When you first enter a laundromat, you may feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless rows of washers and dryers to choose from. Below we have listed a few guidelines to follow to help you choose the right washing machine at the laundromat. Happy laundering!
How to Choose the Right Washing Machine at the Laundromat
1. Bigger is not always better
Just because a machine is slightly larger than one you typically use, it does not mean that it can hold way more while effectively washing your garments.
It’s true! Individual items in your load need space to tumble and revolve around without being rubbed against each other. However, bigger is not always better. You want to fill the laundry drum half-full. On one end, you can over stuff the machine causing it to not clean thoroughly. However, many people make the mistake of choosing a machine that is too big! This can make your laundry day more expensive than it needs to be. Aim to fill up the laundromat washer drum half way.
Depending on the size of machines found in your local laundromat, a small to medium-sized machine can typically hold 10-20 pounds of laundry, while a larger one can hold 20-40. Some laundromats even have machines that can hold between 40-100 pounds of laundry!
At The Folde, we offer the following size washing machines for you to choose from:
- 20lb washing machine
- 30lb washing machine
- 45lb washing machine
- 60lb washing machine
- 65lb washing machine
Bigger, heavier items such as denim, bedding, upholstery, etc., are likely better suited for bigger, larger laundromat machines and vice versa for smaller items. Consider a front load washer for this category of items as they generally have larger capacities than top loaders.
Use your average mom-and-pop machine as a benchmark when deciphering between machine sizes – just don’t overload any machine in a wild attempt to maximize the return on time and money. Divide your load into even portions for even results.
2. On a time crunch? Delegate accordingly.
If there are multiple open machines, you have a large load, and are short on time, divide and conquer your load! Do not attempt to squeeze one huge load into a single machine. This will take longer in the wash cycle and your clothes will not come out as clean since there is no room for them to tumble.
Larger items should be placed in larger machines while smaller items can dry in smaller machines. For smaller, delicate garments, consider smaller washing machines and using the delicate wash cycle settings.
3. Don’t go overboard with the detergent
The amount of detergent you should use is not always proportional to load size; a doubled load does not require double the amount of detergent. For accurate instructions, check the detergent bottle and machine to understand how much should be used. Remember: the risk with using excessive amounts of detergent is having to wash your load a second time only to remove the detergent stains from the garments. So much for ultra-clean clothes…
This is a common mistake. While you might think you are saving money by cramming all of your dirty laundry into one machine. You are actually wasting money if you are forced to re-wash all of your laundry that did not get properly cleaned the first time. Don’t make this mistake!
