Moving the laundry

August 9, 2020 2:49 PM

A young friend of mine is living in a building without laundry. Moving the laundry to the laundromat is difficult for her.

She currently folds all the dirty laundry into a basket, balances it on her hip, walks across the street to another building. She uses a key to open the door, walks down a flight of stairs, and then another key into the laundry room. She's tiny (barely 5ft tall, if that), and not particularly strong, and is finding this difficult. She's doing laundry for 2 people.

I said I'd look for a cart or wagon or something to that effect. They already have a trolley dolly, and its not helpful (too small for all the laundry, and difficult to pack). I'm looking for something that has wheels, that can carry 2-3 loads of laundry, and is collopsabile as space is at a premium.

I can't seem to find a two wheeled trolley big enough. I thought about a utility cart but that has 4 wheels, and I think that would be an issue on the stairs. I'm wondering if a tall hamper strapped to a dolly might work?


Any suggestions?

posted by Ftsqg to Home & Garden (24 answers total)

I used to fill a large draw-string laundry bag and put it in a personal shopping cart. (Which, upon googling is also called a utility cart.) That thing took stairs, curbs, etc, like a champ and lasted six years.
posted by kimberussell at 2:59 PM on August 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I have a large rolling duffle
posted by brujita at 3:02 PM on August 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Hiking backpacks - the kind with a hip belt meant for multi-day hikes - might work if she's open to a solution without wheels. They're made to be easy and relatively comfortable to carry long distances and come in some pretty enormous sizes. I've used a ~45 liter hiking backpacks for grocery shopping on foot and found it pretty easy to navigate stairs, hills, and cold weather; for laundry something even bigger might make sense.
posted by A Blue Moon at 3:27 PM on August 9, 2020 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Is wheels something she wants or something you think would be useful? Many of the laundry bags I've seen are "Sling over one shoulder" types like this one. Otherwise, if wheels are a thing that she thinks would be helpful, a wheeled duffel that you'd see in a luggage place (example, search ebags for sales). I do laundry down the street from where I am and I have a laundry hamper where each section detatches to be a bag with handles and I like it a lot. Part of laundry is making sure the whole system can work together.
posted by jessamyn at 3:32 PM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

How about a generously-sized rolling backpack, so she can switch back and forth between wearing, carrying, pushing, and pulling as circumstances dictate?

We are laundromat-goers as well; IME, baskets are a hassle, and a burden distributed evenly across the shoulders is generally easier to bear than a lopsided burden. Wheels are great, but tight doors and stairwells can make them a hassle. If the laundry is extra-gross, put it in a garbage bag to protect the backpack’s interior.

I have no particular brand label endorsements to offer, but it could be a cheap enough experiment to buy one used, e.g. off a new graduate.
posted by armeowda at 3:36 PM on August 9, 2020

I am short, but modestly strong. When I haul stuff to the laundromat, I use a laundry backpack (this one). I find the evenly balanced weight a lot easier to manage than a bag or hamper. There are smaller ones out there, if that would be too big.

(I also have to go up stairs to get to my car from the front of my apartment, so something on wheels wouldn't help a lot.)
posted by jenettsilver at 3:41 PM on August 9, 2020 [6 favorites]

I wonder if something built to be lightweight and mobile for roll-aboard plane luggage would be a good fit. Something off a list like this, maybe? Link
posted by nakedmolerats at 4:04 PM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Like jenettsilver I favored a laundry backpack when stairs and a bit of a hike were involved. I used a very inexpensive laundry backpack from Target ($7). The one jenettsilver links to is much nicer than the one I used.
posted by RichardP at 4:04 PM on August 9, 2020

I used to have to walk several blocks, plus stairs, to the laundromat and also used a backpack. Would recommend.
posted by ferret branca at 4:07 PM on August 9, 2020

Fourthing the laundry backpack!
posted by airmail at 4:11 PM on August 9, 2020

Portable washing machine that screws into her sink, drying rack.

