Getting your laundry done in NYC

Either pin your socks together or put them in a mesh laundry bag. Problem solved.

#richpeopleproblems

#douchebagusinghashtags

I wash mine in the sink

R1 sounds a sock short himself.

People who insist you have to do your own laundry don't live in NY.

When you live in a building with no laundry facilities or with only two machines for dozens of apartments, it's a pain in the ass to go to a public laundry where crazy people have to interact with the world. God forbid you should be in their line of vision when they decide to go off.

It's just so much easier and not much more expensive to have it done.

I happen to love doing my own laundry and did small things like underwear and socks in my sink when I lived in NY, but I took my shirts to a great Chinese shirt laundry where they were done by hand and ironed better than I could do them myself, and everything else went to an incredible Puerto Rican woman who did fantastic and meticulous work, dirt cheap.

(I only mention their nationalities because it was a part of the whole experience, and they were so much better than the average dry cleaner that also does wet washing.)

I don't live in NY any more, so I happily have a washer and dryer and do my own -- and dry some of it on a clothesline in my back yard when the weather is right.

But if you've never lived in NY and deal with too few machines in your building or nutcases at a public facility, don't criticize having your laundry done.

Anyway, OP, I recommend you hand wash your underwear and socks at home. It's not that much work and you don't have worry about losing socks, though you do have to have a little drying rack, and that can be a problem if you have a tiny apartment or more importantly a tiny bathroom.

They never got my whites white enough. I think it was the recycled water they used.

So I left NYC and am much happier.

[quote]I'd much rather due it this way

really? due it?

r1 sounds like some poor black guy stuck in a flyover state. Who, of course, does his own laundry. At the laundromat.

I just buy new clothes each week

R7 here. I can't believe I used the word "nationality" to refer to woman with a Puerto Rican background.

Yes, I know she's an American citizen, even if she speaks two languages fluently instead of just one.

I'll have to ask my housekeeper.

What does it cost to have your clothes washed and folded (not dry-cleaned)? It is by the pound or by the piece?

I'm in a walk-up on the UWS and for years I hauled my laundry down the block to do it myself. One day I decided to splurge on a laundry service and I've never been to a laundromat since. The price isn't that much more than if I do it myself. I don't have pick-up or delivery, though. I just drop off my bag on my way to work and pick it up on my way home. The laundry service doesn't use heavily scented soaps or softeners which I appreciate. Heaven.

Yes, my laundry folks have lost a sock or two. I don't really care. I've also found other people's socks in my bag. It's not the end of the world.

Yes it's normal to lose a sock occasionally. I've gotten someone else's undies once or twice too, but like the OP says, SO worth it.

Geeze some of you people are just nasty for the sake of being nasty.

YO, you don't have a washer/dryer in your house? I could never live in NYC.

You really don't think it's that much more than doing it yourself? For me it usually comes out to about $10 more each time I do laundry. And that's if I drop it off/pick it up myself. If you're tipping for delivery it's gotta be about $15 more.

And the only time I've ever had something ruined was by doing wash 'n fold. And the laundromat took no responsibility for it whatsoever. Plus, I seem to have mysteriously lost a pair of underwear recently, which I'm sure they lost.

In the West Village wash and fold runs from 60 cents to $1.00 a pound.

r17 most buildings don't permit washers in apartments. Pipes can't handle the volume of water and soap clogs them up.

Your time is worth someting too. I used to lose a least a half-day each week schlepping to the laundromat, sitting there with the crazies while doing my laundry, waiting for the "good" washer or dryer to become available. Then I had to buy detergent, softener, etc.

It's worth it to me to use a laundry service. I use a mesh bag for socks, and if I worry about anything delicate I just send it to the dry cleaner. I will gladly give up other things, like a few dinners out, to solve thre laundry issue.

People who think it's cheaper to use a self-service laundromat don't know the price of using those machines in NYC. I easily used to spend $15 on a 20 lb bag of laundry, and that's before detergent/bleach, etc. At $1/lb with same day drop-off & pick up, the laundry service is a bargain.

The 'mo troll must be Chung Ho's even more boring attempt at trolling.

Thanks, R19.

I suppose if I already have a washer and dryer I'm just a lazy Gus if I don't do my own laundry.

NYC guy here. Haven't done more than 10 loads of laundry in 20 years. Gets picked up, washed, folded, delivered all for about $20 bucks a week. Sure they lose the occasional sock but such is life.

When i was shopping for apartments I remember thinking that a lot of people think washer and dryer in the apartment is a selling point -- I'd rather have an extra half bath or a separate shower/tub with that water line. Who really wants to have to do laundry?

My husband! Some hotshot. Here's his ancient chinese secret!

[quote]Who really wants to have to do laundry?

No one, but I need to be able to do when I need it.

I would PREFER to have a washer-dryer in my apartment, but that would increase the rent by much more than I spend in laundry costs.

