How we research

Legal information is only useful if it's accurate and traceable. Here's how we work.

Primary sources first

For legal points we cite official, primary sources — federal regulations on eCFR.gov and FTC.gov, and each state's official courts and legislature websites. We avoid second-hand legal blogs and academic mirrors for the actual citations.

We separate law from policy

Some "rules" you'll hear — like a 30-day window to report a problem — are often a dry cleaner's own policy or an industry norm, not a law. We flag that distinction so you don't mistake one for the other.

Dated reviews and corrections

Every content page shows when it was last reviewed. State small-claims figures especially can change, so we tell you to confirm them on the official court site before acting. If you spot something out of date or wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.

Not legal advice

We explain how things generally work. We can't account for the facts of your specific case — that's what a licensed attorney in your state is for.