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Laundry: Part 4 - FLYing in the Laundromat!
Thank-you everyone who sent in their tips for FLYing in the Laundramat. We wish we could have posted them all! If you are going through this list, have a pen and paper handy to jot down ideas that may work for you. There are tips here for how to presort the laundry, put together all the supplies, transport the laundry, and enjoy the laundromat whether you are there by yourself, with your kids, or your sweet darling. We have to admit, until we read many of your tips, we never thought about using laundry time as a "date night" or "family fun" event. It sounds like fun! You are all wonderful. Thanks again - FlyCrew.
From our members...
Believe it or not, sometimes I miss the days before we
got a washer and dryer, when we had to go to a
laundromat. You see, back then we used a
"neighborhood" laundry and it was a great place to
meet people, read the bulletin board, trade paperbacks
and magazines. When I was a young stay-at-home mom
with small children and little money, I met others in
similar situations and made new friends. We planned
weekly get-togethers at the Laundromat to do laundry,
let the kids play together, and even brought snacks
and coffee in thermoses. When I went back to work
full-time, we made Sunday a family "wash day". Not
only did all the laundry get done at one time, but we
spent precious time together as a busy
two-career-with-active-kids-in-school family. It
became our "catch-up-over-pizza-out" night. Now the
kids are in out on their own or in high school with
busy social lives and I am a stay-at-home with washer
and dryer. I kinda miss the good old days, when we
couldn't afford the luxury of a washer and dryer and
had to make do with the luxury of time together.
I live in Tokyo Japan. We have a washing machine (think very small) but no
dryer. On bad weather and no company days, I dry the clothes by hanging
them up in the living room. (It also adds moisture to the air!) However, I
love the local laundromat because the dryer is huge and inexpensive. I can
fit four or five loads in it. The secret for me is using two laundry
baskets. First of all, it is about a 5 minute bike ride and I can fit one
basket on the front and one on the back of the bike. When the laundry is
done I separate into a kid's basket and an adult basket. Towels go in
whichever basket has room. (Actually it is best to tuck a towel on the top
of each basket so items can not fly out during the ride!) Not sure if
anyone else has this kind of quandry, but I thought I'd share. Thank you.
When I go to the laundromat, I like to bring something
that I really like to do, like my knitting. That way I
enjoy the time between changing loads and folding. I
consider the time I get to spend on knitting a reward for
doing the laundry.
- Wheatland, WI
I live in a house now, but I remember going to the laundry room in the dorm I was in way back in college. It would also apply to those of you who go to the laundry room in apartment buildings. I have found that the laundry room is a tremendous place to relax and read a book. If you have to do laundry anyway, it is a good time for some me time. The noise that is made by washers and dryers is always consistent and easier to block out than loud neighbors or neighbors playing loud music.
- We can fly if we try, from Virginia
When my husband and I lived in an apartment building with a common laundry
room, we noticed that Thursday evening was its least busy night. We rented a
movie for 99 cents, and after supper on Thursdays we put our sheets in one
washer, whites including dress shirts in another washer, colors in a third,
etc. We went upstairs, set the timer and watched half the movie, paused it,
went down to transfer all the washed clothes to dryers, went back to watch
the rest of the movie, then talked about the movie as we folded and put
away. I miss those days!
Flybaby in San Diego CA
It's faster and more convenient to already have change at the laundromat.
Those M&M tubes that hold the mini M&M chocolate candies are the exact size of quarters...I keep one in a drawer and put all my quarters in it. Great to take along to the laundromat!
- from Ohio
Hi,
Short time FlyBaby, first time writer.
The one thing that's made doing laundry easier for this apartment dweller is
to measure out the detergent, bleach and softener I need into little
Tupperware-style containers before heading out to the laundromat. It sounds
like a no-brainer (and in fact might be an extra step, I'm afraid), but it's
saved my back from having to lug three large jugs back and forth over 10
blocks (5 either way) and up and down tiny aisles full of running kids,
especially when the rolling suitcase with all my dirty clothing is big and
bulky enough!