And there is NO WAY I'm going to use some creepy basement laundry room in an apartment building. I've seen Rosemary's Baby and Single White Female.

The day I moved to Brooklyn from suburban Long Island, , I decided I would rather pay the extra money than to lug a sack of laundry and detergent, sit in the hot laundromat and FOLD it. I lived in a basement apartment with no W/D and also the laundromat was 2 blocks away. Lazy shit? I don't think so. I carried the bag there, paid, and they delivered it (and my dry cleaning) 2 days later. Worth every penny, and it wasn't even really that expensive despite what people might think. I now live in Manhattan and my building has probably a dozen W/D's in the basement, but I still have my clothes laundered outside. Again, worth every penny. In my building, I'd be fighting over machines with Fraus and Filipina housemaids (yes, lots of them) and have to go up and down the elevator 29 stories several times for the chore.

No thanks.

I never thought about using a laundry service until reading this thread. I'm sick of the crazies, waiting for the "good" dryer, and the schlepping, too.

Any recommendations for a laundry service in Manhattan?

R30 - the nearest laundrymat will do the servie for you.

I use it, too,a nd do the drop off thing. I just drop it off in the morning, and usually on my way home pick it up. I ask them to use a scent-free detergent, and they oblige. I hate the cheap syntethic "fresh" scents clash with my expensive perfume.

In my last apartment building, you HAD to sit down there with a magazine and wait for your laundry. People were shameless about dumping stuff out on the floor and putting their own clothes in the machines.

[quote]The price is right and I'd much rather due it this way than waste time at a laundromat.

Oh dear...

I went and bought one of those mesh bags--makes sense! will just put the socks in there. I do have a small drying rack, too.

I pay 60 cents a pound for pickup/delivery, and it's 49 cents a pound if I drop it off and pick it up myself. They also charge $1.50 for sorting out the whites unless I do it myself. I had two standard sized bags of laundry picked up/delivered filled to the brim (can't remember how many pounds) that I didn't sort the whites from (so, extra $1.50) and the total was $22 and change, plus tip. Not bad at all for the total convenience of it all.

And that was your laundry for the week, R34?

So, about 90 bucks a month.

What does it cost at the laundromat?

How much do laundry mats or coin operated machines in buildings cost now? The last time I used a community washer in a building it was .75 each for wash and dry. (Chicago in 2001) The washers were old (but in decent condition) and the landlord never bothered to adjust prices over time. $22 for two full laundry bags sounds more than reasonable. I'm thinking it would be four standard washers full.

I do my own laundry. Mostly because I know I will put enough detergent in the washer to wash my clothes properly. Laundry places skimp on laundry detergent and hot water, which I find gross.

Two washes, one dryer... it comes to around $7. Even with a few scoops of the detergent, that's way less than $20.

Some people in this thread aren't getting it. It's not about the cost per pound of wash/fold service or dry cleaning versus buying detergent and using coins in a laundromat or communal laundry room. It's about the hassle of spending time and energy doing it. It's a much different experience than if the W/D is in your own home. I'll say it again, it's worth every penny to have someone do it for me. I don't LIKE doing laundry.

R35, actually, it was about a week and half's worth for two people, and also included a set of sheets.

And yes--it's WELL worth it to not waste time! So many better things I could be doing. Even if it costs me 20-30 more a month than what it would cost me to do it myself at the laundromat.

OP,

Where do you have laundry service that cheap? I am on the Upper West Side and the cheapest wash and fold service cost $1 per pound and that's drop off service.

I have a washer and dryer in my apt. and I live in Manhattan.

Isn't anybody worried about getting bedbugs from other people's cootie-laden laundry?

The dryer kills the bedbugs.

If you have bedbugs, one of the things you should do is washing your clothes and bedding and put them through the dryer cycle.

I have a washer and dryer and I still have my sheets done by the laundry. So much easier.

I also live on the UWS and it's 75 cents/lb. incl. drop off service. Just off Columbus at 73rd Street.

Here on Broadway and 103rd street, it costs about $1 per pound. A couple places charges more than $1.00.

dumbest site ever

$.80/lb in Astoria--best money we spend.

The laundry services in NYC reuse their water. I'd rather do my clothes in water earmarked for me.

Why not just get a washer and dryer? They're so cheap on Amazon. I can't imagine using someone else's used germ filled machine.

@R50

New York City has some of the oldest housing stock in the USA. Quite literally many buildings are so old with plumping to match they cannot cope with the discharge from washing machines, especially if everyone used them at the same times.

Until recently you'd be surprised who didn't have en suite laundry appliances. We are talking Park, Fifth, Madison Avenues (Upper East Side). Many of those grand white-glove Co-op buildings have or had laundry rooms in the basements but that was that.

Things are changing however. In today's hot NYC real estate market not having laundry appliances or at least permission and the hook-ups installed can either be a deal breaker and or affect the price. Persons paying one million dollars for a shoebox or three million for something better don't want to use public equipment. Most all new buildings especially on the luxury side have washers and dryers.

