Before dry cleaning, clothing was washed by dressing up a phalanx of backyard laundry scarecrows just before thunderstorms. Today's deal lets you do away with sopping strawmen and clean your clothes the new-fashioned way—with science: for $45, you get $90 worth of dry- cleaning services at Dependable Cleaners. Choose from one of the following 16 locations:

• 316 Newbury Street in Back Bay
• 338 Granite Avenue in East Milton
• 110 Newbury Street in Boston
• 320 Quincy Avenue in South Quincy
• 391 Washington Street in Braintree
• 581 Adams Street in West Quincy
• 281 Harvard Street in Brookline
• 365 Gannett Road in Scituate
• 66 S. Main Street in Cohasset
• 152 Galen Street in Watertown
• 1141 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester
• 550 Bridge Street in North Weymouth
• 1376 Washington Street in Hanover
• 2 Winter Street in Weymouth
• Rte. 228 & 298 Main Street in Hingham
• 624 Hancock Street in Wollaston

Commended by Boston magazine in 2008 for wedding-gown preservation, Dependable Cleaners offers a basketful of laundering and dry-cleaning services. Turn last night's unfortunate ketchup incident into tonight's food-free canvas with same-day service. Items dropped off by 8 a.m. Monday–Saturday can typically be picked up by 5 p.m. the same day. Though prices vary by location, all stores offer the same reliable destaining services for dusty dresses ($14.39–$15.34), slovenly shirts ($2.58–$2.88), and pigpennish pants ($7.26–$7.98). Hide a fading summer tan with a freshly depurated jacket ($7.65–$8.52) or sweater ($7.23–$8.73). Dependable Cleaners locations can also handle unconventional vestments such as ballroom gowns, Ugg boots, and antique tricornered hats.

The first Dependable Cleaners opened in 1944 and the company has since laundered countless ensembles, sentimental blankets, and security ties. All locations clean with EarthCare Cleaning Systems, which uses high-quality organic solutions and soaps to gently remove stains and leave items free of harsh chemical odors and judgments from owners of hybrid toasters. Dependable Cleaners is active in the community, providing fundraising support and spearheading an innovative child-literacy program.

Reviews

Boston magazine named Dependable Cleaners the best place for wedding-gown preservation in 2008. Yelpers give the 110 Newbury Street in Boston an average of four stars, Dorchester an average of 3.5, and the Brookline, 316 Newbury Street in Back Bay, and Quincy locations an average of three stars.

• Maybe you sipped cabernet on your wedding day—and spilled. Maybe, three years later, your stained, crumpled gown is still gathering dust in your closet. Dependable Cleaners has seen worse. There's not an "oops" moment these pros can't handle, and with more than a dozen outlets in and around Boston, you won't have to drive far to complete this most essential errand. – Boston magazine