apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a "clothes processor"-- a fabulous invention for apartment-dwellers that is a combined washing machine/dryer in one unit. It's fabulous in that it is the size of a small front load washer but both washes and dries. The downside is that the drum is a bit small, it doesn't get clothes bone dry, and it doesn't handle heavy loads well. So, I love it for my "normal" laundry, but I do send out some of my laundry. I finally found a sheet service and will never wash my own sheets again--I now spend $20 on my sheets being washed/ironed, but sleeping on those sheets makes it worth every penny. I wouldn't outsource all of it (well, maybe if I had a non-sketchy laundromat and unlimited funds), but it's a fabulous service for some items.

The one time I paid to have something professionally laundered (a huge comforter), I paid triple what it would have cost me to do it myself, and it smelled as bad when I picked it up as when I'd taken it in. Never again.

Shrinking. That's my experience with drop-off laundry service. Did it a few times in a time crunch, until I learned my lessons about the evils of huge industrial clothes dryers. Now I always do my own laundry.

If I outsourced something, I'd expect it to not only free extra time, but free head-space as well.

Outsourcing laundry doesn't seem to save much time, but would consume far more head-space than doing it myself (doing laundry, being the brainless activity that it is). That translates to no laundry outsourcing for me.

Just go 'n camp at the laundromat. Take over as many machines as you can and get 'er done! You know it'll get done right the first time.

I did it before when the dryer in my building was broken for an extended period of time. Don't send anything that can't go in the dryer!! It's great for sheets and towels. There's also something very nice about taking the wrapping off and seeing perfectly folded laundry. The place I went to charges by the pound, so the mountain of laundry could be very expensive.

I love love love the drop off service at my Laundromat! It eliminates the stress of making sure I have quarters, detergent and time to do my laundry every week. If I were to average in the costs of detergent, the machines and my time- the $8-$13 I pay every few weeks is totally worth it!

If you find the right place, you can always ask them to yield to special requests. For example, if I have jeans or other clothes I don't want dried, I put them in a separate bag with a note that says "please do not dry." The place I bring my laundry too is wonderful- in 3 years I have yet to have any problems.

in NYC I've never done my own laundry before. the machines are expensive enough that I'd end up saving only about 5-10 dollars, which an hour or so of my time is worth much more than. and they always sort/fold everything consistently, so it goes away easily.

I did it a few times when I lived in a building with a gross laundry room. Now that I have an in-unit washer and dryer, I don't have to.

jesus christ, are you a trust fund baby? pull your head out of your sea of entitlement, and walk down to the laundrymat like everyone else.

yeah, good point anon. your aggression really sealed the deal on quite a valuable contribution to a community-post website.

I dropped my clothes off at the wash and fold for at least 4 years. Between the mammoth commute (lived in VA and worked in Baltimore) and apartment laundry facilities location, it was more of a convenience than a luxury. It saved me time and was only $10 per pound. Besides they did a really good job cleaning my clothes and folding them, too. That was hard to give up when I moved, but an in-unit w/d was a requirement when I bought my place back in September.

Laundry services in San Francisco are very affordable and stress free (SF is known for having few cabs and fewer good laundromats). I second (third?) the advice of not handing over anything that can't handle a high dryer setting. I clean most of my work attire at home on gentle and to hang dry.

Once every two weeks I send sheets, towels, jeans, sweatshirts, underwear, socks, t-shirts and tank tops. At 80 cents per pound, two weeks worth of regular laundry runs $20, including pick up and delivery. Very affordable if you ask me.

I'm not a trust fund baby, but when I lived in NYC and didn't have laundry facilities in my building, I outsourced my laundry as well. And I second the comment that it doesn't cost much more than doing it yourself at the laundromat. To me, it was worth the many hours I would have spent in a hot, noisy laundromat. In four years of sending my laundry out, I never had a problem. Now that I have my own washer and dryer, it's much easier to throw in a load when I'm watching tv or hanging out.

I ran the numbers and it's so worth it! Especially if the place picks up and delivers.

It takes hours to buy detergent, make change, sort laundry, drag clothes down 4 flights of stairs and 2 blocks, fight with other customers for machines, fold, etc.

I've concluded that my time was worth way more than $3.60 an hour.

Ditto on the SF being great for laundry pickup. We use SF Wash to handle the basics dress shirts (laundered pressed). They're good and pretty cheap ($30 for couple loads of laundry 5 or 6 shirts).

Only downside - occasionally receive the bonus sock, t-shirt, or pair of boxers. Which I assume means that others occasionally receive one of mine. Probably no higher error rate than me @ laundry, but still.

I've always done my own laundry, whether at a laundromat or at my home/apartment complex. The machines are usually iffy and the place always either smells like basement or bleach, but I know my clothes get done right. I use eco-friendly detergent, lemon juice and baking soda instead of bleach, and ensure that my delicates get handled properly. Going to the laundromat is fun for me, when I bother to go to a "nice" one. Pop in a few loads, read a book, play my DS, or draw.