Problem is due to space and floor plans the dryer is likely to be a condenser (vent-less) because the laundry area does not face an outside wall.

The wealthy buildings without laundry facilities in their apartments have help who either do the laundry for them or send it out for them. So it's never been a problem.

@R52

Not exactly true.

It isn't so much who or whom is doing the work but the idea of placing one's laundry where others have been before. You really don't know do you?

Go to Yelp or similar sites and you'll find a litany of complaints from Manhattan residents about various laundry services including high end places such as Mrs. Roles, Jeeves and Madame Paulette.

The other factor of course is cost. Really good *French* hand laundries charge around $5 and up per *plain* napkin. One sheet runs $20 and up. So you can see how costs for a weekly was escalate quickly.

Martha Steward follows a long tradition of full nearly commercial quality laundries at her Maine estate. However in town families may find their options limited.

Unlike much of Europe where homes long have had washing machines and dryers located in kitchens, Americans including those in NYC often find that idea unsanitary. The question then becomes one of space to locate laundry equipment. That is often where the problem lies in older buildings. Unless you are doing a gut reconstruction and or it is a new building finding a place for plumbing hook-ups can be problematic.

New York is a TOUGH city. When I lived there, the laundry room in my apartment building had a Rape Cycle!

NYers prefer dishwashers in their kitchens; Europeans prefer washing machines. Few NY kitchens have space for both.

When they do your laundry they will drop already washed and/or washed and dried things, like face and dish towels on the floor and even accidently step on it and if it doesn't show they will just bring it back to you as clean. I know it's a pain in the ass but do your own laundry and buy a lingerie bag or two and put your socks in it and you will never lose any.

r49's name is Hyacinth. Also bitches about recycled glass milk bottles.

If I drop off jeans and white underwear will laundries wash them in separate machines?

Forget getting your laundry done -- where can I get my salad tossed?

Well if you can't afford the laundry prices sounds to me like you azz shouldn't be living there

The problem I have with service wash is that they just fry everything in the dryer. And you often see them just dropping shit on the floor and picking it back up and throwing it into the machine again. I'd rather save my clothes than some time doing it myself.

What the fly over plebeians here don't realize for those of us lucky enough to live in NY is that TIME IS MONEY!

Time is money everywhere - consult Harvard Business Review

Time is NOT money.

If time IS money then that means that money is time.

If money is time then on my deathbed I want my 401k used to buy me more time.

My building has laundry rooms in the basement, which I use for some stuff. I send shirts and sheets to the Chinese laundry across the street. It's kind of easy.

What you don't know won't hurt you pretty much sums up much of the "fluff and fold" laundry business in NYC.

Commercial laundry is a labour and capital intensive business. As such a few cents saved here and there can add up quickly into thousands in a year.

I don't care who the face of the business happens to be; from an Asian immigrant to a piss elegant big ole Mary, the work is being done by mostly minority populations (Asian and Latino/Hispanic legal and illegal) and African Americans. Unless it is a union shop (which most small Laundromats certainly are not), these workers are paid not very well and often taken advantage of by owners. They are "shown" what to do and the machines do the rest. Once that is done things are folded and sent back.

Have seen Laundromat workers use Tide for washing some very expensive down duvets and pillows. Also observed many pour tons of chemicals (detergent, chlorine bleach, ammonia, fabric softener) into the machines without regard for soil level or fabric type.

Laundromats also dump soiled linen into those same carts used to hold "clean" laundry from the washing machines and dryers. Since those carts are not cleaned you don't know what they held. If a bundle emptied into said cart had bed bugs or lice and then used to hold your laundry fresh out of the dryer....

Missing items:

Most all Laundromats and laundries have bins that contain "lost items". You'd be surprised not only at what goes missing by workers but what customers leave.

Often socks are left in a washer or dryer then become part of the next load. Thus that customer ends up with "extra" socks. That or the things fall to the floor and no one notices. By the time things are folded and bagged the worker has forgotten (if they cared at all) where the missing item goes.

R66 TIDE! OMG!!!!

Interesting, a thesis on NY laundry.

Socks? Really OP? Socks are sooo 03

It doesn't take that much time to do your own laundry rather than people doing it incorrectly. Don't any of you people hang up your clothes to dry?

You have clothes to launder?

@R71

Though common enough in Paris and other European cities, many New Yorkers especially residents of Manhattan consider draping or hanging laundry round apartments very low rent. Something their grandmothers did back on Ludlow Street before they moved up in the world.

I sent my laundry out for over 20 years. I lived in small buildings without a laundry room, and doing it myself was dreary, and not cheaper. I enjoyed the convenience.

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

I used to take it to the laundry to get cleaned. It was very expensive. Thank goodness the owner of this laundry had a big mouth wife who told me how to get my clothes clean very cheaply.