How to Survive the Laundromat

Unless you’re lucky enough to have an in-home laundry, you’re familiar with the workings of the laundromat. Many people find the laundromat a necessity–one that can be frustrating. If a weekly or monthly trip to the laundromat is a fact of your life, these suggestions can reduce the annoyance and maybe even make the trip a bit more pleasant.

Instructions

• BYOD-Bring your own detergent. Take along supplies like fabric softener sheets, color-safe bleach and a bar of soap for stains. Mini-boxes of laundry products at the laundromat are overpriced.
• Take along twice as many quarters as you plan on using. The machines always seem to eat more quarters than they ought.
• Take plenty of hangers so you can hang your clothes as they come out of the dryer. This saves on ironing time later on.
• Inspect the machines before adding your clothes. Check the washers for paper, tissues, markers and pens. Check dryers for melted crayons and baked-on gum.
• Stagger-start the washer and dryers. That way, they won’t all finish at the same time. Sort the laundry at home so you’ll have a better idea of how many machines you’ll need.