Wash & Fold. Wash & fold.
February 13, 2010 1:00 PM Subscribe
Tell me about your Wash & Fold experiences with local laundry services (hopefully in Chicago).
Our laundry is out of control. My husband and I are increasingly away from home and slaving away at work, and the laundry has gone by the wayside. Will Wash & Fold service save my life?
Additionally: Where should I get Wash & Fold service in Chicago (Lakeview - Ashland & Diversey)? Anything in particular I should know if I choose Wash & Fold? What is the proper laundry service etiquette?
Our laundry is out of control. My husband and I are increasingly away from home and slaving away at work, and the laundry has gone by the wayside. Will Wash & Fold service save my life?
Additionally: Where should I get Wash & Fold service in Chicago (Lakeview - Ashland & Diversey)? Anything in particular I should know if I choose Wash & Fold? What is the proper laundry service etiquette?
Not Chicago, but when I lived in Brooklyn, I always relied on Wash & Fold. The 24 hour place on my corner in Bay Ridge was fantastic.
Now, in Manhattan, I have a laundry room in my building, and I'm home more often, AND the prices are sky high for Wash & Fold on the Upper West Side, so I do my own.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:40 PM on February 13, 2010
Now, in Manhattan, I have a laundry room in my building, and I'm home more often, AND the prices are sky high for Wash & Fold on the Upper West Side, so I do my own.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:40 PM on February 13, 2010
I use a Wash'n'Fold service. I've found that it's wonderful for having folded laundry! When I do my own, I usually fail to fold it.
The only issue I've had with it is that my particular W'n'F servicer has lost almost my entire black sock collection. I can't explain how, but my black sock collection is definitely smaller (three pairs versus the ten I used to have!). Expect that you will lose some clothing/towels/etc. Usually small stuff.
You might also 'gain' stuff: I've found random washcloths/kitchen towels and children's socks in my clean stuff. It's weird and I return the items but it's better than doing laundry myself.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 1:53 PM on February 13, 2010
The only issue I've had with it is that my particular W'n'F servicer has lost almost my entire black sock collection. I can't explain how, but my black sock collection is definitely smaller (three pairs versus the ten I used to have!). Expect that you will lose some clothing/towels/etc. Usually small stuff.
You might also 'gain' stuff: I've found random washcloths/kitchen towels and children's socks in my clean stuff. It's weird and I return the items but it's better than doing laundry myself.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 1:53 PM on February 13, 2010
I don't live in Chicago, but in NYC. I use a wash and fold service exclusively.
I find it well worth the cost. The money I spend on the service frees up my time to do other things.
I find the benefit exceeds the cost.
posted by dfriedman at 1:55 PM on February 13, 2010
I find it well worth the cost. The money I spend on the service frees up my time to do other things.
I find the benefit exceeds the cost.
posted by dfriedman at 1:55 PM on February 13, 2010
Response by poster: What sorts of payment structures do you have? I keep seeing $0.75/lb.
posted by santojulieta at 2:12 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by santojulieta at 2:12 PM on February 13, 2010
Another happy wash & fold customer here. I'm in San Francisco and pay $1/lb with a ten-pound minimum. (I'm pretty sure that's the minimum, anyway; it's on a sign in the shop but I've always had enough to exceed it.) It is well worth it.
posted by tellumo at 2:31 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by tellumo at 2:31 PM on February 13, 2010
I would love it if wash and fold were that cheap here.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:39 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by ocherdraco at 2:39 PM on February 13, 2010
I did this in Pilsen for awhile, and it's fantastically convenient.
However, little issues continued creeping up - more than a few lost socks and then fabric softener used when I requested that it not be, so I stopped using the service.
These are customer services issues, though, so YMMV.
posted by asuprenant at 2:55 PM on February 13, 2010
However, little issues continued creeping up - more than a few lost socks and then fabric softener used when I requested that it not be, so I stopped using the service.
These are customer services issues, though, so YMMV.
posted by asuprenant at 2:55 PM on February 13, 2010
In San Francisco I do wash n fold, and I pay $0.75 per pound. I feel horribly guilty paying someone to do our laundry, but without a washer in the building, it's the only nearby and practical solution. It does save a lot of time.
posted by soleiluna at 2:55 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by soleiluna at 2:55 PM on February 13, 2010
Oh. Man.