Looking forward to reading other tips!
FlyBaby in Flushing, Queens
Hello Fly-staff,
I really need FlyLady's help in most areas of my life, but laundry is fortunately one thng I pretty much have under control. I've never had to go out and buy new underwear (though I have a couple emergency pairs I'm not too fond of!) and because I have lived in an apartment for the past 10 years, I need to stay on top of taking things out of the dryer so no one else will take them!
Here are some of my laundry "routines":
1) Whenever I go to the bank (which these days with direct deposit and ATMs is not that often), I pick up a roll of quarters. It's extremely rare for me to run out and have to dig through couch cushions or the ashtray of my car looking for change since I have a mug that keeps all my quarters handy. (And it's off limits for grabbing for anything but laundry!)
2) I have three laundry bags. I do not use hampers (although that might work for you) because I find bags are easier to carry up and down stairs. One laundry bag is blue, one is white, and one is mesh. The blue I use for colored clothing, the white one is for whites (duh), and the mesh is for towels and sheets. When a bag is full, I wash it. Simple as that! Of course on occasion I will choose to do a particular wash before that, if there's something in it I really need.
3) I have some over-the-door hooks in the bedroom and bathroom. There are two in the bedroom-- on these hang the blue and white bags. When I get undressed, I put dirty clothing directly in the laundry bags hanging on the back of the bedroom door (ok, so clothing doesn't ALWAYS get in the bags like it should...but I'm still just a flybaby). The mesh bag is on an over-door hook in the bathroom. By the way, these hooks work perfectly for hanging my bathrobe (and my hubby's) in either room, thus covering up the semi-unsightly bulge of the laundry bag.
That's pretty much it. Scouting a time when there's a free washer can be a challenge, but now that my husband's home during the day, he's able to do laundry. The great thing is that with this much organization, I don't have to depend on him to sort anything-- just this morning I told him "Dear, can you wash the white bag?" and it was done when I got home. Not folded, mind you, but done and back in the bag at least, not scattered through the house. - Hope that helped! Learning to fly in Charleston, SC
I live in Louisiana. When my husband and I were in college we used the apt. laundromat. To make life easier I used a rolling laundry basket to go up and down stairs easier and a book sack for the detergent etc.. Before I headed out I sorted clothes placing the towels then jeans and sweats at the bottom, colors next and whites on top. I went from machine to machine and dumped without the hassle of sorting on the spot. When the clothes were dried I folded them stacking towels and jeans on the bottom then whites then colors since they usually wrinkled easier. As soon as I got home I hung what needed to be hung and rarely had to iron. The rollers made it so much easier to move around.
The easy ones are for those who use Laundromats:
1. Keep a laundry kit in a drawer somewhere. It should be easy to grab on
your way out and it should consist of soap, drier sheets, rolls of quarters,
and a good book or preferably, some sort of paperwork/sit-down sort of thing
that you can stop in the middle of to switch laundry over for. When I lived
in the dorms in college I used to save some of my language homework for the
laundry room because it was always pretty quiet in there and I found that
running through sentences in my head while I worked on laundry was useful.
I speak French and German much better now.
2. Go to the Laundromat at least once a week. It makes your life easier if
you do it more often. Make it a special event. When I wasn't in classes
over the summer and lived in an apartment that had a Laundromat, I would get
myself a latte and a Sunday paper. I would let my latte cool a little while
I loaded my laundry into the washers and then I would settle in. The
interruption to change the clothes over to the driers was fine since I was
reading short articles from the paper and Sunday ads. By the time I
finished the latte and the paper my laundry was dry and it was time to start
folding and sorting into piles for rooms and drawers.
3. Never take more than you can carry in one trip. Usually this means one
or two loads worth. - from Olympia, WA (college student, soon to be wife and college
graduate)
FlyCrew,
While we were living in an apartment waiting for our house to be built,
we used a new trash can on wheels as a laundry hamper. When it was laundry
day, we just threw our detergent bottles on top of the clothes, tossed in a
margarine tub full of the quarters we had been collecting, popped the lid on, and
rolled on over to the laundry. When we moved into our new house, we already
had a nice new trash can!
