Do public laundry facilities 'skeeve' you?

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

Most of my life, I have had access to my own (or my parent's when younger) washer and dryer. But there were the occasional times where I needed a laundromat (and still do if an appliance breaks down or for work clothing).

I've been to some really nice, clean well cared for laundromats, and some that were pretty nasty. My grandparents lived in a senior community in Florida after retiring, and had no in house laundry and had to use 'the wash house' as they called it. It was very nice and clean, as were all their neighbors, but they spent 30 years retired hauling laundry outside the home to be done.Regardless of the condition, I'm never really 'comfortable' washing much of my clothing in public machines.

All I have to do is stand and look at other people's laundry as they do it, and see how awful some things are that people put into those machines, and I don't want especially my dish towels, bathroom towels, and underclothing in there.

Many laundromats in this area have a set of washers in the back of the establishment marked for things like work clothes or dog blankets (and I frequent those myself for exceedingly dirty work clothing of my son and husband, then bring them home for a second soak and wash), but I see people often ignore that direction.

Another thread is comparing stackable units for the home, and I'd much rather have a small in house unit that I had to break my laundry down into much smaller loads than go to a public laundry facility.

So, are you cool with public laundry facilities or do they skeeve you?

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

No one goes to a public laundry because they want to - sometimes you have no choice. It is very expensive - $2.50 a load where I go to wash and the dryers are 25 cents for 5 min. most loads dry in about 30 min so that is $1.50 a load to dry or $4 a load in total. Add to that the undesirable people who hang out there .... it's a miserable experience. No AC either.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

I guess I'm lucky to have a very nice laundrymat near by. It's very clean and airconditioned. The place is relatively new so it has new machines that are fast. There is also an attendant there to help you if you need it and will do your laundry for a price per pound. I do my own there if I need to use the "Big Boy" for big blankets and my dog bed.

Around the corner there's a deli...

software · ‎06-08-2016

When you find a nice laundromat, it's a pot of gold!

I've had to use one from time to time and my neighbor works at one as the attendant. She really keeps the place clean and supervises folks who come in with nasty stuff. She does my rugs for me. I actually at one time wanted to buy & run a laundromat. All cash business. But the EPA rules were ridiculous.

@Mominohio wrote:
Most of my life, I have had access to my own (or my parent's when younger) washer and dryer. But there were the occasional times where I needed a laundromat (and still do if an appliance breaks down or for work clothing).

I've been to some really nice, clean well cared for laundromats, and some that were pretty nasty. My grandparents lived in a senior community in Florida after retiring, and had no in house laundry and had to use 'the wash house' as they called it. It was very nice and clean, as were all their neighbors, but they spent 30 years retired hauling laundry outside the home to be done.Regardless of the condition, I'm never really 'comfortable' washing much of my clothing in public machines.

All I have to do is stand and look at other people's laundry as they do it, and see how awful some things are that people put into those machines, and I don't want especially my dish towels, bathroom towels, and underclothing in there.

Many laundromats in this area have a set of washers in the back of the establishment marked for things like work clothes or dog blankets (and I frequent those myself for exceedingly dirty work clothing of my son and husband, then bring them home for a second soak and wash), but I see people often ignore that direction.

Another thread is comparing stackable units for the home, and I'd much rather have a small in house unit that I had to break my laundry down into much smaller loads than go to a public laundry facility.

So, are you cool with public laundry facilities or do they skeeve you?

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I always get to the laundromat by 7AM so I'm out of there before the real nut cases start to show up. And trust me - there are many nut cases. There is a guy who shows up at my laundry wearing a cowboy outfit and has on 2 holsters with real guns in them. People bring in horse blankets and other really filthy stuff they would never put in their own washer - at our laundry they are told if they want to wash those there is an additional fee because there is major cleaning of the machines needed afterward. They usually then leave.I always hope & pray that by being very early I will be the only one there.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@151949 wrote:
I always get to the laundromat by 7AM so I'm out of there before the real nut cases start to show up. And trust me - there are many nut cases. There is a guy who shows up at my laundry wearing a cowboy outfit and has on 2 holsters with real guns in them. People bring in horse blankets and other really filthy stuff they would never put in their own washer - at our laundry they are told if they want to wash those there is an additional fee because there is major cleaning of the machines needed afterward. They usually then leave.I always hope & pray that by being very early I will be the only one there.

That is pretty much what I'm getting at. When one loads their clothing into a public washer (even a laundry room in the apartment building one lives in, where you know most of your neighbors), one never knows what has been in the washer before.

I know people will say "Well, it ran a cycle of soap and water, so the machine will be clean". But that isn't the case. I have seen washers with sand in them, hair (animal and other) in them, and films or greases that feel slimy, even in the locations that have an attendant on duty. I'd be interested in a study done by swabbing the inside of public washers for germs and bacteria (much like they have done with public bathrooms or water fountains) to have some real idea of just how dirty (or not) the inside of these washers are.

I have used and will use a laundromat when needed, but I'm just not really excited about doing so.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

@151949,

Ewww, I bet the machines are really nasty after the horse blankets!

Marsha2003 · ‎03-12-2010

Starting with college, I used public laundries for many years. Some certainly have been nicer and cleaner than others, but you do what you must. No point in getting grossed out by the necessities of life...just deal with them the best way you can. That said, I've certainly enjoyed the last two decades when I've been able to do laundry in my house.

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

Yes, right up there with library books and shopping carts...

eddyandme · ‎09-24-2011

Never used one. Shared laundry facilities in apartment bldgs, but everone was 'clean'. Dont even know how to use a 'pay'-machine! But, I've always thought about it along the lines of what you said. Guess I'd run an empty load on sanitize, then do my normal wash. As far as the dryer is concerned - gross thought 'cause no way to sanitize first!