When I lived in Chicago and commuted to Waukegan daily, I used a drop off service there - I think it was 80 cents/pound. And, true confession here, I would wait for laundry (for hubby and I) about a month at a time..and it was $50 on average/month.

I loved it

Living in NYC, on the 5th FL of a walk-up with no laundry facilities, I happily out-source my laundry. I'm not a trust fund baby but the cost of the laundromat machines is about $4.50 to wash and $4.00 to dry. The cost of me dropping off my (separated) laundry runs me between $10 - $17...depending on how long I've put it off. My time is totally worth the extra few bucks it costs, plus my clothes are folded and all I have to do is put 'em away.

Is outsourcing a luxury? Yes, but depending on where you live the cost could be nearly equal to putting quarters in a machine, and, of course, you have to factor in what you time is worth--two plus hours of sitting in a laundromat/folding laundry versus doing something else with that time.

I've never outsourced laundry before. I do have one of those "clothes processors" that the first commentor has. I love it. i rarely use the dry function. I got a big clothes rack and I air dry everything. Better for the clothes and saves me bunches of money over even the relatively cheap coin laundry in the basement.

Also, just a thought. If one's laundry gets to such Mt. Washmore like proportions that one can't handle it easily, maybe one might consider if they own too many clothes.

I usually do my own laundry, but MAN do I love getting it done once in a while by a service!!
It's a little treat for myself, and the perfectly folded clothes make me all warm and fuzzy.

I was really, really against having someone else do my laundry. I don't like the idea of someone touching my dirty laundry, I thought it was frivolous and expensive.

However, it costs around $22 for a week and a half to two weeks of clothes (and occasional linens) for two people at the laundromat down the block. My clothes come back perfectly clean, and folded into perfect rectangles. It is so, so luxurious.

I will handwash my bras and stockings, but for everything else drop-off service is wonderful.

When I ran the numbers, I saved about $13 per 3 loads doing laundry myself - but that doesn't include the value of my time. Pay $13 every couple weeks to save myself hours of sitting in the laundromat? Definitely. Now I'm moving out of SF though, so I'll be getting a washer & dryer (and line-drying for the summer).

Excuse my ignorance, but in the States is it common that people don't have washing machines at home? Interesting, here in Spain there are no Laundrettes! I'm pretty lazy and hate ironing, cleaning etc and would happily hire someone to do those chores...but for me putting stuff in a washing machine seems quite easy and I don't mind doing it (but I live alone, so there's not so much washing)... Still, must be lovely having someone do it all for you and it coming back folded:-)

I have to also add that there is a laundromat in Greensboro, NC with a brilliant idea that should be duplicated all over the country. . . it's called Suds N Duds. About 3/4 of the building is a nice laundromat--nothing upscale, but not sketchy and gross. The remaining 1/4 is a bar--so that you can have a drink and socialize while waiting on laundry. Absolutely brilliant, and far more entertaining than sitting in the laundromat waiting on clothes.

Nadyamadrid-I would say that most people in the US do have washing machines. A house without a washer/dryer would be truly strange. But in the cities, people who live in apartments often don't have space for washing machines or dryers. And AT's demographic tends to favor the latter types over the former.

My last apartment in nyc didn't have laundry at all so I hauled it 2 blocks down the street and dropped it off every couple of weeks or so. I figured the effort of carrying it was enough labor.

The apartment I just moved from in TX had laundry, but it was frequently just absolutely disgusting after the building management changed. Sadly there was no way to outsource it there.

I now have a washer and dryer in my apartment for the first time and laundry is so easy it's almost not worth discussing anymore.

I once used a laundry service and it was so convenient, I picked up the clothes and they were already folded and clean. Until one day, after being told the laundry was going to be open the day I planned to pick up the clothes, it never did, and the worse thing was that I was going on a trip the next day early in the morning and almost all of the clothes I was going to pack were at the laundry. I had to buy clothes! That's how my relationship ended with the laundry...

With my bad dry-cleaning experiences, a fried cashmere sweater and silk scarf (They didn't even get the scarf clean, but did a great job destroying the color.), I would never get my laundry professionally cleaned. Maybe if I were a man and had a job requiring businesses attire, I'd have a laundry wash and press my shirts, but that's all.

Businesses attire. I'm having problems today. I think I'll blame it on the 84-degree heat.

Has anyone ever actually considered washing their clothes the old-fashioned way? - actually putting some water in your sink and washing by hand? - it costs less than either a laundromat/washing machine/service and its great exercise - there is no NEED to wash things in any type of machine unless they are too big for you sink/bathtub.

And does anyone ever consider why they are washing something? I don't see any actual dirt on the clothes above? How many times have they been worn? Are they really that dirty or could you get another wearing out of them? I get the feeling that its just a habit to wear something once and then fling it in the wash when its not really dirty at all - it would be much cheaper and greener to wear things a little longer before washing them

I think the suggestion of washing the clothes yourself by hand defeats what the author of this blog is asking. I say if you don't have a washer dryer unit get it done by the cleaners.