Flybaby in Missouri
FlyCrew –
My building laundry room is totally packed at peak times, but I have learned that there is NO ONE there at 8 am on Sunday mornings. So I have carved out 2 hours before church for laundry time. With the whole room to myself, I can do all my loads at once, so two hours is enough time to wash, dry, fold and put away. Plus, since I’m not a morning person, I am usually too groggy to remember that I hate laundry J
Also, getting one of those little wheeled carts is very helpful – I pick up my entire hamper, put it in the cart, throw my detergent on top, and wheel it on to the elevator.
-- flying through law school in NYC
the thing that helped me out most when i was going to the laundromat, was when a kind lady gave me a laundry bag, made of heavy duty white fabric. she noticed i had three kids in tow and a half dozen garbage bags filled with dirty laundry. that laundry bag has become invaluable to me for many reasons! it is easily put away when not in use, it even has a hook to hang it with; it washes easily; i can throw our laundry down the loft stairs from our bedroom and drag the very full bag to the laundry room from there. when i used to have to go to the laundromat i would wash it with my laundry and then it would be ready to fill with the clean laundry to take home.
other than that nothing makes it easier.
"learning to fly"
vancouver island BC canada
My husband and I live in married student housing and have to lug our laundry across the complex. Needless to say, despite the fact that we try to have a regular laundry night, it often is put off for more appealing activities. We make the most of it by playing cards and board games. Recently, we have started heading to the grand ole laundromat with our neighbors. We often have dinner together then head over and play games and have snacks. They have a one year old ds and we enjoy him and they get to do laundry without constantly keeping up with him, that is until he falls asleep in a pile of towels in the basket while we're folding. It has helped both families get there and become more accountable for doing laundry. Making a night of it has certainly made it a much more enjoyable experience.
Fluttering in Indiana
If you need to use a coin laundry, be sure to sort everything at home before you go. That way you can just dump in your loads without having to sort your unmentionables all over the Laundromat floor!
Have a great day!
- in Longmont
FlyCrew,
These may sound like simple things, but they are the things that make laundry possible for me. I have to haul my laundry to the laundry mat as I don't have hookups in the house I rent.
I have scheduled Saturday mornings as laundry day. This is almost carved in stone. I know, Sat is supposed to be family fun day. In a way it is. My hubby goes to visit a friend and my DD and I have a girls day washing and acting silly at the same time. We have had some interesting conversations waiting on the washer or dryer.
Friday PM I sort the laundry into whites, colors, towels, jeans, etc. While I'm sorting I'm checking for stains and treating any I find. I'm also making sure everything is turned right side out and looking for anything that needs repair. Repairs go on a list to do after washing. Then I make sure that we have all our laundry supplies loaded in the car, saves time in the AM.
This simple routine makes it so much easier at the laundry mat. All I have to do is load washers, changing washers as I change type of laundry, add soap, and wash. I'm sure to fold all the laundry as soon as it's dry. DD sometimes asks to wait till we're home, but by then everything needs ironing. She's learning that whenever we put anything off it ends up taking more time and work to get it done.
Slowly learning to FLY in NM
Dear FlyCrew,
Being a freshman in college, I'm obviously one of the younger flybabies. As far as laundry goes, it's really a challenge! I have the joy of taking my laundry down four flights of stairs and then having each load, washing and drying, take a good hour and a half! I find that the best thing is having a timer, since I'm close to my room. That way I have the opportunity to run back to my room while my laundry is being done. Unfortunately, laundry thieves abound and it's necessary to sit with my laundry.
I have a few tips that keep me with clean laundry without a big hassle. I tend to do 3 loads at a time--it's enough for me to carry in my basket, with my detergent, etc. and it's enough to make it worthwhile. Also, I have enough smaller laundry baskets (and i've even seen carts with wheels and several canvas bag compartments) that I use to sort my laundry when I undress at night. This saves me the hassle of spending time digging through all my laundry and sorting when I need to get down to the laundry room!
