Using a communal laundromat has some obvious challenges. After a year and a half of dealing with the laundry monster via a laundromat, I’ve come away with some tricks up my sleeve.
Today I’m sharing 7 tips for using a laundromat.
- Use a Timer. At times I’ve left laundry in the machines too long after the cycle was done. A timer (or phone reminder) is the perfect solution. That or a sticky note on your machine in case someone is waiting on your machine.
- Clean the Machine. This may seem like overkill and it can be, but if a washer is noticeably grimy on top or inside the rim, I wipe it down with a dirty towel that has been soaped up. Towel goes in the wash and my clean clothes don’t get dirtied up when I take them out of the washer.
- Avoid Bleach Machines. This is not pleasant but after having a load of darks ruined by a machine, I recommend it. To determine if the last load had bleach in the dispenser, simply smell. Avoid that machine or run your whites through it instead of your darks.
- Fight Mold and Mildew. We do our best to let towels dry out between laundry days. At times I just can’t seem to stop the mildew smell from infecting our towels though. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of tea tree oil to the washer when towels are included helps to keep the mildew at bay.
- Use a Detergent Pod. I switched over to the pods because I got tired of lugging my big detergent jug to the laundromat. I love them. Now I recognize these pods are more expensive, but I’m no longer using too much detergent and the convenience is pretty sweet.
- Use or Make Color Catchers. To keep colors from bleeding on other clothing, I highly recommend Color Catchers. These are also handy when we have 1 1/2 loads of darks and only 1/2 load of whites, (we mix if necessary – I know – that’s a no-no!) You can buy Color Catchers or check out One Good Thing By Jillee and her instructions on how to make them yourself.
- Keep Clothes Dry in the Rain. Unfortunately, laundry day doesn’t always fall on sunshiny days. For those days, bagging folded laundry in a garbage bag makes sense.
So those are my tips to tackling the laundromat. Any you care to add?
1 thought on “7 Tips for Using a Laundromat”
The big blue Ikea bags work well and they fold down when done and take very little room.