods. At times, we would need to speak directly to you and discuss options and their risks if we are not able to remove staining.

If you should receive a garment with a spot remaining tag and are not satisfied with the results, simply sign a permission slip and allow our cleaner to use different methods that may be of some risk, but could save your garment. We would be more than happy to reclean your garment at no additional cost.

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