It's a challenge when I can't just run to the back room and throw in a load of laundry here and there, but it's definitely doable!
*fluttering* at college in Utah
I live in a condo in southern CA and the laundry room is another building over. To avoid carting the big box of soap with me I put the amount that is needed in a dirty sock. Pour it into the machine and then toss in the "container" too.
From a new Flybaby
I live by myself, and do laundry once every week or two in my apartment
building. I try
and incorporate a number of other tasks into laundry time that also require
a trip to
the basement: trash, recycling, stowing things in my storage unit (which is
really not
so full--I am really learning to conquer clutter!). That way, when
I'm running up and down the stairs--which also counts as exercise and it is
quite
energizing--I can multitask. Best of all, there are lots of readers in the
building,
and we have a great honor-system library going in the laundry room. I get
to donate
the novels and other books that I accumulate, and there's always something
good to replace them.
Hi FlyCrew!
When you go to the laundromat, bring a good book or a magazine.
PACK LAUNDRY AIDS FIRST! then pack whites on top of them. Why? Bleach, thats why! If you pack the laundry aids first YOU WONT FORGET THEM! If you pack whites on top of the laundry aids, BLEACH WONT RUIN EVERYTHING IF IT LEAKS!
If you have room in the car, run another errand while you are out. It doesnt feel like such a big waste of gas to go to the laundromat if you can knock out another errand at the same time.
If you have children that MUST come with you to the laundromat, make sure you bring them some quiet toys and coloring books to occupy them. If you REALLY want to make them happy, let them do their OWN laundry! Let them fold it!
If you have office in a bag (or one you "recycled" yourself, like me!) you can do correspondence while the suds spin.
I live alone, and when I had to use the laundromat, I would go to one across the street from a movie theater, and treat myself to a movie after I finished the laundry! Treats go a long way to making things we don't want to do bearable. Calorie free treats are even better, because they "feed"our soul and remind us that we are worthy of a treat!
Hello FlyCrew!
I have a flyguy friend who has to take his laundry to the Laundromat and he makes a day of it. He has become friends with the owners of the Laundromat and visits with them. After putting his laundry in he goes and gets a haircut in the same shopping plaza and chats with his friends there. Then he comes back and moves clean laundry to the dryers. Then he goes to the Chinese Buffet (in the same plaza) for lunch while his laundry is tumbling. He does this once each month and is never in need of a haircut and he has a wonderful day doing all of it!
- Florida
When my husband and I first got married we didn't have a washer and dryer. I would drag myself up and haul all the laundry to the laundry mat and sit for hours while I washed, dried and folded and then hauled it allback home. It was time consuming and boring!! So I finally found out that there was another laundry mat in town that I could drop off my laundry and they would wash, dry and fold and sort!! We figured the cost and it was only going to be about $5.00 more then when I sat at the laundry mat myself. So from then on we dropped off and picked up my done laundry!! I was wonderful!!
Hope this helps someone in a similar situation!
Flying in East TN
Hi FlyCrew -
Whenever my washer "fritzes" and I have to haul the dirty duds to the local
laundromat, I take along my guilty pleasure- fashion magazines! I subscribe
to one and I never seem to have time to read it. So when I go to the
laundromat, I stash whatever mags have piled up and read them. Then, when my
laundry is done, I leave the mags there for others to enjoy (tear off the
subscription label first). Less dirt, less clutter!
Flybaby in central NC
I bought the landry hampers that are made with plastic pipe (like PVC) and have net bags with a cord to close the top. It's easy to just pull out the bag, close it with the cord and throw it in the car. Keep your detergent, quarters, and dryer sheets in a box or bag that you can quickly grab and take with you. We keep our "empty" hangers in one spot in the closet so I can quickly grab those too. You can put them in a box if that is easier to handle.
