Wash And Dry: Five Time-Saving Tips For Using The Laundormat

Dirty laundry is phrase that no one wants to hear. Even if it's not referring to personal issues, dirty laundry can be a pain—and that pain can be made even worse if you have wash your laundry in a laundromat.

Although doing laundry in a laundromat can be time consuming, it is not difficult. If you have never used coin-operated laundry equipment, use these five tips to make your journey easier:

1. Sort At Home

You can save a lot of time and frustration by sorting your laundry at home before you get to the laundromat. Use pillowcases, mesh bags, or even garbage bags to sort out your laundry.

You can sort by color: darks, whites, and colors; however, you can also sort by the weight of the item: heavy and light. Determine what system will work best for you and stick to it.

2. Pre-Treat

Another way to save time is to pre-treat your clothing at home. Remember, you want to make your trip simple and easy.

Take your time, go through your clothing, and look for stains. If you find any pieces with stains or discolorations, use a stain treatment and apply it at home. Just make sure you do it about an hour or two before you head to the laundromat; you do not want to leave the pre-treatment on your clothing for an extended amount of time.

3. Have Money Ready

Most laundromats require quarters to wash and dry. Be prepared and make sure you have enough quarters to wash and dry all of your clothing. You might want to bring along extra change too, just in case a machine needs more than cycle to wash or dry.

Most people bring along a roll of quarters, which should be enough. But if it's not, have some cash ready and use the change machine provided in most laundromats.

4. Sort Before Drying

It may seem like overkill, but sorting your clothing for the dryer is very helpful. For this sorting technique, sort the clothing by weight. For example, jeans and towels are heavy so place them together.

Sorting your clothes for the dryer may take a little extra time, but it will ensure that everything dries evenly. It also allows you to use one machine longer if needed—and it's usually needed for heavy items like towels, jeans, and blankets.

5. Know Non-Peak Hours

Like anything else, you can save even more time at the laundromat by going in at a non-peak hour. Although peak hours vary by location, in general it is best to go during the middle of the day. If that is not feasible, periodically check your laundromat and see how busy it is.

Once you determine the non-peak hours, do your washing and drying then. It will save you a lot of time, as you will be able to wash all of your clothing at once.

For more information, contact Metropolitan Laundry Machinery Sales Inc. or a similar company.