Fig.: to take a lot of money from someone

I invited my future in-laws to a gourmet restaurant. I made an excellent impression, but the meal was outrageously expensive! It took me to the cleaners

Ho portato i miei futuri suoceri in un ristorante tre stelle. Ho fatto una bellissima figura, ma il conto era salatissimo. Insomma, sono rimasto in braghe di tela

Louise has always been very tolerant with her husband, but one day she realized she couldn't put up with him anymore, asked for a divorce and took him to the cleaners

Luisa è sempre stata molto tollerante con suo marito, finché un giorno ha capito di non poterne più, ha chiesto il divorzio e lo ha ripulito ben bene

In this saying, which originates from the concept of "cleaning someone out" financially, the cleaner is a retail dry-cleaning store