Go to the laundromat early, before it gets crowded and hot, and take your office in a bag. Pay the bills while you wait! Take your timer if you need it to remind you to check the dryer occasionally. Then fold like crazy (or hang them on hangers), put the folded clothes neatly in the bags (you can wash the bags with your clothes so they are nice and clean too), close them and off you go back home. You can buy spring loaded rods that will fit across the back windows to hang your clothes on. Be sure to put the clothes away as soon as you get home.
Flybaby in FL
Hi FlyCrew,
I'm a grad student living in a dorm right now, so I have to do my laundry downstairs in the tiny laundry room that serves everyone in the building. While that's good in that I can do more than one load at a time, I can really only do two at once so as not to be a washing machine hog. :)
The best thing I have done that made carting my laundry around easier was to purchase a mesh laundry bag (I got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond) that hangs up in my closet and is divided into two compartments. That way my laundry is sorted as I go through the week, rather than just being thrown in one basket and sorted later like I used to do. The bag is also much easier to carry than an overflowing basket! Also, it's a good idea to just do the laundry early in the day rather than procrastinate about it--that way I'm more likely to get a free machine!
Thank you for all you do! - in PA
When my husband and I lived in an apartment, we made laundry night fun by bringing a backgammon set with us. In between washing, drying, and folding we played and talked. Laundry didn't seem like work since we were together! When I need to use a laundromat these days (washers and dryers seem to break at the worst times), I bring one of my children as a helper. There is a bakery nearby where we have coffee break while the clothes wash. When we finish our break, the clothes are ready to go into the dryer, and we're ready to start folding and bagging. It's never hard to find a laundry helper because the job has been turned into a treat!
Flybaby in NJ
Dear Friends,
When I was first separated/divorced and had to take my then 4 year-old DD to the laundromat, I would pack up the laundry in two baskets and make sure to include water to drink, a little snack and stuff for her to do. We would take books to read, her little "getting ready for school" workbooks (they are very economical from Wal-Mart, etc.) and coloring books, crayons, markers. The drinks and food we brought were tons cheaper and healthier than the stuff they had at the laundromat. It got so that she really looked forward to going and frankly, those memories are bright spots for me during a very difficult time.
She's 15 now and in Honors English!
Love to you all! Flybaby in Colorado
FlyCrew,
Early in our marriage we visited a Laundromat weekly. I look back on those times fondly. We didn't grumble or complain. It was just something my DH and I did together. Each Monday night we'd load up our 2 stuffed baskets, head to the car wash for quarters, and then the Laundromat. During the wash cycles we'd make our menu/grocery list for the week and during the dry cycles we'd just chat or read the paper. It was quality time together. Not exactly romantic, but good enough for us.
Flapping in Flower Mound
I almost did not send this in, but when you asked especially for tips for those who need to cart laundry to a laundromat/apartment laundry room, a "God Breeze" blew this long-winded story out of my fingers.........
When my DH and I were living in the city, both attending law school and both working almost full-time, there were no laundry facilities in our apartment building. Every Saturday (well, I aimed for every Saturday, but often skipped), I had to bunch up all the laundry and take it to the car (which was often parked several blocks away) and drive to a laundromat. I would spend a ton of money and hours of time, trying to be productive and read or study, but frankly, there were too many kids running around and they kept the television on "Jerry Springer"-type programs way too loud.
I was complaining about this to my dear MIL during a Sunday family dinner when she said, "Would you please let me help you with this?" NEVER, I thought. I am a grown-up. I will not take advantage of her like that. I politely declined. She brought it up again several times in the next few weeks, finally stating something like, "I really want to help you two. I can't drive, I don't have lots of money, this is something I can do to make your lives easier." And my perfectionism and pride hit the brakes and I humbly accepted her kindness and graciousness.
So for the next year (until we moved to a house with a washer/dryer), when we went for dinner on Sunday afternoon, I would bring the Laundry. We would usually get 3 loads washed and dried and ironed and folded TOGETHER in the same amount of time we would have been there anyway for dinner, dessert and maybe a movie. Ma did any leftover laundry during the week and we picked it up the next Sunday.