I lived the laundromat life for several years, I lived the shared building laundry in the basement life for several years, then I lived 8 years with the portable machine and drying rack. Without exaggeration it was the best purchasing decision I made in 15 years of apartment life.
posted by phunniemee at 4:12 PM on August 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

I use a wheeled suitcase. While it is not collapsible, it's the kind of thing that takes up space in my apartment anyway, regardless of laundry. It's awkward to drag up stairs, but I find it significantly less annoying than carrying a basket. That said, distance has generally been a bigger problem than stairs for me; your friend's priorities may vary.

As armeowda suggests, perhaps a wheeled backpack might be the most flexible answer? (I don't have any specific brand recommendations either, unfortunately.)
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 4:23 PM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

The upcart looks like a beefier version of the trolly dolly. She could strap a big hamper, some milk crates, Rubbermaid containers or a big bag to it. I have used similar and it handles stairs pretty well.
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 4:52 PM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seconding the idea of a cheap portable washer to do at least some of the clothes. You can get a portable dryer too, but I've opted for an air-drying rack.

I've had decades of using shared laundry. Lugging loads of clothes up and down stairs or out and about is a hassle. I'd also become more obsessed about the hygiene aspect, and the current drastic public health crisis was the final push. (Avoiding both the shared machines, and spending less time in shared spaces.)

My mini-washer is a little less convenient than phunniemee describes, in terms of setup and functions available. But it cost about $60 US, and the bonus is not having to drag clothes around.
posted by NorthernLite at 8:07 PM on August 9, 2020

Huge duffel bag with wheels or backpack straps.
posted by gnutron at 8:29 PM on August 9, 2020

Portable washing machines and dryers exist. They’re actually pretty affordable compared to the regular sized ones
posted by Skwirl at 8:35 PM on August 9, 2020

I used to use a big army duffel with padded backpack straps for this purpose, but I am not a tiny person, so it may come to finding a bag that fits her own limits.

The nice thing about a bag with no frame or wheels, etc, is you can just roll it down those flights of stairs (take out the bottle of detergent first, obvs, or use pods).

I also recommend handwashing as much stuff as possible in the sink or bathtub, to make more room for the things that absolutely need to be taken to the laundry. Also, stomping laundry in the bathtub is incredibly cathartic/satisfying.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:52 PM on August 9, 2020

I barely 5 feet tall and used to use a foldable trolley like this for groceries and laundry.
posted by lemon_icing at 9:08 PM on August 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

Get a large enough canvas drawstring bag, and you can even use it as a liner for the folding trolleys people are suggesting. Then the trolley is your clothes hamper. Cinch up the top and you can either carry or wheel it, as circumstances dictate.
posted by pykrete jungle at 11:00 PM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Suitcase with wheels always worked for me and I was not the only person at the laundromat who did that.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:34 AM on August 10, 2020

Another suitcase with wheels or rolling duffel vote. that's how we moved college kids into the apartments or dorms.
posted by domino at 6:53 AM on August 10, 2020

there is a whole category of utility trolleys for this use case. This one looks good.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:40 AM on August 10, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks all. They have no room for a portable washer unfortunately, and I can't see either of them stomping laundry in the tub.

I did talk to her about a backpack, but she says she isn't strong enough.

Anyways, we've agreed on a hockey bag with wheels (esstentially a rolling duffel bag). If it doesn't work for her, she'll give it back to me, and we can use it for my boys' hockey gear. If I can find a rainbow duffel on wheels I might do that instead!

(yes we are in Canada!)
posted by Ftsqg at 11:08 AM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

Just came back to this thread. If you're still checking it, this is my portable washer. 14x14x22", it fits in a small bathroom. (Or could even go on a countertop.)

Yes, you can only do very small loads, and an even smaller load to spin "dry." But for avoiding shared laundry room hassles, or to lighten the load you carry to laundry room, it's okay for now.
posted by NorthernLite at 6:59 AM on August 14, 2020