Energy costs at home right now are sky-high, and few appliances guzzle your finances more than the dreaded washer/dryer. Even just one load a week could see you paying through the teeth for clean clothes, and as any parent knows, one load is an ambitious goal at the best of times. Before you know it, your energy bills could be a significant amount more than you’d like, all because you needed to put another wash on.
It’s enough to drive any mom crazy, but if you’re fed up with tearing your hair out over food stains and other clothing muck, rest assured that there is another way. After all, washer/dryers in the home are a relatively new introduction. Before that, the community laundromat was the laundry hub of the town. And, in a surprising turn of events, it might well be making a resurgence.
Save yourself some money by considering the following reasons why your laundromat might be a better modern option than washing clothes at home.
The History of the Laundromat
The laundromat might feel like a throwback to your childhood, but community washing facilities have been a staple of American history. Even before the invention of laundromats, labor-intensive hand washing was typically a communal undertaking.
The first ‘laundromat’ (at the time known as a ‘washateria’), opened in Fort Worth, Texas, way back in 1934, when steam-powered laundry machines were an expense few people could realistically afford. The laundromat became even more of a community staple across the country during and after the war when people were reliant on these services for clean clothing.
And that brings us to now when, despite largely falling out of favor for the past couple of decades, laundromats seem to be making a pretty significant comeback. Why? Energy costs have certainly contributed, but laundromats have also evolved to meet modern needs in ways home-based laundry often can’t.
In particular, modern laundromats benefit from smart machines by brands like Maytag, which make it easy to control wash loads remotely through a mobile app. Equally, laundromats now make use of eco-friendly, efficient washer-dryers that can often get the job done in half the time it would take at home.
With home washing costs so high, and laundromats offering undeniable benefits, it’s no wonder we’re all turning back to this tried and tested laundry method. But what exactly do we stand to gain from doing so?
The Benefits of Using a Laundromat
Far from being the annoyance many modern consumers might see them as, laundromats are convenient, ever-evolving spaces that can provide individual benefits including –
# 1 – Cost Saving
You can expect to spend between $4-$8 per load for a wash and dry in a laundromat, which might seem steep but isn’t as much as it sounds. After all, visiting a laundromat saves you from having to buy a home washer/dryer which could set you back anywhere up to $3,000 in itself. You’ll be able to buy a whole load of trips to your local laundromat for that amount!
Equally, the ability to wash larger loads, which we’ll discuss a little more in a moment, can turn what would be three wash loads into one. With energy prices what they are at the moment, those three washes at home could easily cost you more than $4. It’s also worth noting that the vast majority of laundromats offer discount schemes which could be as good as a free dryer usage with every wash, or simply a free wash after a certain number of visits. All of which could end up saving you over time.
# 2 – Bigger Wash Loads
As mentioned briefly above, industrial-sized laundromat washers and dryers can fit significantly more in each load than a home-based alternative. Exact measurements vary but, on average, you’ll fit just 6 pounds into a home washer compared with as many as 15 pounds in a commercial alternative.
In other words, you’ll likely be able to wash your entire family’s weekly load in one laundromat trip. This is ideal if you feel like you spend your life sorting laundry piles, as it means you can dedicate one morning a week to the task and be done with it. Equally, this larger washing capacity means you’ll finally be able to rest easy that everything’s tucked away in drawers instead of languishing at the bottom of your laundry basket.
# 3 – Saving Yourself on Maintenance
Buying a washer/dryer is a big expense in itself but, with these machines only lasting about ten years and typically breaking a few times in the interim, you could end up spending significant amounts of time and money on a home laundry setup. Is there anything worse than needing to get a technician out to find out why your washing machine suddenly won’t start when you’ve got a filled laundry basket to deal with? We don’t think so.
Luckily, at the laundromat, maintenance isn’t your concern. As well as there always being another machine you can use if one isn’t working that day, your laundromat will cover the cost of things like Maytag replacement parts for those smart washers they’ve thankfully started stocking. This is yet another way laundromat usage can save you significant time, money, and stress. It also ensures you never need to leave laundry to languish because of technical issues.
# 4 – Helping the Environment
We’re all more eco-conscious than ever these days and in a surprising turn of events. Laundromats can help in that sense, too. We say surprising because you’d assume a larger machine would naturally use more water. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
An average private-use washer will use as much as 100 liters of water per load. By comparison, commercial washers that are designed with efficiency in mind can almost half that amount. When you also consider that there’s roughly 3x as much laundry in each machine, that’s a significant water saving over your lifetime.
# 5 – Making Space at Home
It’s necessary to set aside a surprising amount of space for laundry at home. As well as needing to house often sizable appliances, you’ll need to think about the storage of laundry-based cleaning equipment and, of course, drying racks for any clothes if you don’t fancy putting them in the dryer each time. All in all, you may end up using an entire small room of your house for this purpose.
By eliminating the need for a dedicated laundry area, using the laundromat could help you to make your property better by turning that space into a study, a small bathroom, or even a gym.
How to Choose the Right Machine at the Laundromat
You may be convinced of the benefits you can enjoy during a trip to the laundromat, but if you’ve never visited before, you could soon find yourself overwhelmed by how many machines there are to choose from.
In reality, though, it’s easier than you’d think to choose the right machine in even a sizable laundromat by simply considering –
- The weight of your load: Many laundromat machines are designed to take industrial-scale loads, but not all of them are. Most laundromats will have both small machines (for loads of around 6 pounds) and larger ones. Consider how many clothes you have to wash when choosing which would be best.
- The size of your clothes: Even if you don’t have many clothes to wash, large items like coats and blankets might not fare well in a smaller machine. If you’re washing these items, you’re almost always better off choosing a large drum size that can more easily accommodate them.
- The time you have available: Some wash loads can take a fair few hours, and if you don’t have time to sit around in the laundromat for that time, you might want to consider that factor in advance. Once upon a time, you wouldn’t have any choice but to wait. Now, though, many machines offer fast washes that are as short as 30 minutes. The majority of laundromats also now offer smart machines, which you can link up to your mobile and keep track of while you go about your day.
- The machine instructions: Not all machines are created equal in a laundromat. Some will offer fast or delicate washes, others may be better suited to synthetics. Luckily, all laundromat machines will have clear instructions on their labels. Read these to decide which machine offers the capabilities you need.
Are Laundromats Making a Comeback?
Laundromats have a long and rich history, and they currently offer something modern parents could undeniably benefit from – convenient, cost-effective, laundry capabilities. If you’re fed up with putting a laundry load in each day and still struggling to stay on top, the large load capabilities of smart laundromat machines could prove undeniably transformative. Simply take the time to find a reliable laundromat in your local area, and familiarize yourself with the machines they offer that could best help your laundry journey on the whole.