It was a WIN-WIN situation for both of us. She felt the pride of helping her adult child in one of the few ways she could. She bonded with her daughter-in-law. I gained an ENTIRE SATURDAY. I got close to my MIL. And this set-up a dynamic of helping each other that continues 15 years later (I drive her to the doc, she babysits on an occas. Saturday, I take her shopping, she buys cookies for my DH and children......)
Letting other help you can be even harder that helping yourself, but even more rewarding! - Flymommy of 3 in Chicago
My friend lives in an apartment and comes to do her laundry at my house every Friday night. We make it fun by watching a movie while it gets done and we always split a dessert! Time just flies by!
Good Morning!
I was hoping that you would have a topic like this one!
I've often felt like I "should" be doing my laundry differently, but this is what works for us:
We live in an apartment, our laundry room has 5 washers and 5 dryers. I do my laundry late at night when everybody else is asleep! I throw all 5 loads in, whites, and two washers of lights and darks each. I wash my son's clothes separately from mine, since he's always got dog fur on his stuff, and I don't want it on mine!
I leave it overnight, and then in the morning when I get up to exercise, I toss all 5 loads into the dryer. When I'm done with my workout, the laundry is dry! I fold it for my "cool-down", bring mine up and then jump in the shower!
It's worked for us, and it keeps me from feeling overwhelmed, or sitting around waiting for the laundry to be finished. I wouldn't leave it during the day, but at night, nobody bothers it.
-
fledging in Germany!
I'm an apartment FlyBaby and I use the communal laundry.
So my laundry route means running down 3 double flights of stairs, out
of the front door, around the building and down a short flight of stairs
to a laundry room where the ceiling is so low that I can't stand
straight! 26 apartments share this laundry room with 2 washers and 2
dryers. To top it all off, you have to buy special laundry tokens that
can only be obtained from one person in the building!
The washers are fairly large so I can usually get away with doing 2
loads of clothes per week for me and DH. Sheets and towels I do two
loads app. every 2 weeks. There are two settings - the long cycle which
takes 2½ hours, and the short cycle which takes about 1 hour. Now, for
one "laundry token" you may do 1 long cycle or 2 short ones
back-to-back. Needless to say, I always opt for doing 2 short cycles as
our clothes do not get so dirty that they need to be washed for 2½
hours! And the tumble dryers are so hot that the clothes shrink, so I
only put sheets and towels in the dryer. Everything else is hung to dry
in the apartment.
So, to make my life easier, this is what I do. I always make sure to
order new laundry tokens as soon as I use the last one, so I don't have
to wait for them. I sort the laundry in the apartment - 2 baskets, one
for light colours and one for dark colours. I do my laundry either on a
weekday evening or most often early on a weekend morning. If possible, I
enlist DH to do some of the runs to the laundry room. So I put in the
first load and set my timer for 1 hour, during which I either have
breakfast and read the newspaper, or I boogie the kitchen table and
shine the sink. I write shopping lists, plan menus or anything else that
I can spend time on at home. The timer goes off, and I hop downstairs
with the second load, while the first one comes upstairs and is hung to
dry. Now it's usually at least 9.30, and I don't need to haul the second
load out bang on cue, so I pop down to the grocery store and deal with
the weekend shopping before everyone else gets there. When the second
load is done, I take it upstairs and hang it up.
I still don't enjoy doing the laundry, but I have learned to spend the
"waiting time" more constructively. If I do laundry on a Sunday, I
usually do the weekly "sweet" baking (fruit bread, scones, muffins and
such) because it is easy to fit in between all the running down and up
stairs. And since I found FlyLady, the laundry is always sorted neatly
into baskets and I deal with it before it becomes Mount Washmore. So it
isn't as bad as it used to be!
-
Flying in Denmark
While living in an apartment with my dh and 3 young children, I used the kid's red wagon to haul our laundry back and forth to the laundry room. It fit 3 rectangular laundry baskets stacked on top of each other plus all the supplies. We got some strange looks while getting on and off the elevator, but who cares- we had fun and I had an easy time of it! :)
Flybaby J from Kansas
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