Just never go to the one in Uptown/Edgewater (although I don't know why you'd be there...) off Broadway. $4.00 for 2 lb. of clothes! Crazy lady.
Who didn't even believe me when I said I paid for it (although I paid her. In cash. What the heck.)
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 3:38 PM on February 13, 2010
Just never go to the one in Uptown/Edgewater (although I don't know why you'd be there...) off Broadway. $4.00 for 2 lb. of clothes! Crazy lady.
Who didn't even believe me when I said I paid for it (although I paid her. In cash. What the heck.)
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 3:38 PM on February 13, 2010
75 cents per pound seems a bit outrageous to me. 50-65 cents is more the norm, even in Manhattan, which I still refuse to pay.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:46 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:46 PM on February 13, 2010
Laundry is heavier than you think. The clothes I'm wearing right now weigh 4 pounds, and that's just one outfit. Even $.50 a pound is VERY expensive and will add up quickly. Consider trying to hire someone on Craigslist unless money is truly no object to you.
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 5:02 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 5:02 PM on February 13, 2010
I paid 75 cents a pound in Oak Park. The person I went to there was amazing; laundry folded and sorted (all underwear together, shirts together, pants together), always followed my instructions and laundry was cleaner and nicer than when I did it. With how much it cost to do laundry in my building and the savings in time, it was worth it.
posted by eleanna at 5:07 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by eleanna at 5:07 PM on February 13, 2010
(And yeah, that sounds like a lot, but 2 very large bags of laundry (about 8 loads worth in my apartment complex's machines or ~$16, not counting detergent/fabric softener) cost me $32. Factor in the time I would have spent doing it and how much quicker my laundry got put away and it was well worth it.)
posted by eleanna at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by eleanna at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2010
A price comparison - here in central suburban NJ, $.75/lb would be lovely. I pay $.85/lb, and other area places are $.90 or $.99/lb. I also tip my laundry person, usually around 10% rounded up to eliminate the need for coin change.
posted by booksherpa at 8:15 PM on February 13, 2010
posted by booksherpa at 8:15 PM on February 13, 2010
I did this in Manhattan when I was recovering from a long illness. I think it was about .80 a lb, and then there were extra charges to separate lights and darks, and for fabric softener. After I was feeling better, I found it to be such a convenience that I kept using the service (which was next door to my apt, so I always just dropped off and picked up). It ran me about $30 every two weeks, including sheets and towels. But now I live in an apt with a washer and dryer, and am back to doing it myself.
posted by kimdog at 9:07 AM on February 14, 2010
posted by kimdog at 9:07 AM on February 14, 2010
I love wash and fold services; we used to use one all the time when we lived in Philadelphia proper. Unfortunately, out here in the main line suburbs, I haven't found anyplace cheaper than $1.50/lb.
posted by dmd at 11:44 AM on February 14, 2010
posted by dmd at 11:44 AM on February 14, 2010
I use a W/F in Manhattan (Midtown) and it's around .75/lb. It's about twice what it would cost me to do the laundry myself in the coin-op machines (no laundry in apt or building).
I consider myself a frugal person, but I wear dress clothes every day, so have very little washable laundry. Like, underwear and socks every day, a couple t-shirts and maybe a pair of jeans every week.
It would cost me about $10 every 2 weeks to do my own laundry, or about $20 every 2 weeks to have it washed and folded. $20 less per month is not enough to have me trudging to the laundromat 3 times over the course of an evening.
If you have lots of laundry, or are on a really tight budget, it may not be worth it, but for me it definitely is. I would pay $1/lb.
posted by jckll at 6:44 AM on February 17, 2010
I consider myself a frugal person, but I wear dress clothes every day, so have very little washable laundry. Like, underwear and socks every day, a couple t-shirts and maybe a pair of jeans every week.
It would cost me about $10 every 2 weeks to do my own laundry, or about $20 every 2 weeks to have it washed and folded. $20 less per month is not enough to have me trudging to the laundromat 3 times over the course of an evening.
If you have lots of laundry, or are on a really tight budget, it may not be worth it, but for me it definitely is. I would pay $1/lb.
posted by jckll at 6:44 AM on February 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:06 PM on February 13, 2010