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Dry CleanerLost My Clothes

What It's Worth

How a lost or ruined garment is valued — and how to check their number. The number the cleaner offers is rarely the number you're entitled to.

Every dry-cleaning dispute eventually becomes a fight about one number. Cleaners arrive with a depreciation formula from an industry guide consumers aren't shown; customers arrive with what they paid. The law sits in between: fair market value at the time of loss — which, for a barely worn garment, is much closer to the receipt than to the cleaner's first offer. These guides decode the formula, the lowball patterns, and the evidence that moves the number up.

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How Much Is Your Claim Actually Worth?

You're generally owed your garment's fair market value at the time of loss — its replacement cost reduced for age and wear. For nearly-new items, that's close to what you paid.
The Secret Math Behind Your Dry Cleaner's Lowball Offer

When a cleaner offers you a fraction of what your clothes were worth, they're usually quoting an industry depreciation guide built for the industry — not for you. Here's how it works.
Market Value vs. Replacement Cost: What Your Ruined Clothes Are Really Worth

These two numbers drive every dry-cleaning claim. Knowing the difference — and when they're nearly the same — is how you avoid being lowballed.

Frequently asked questions

How is a lost or ruined garment's value calculated?
The usual legal measure is fair market value at the time of loss — what the specific item was worth given its age and condition. For recent, barely worn clothes, that's close to full replacement cost; for older items, it's reduced.
Why is the dry cleaner's offer so low?
Most cleaners calculate offers with an industry depreciation guide (the Fair Claims Guide) that assigns each garment a 'life expectancy' and discounts hard for age and condition. It's an industry tool, not law — and it tends to undervalue nearly new and irreplaceable items.
Can sentimental value be claimed?
Generally no — courts award market value, not emotional value. But irreplaceable items (a wedding gown, a discontinued designer piece) often carry high, provable market or appraised value, which is the number worth documenting.