Tired of Laundromats

Yes, I am posting about laundry again. One would think my life is ruled by laundry. It's not, but dirty laundry is not on my Top Ten List of things I like to collect so, one way or another, it has to be dealt with. I don't mind wearing shirts and jeans more than once, but there is a limit to the level of stink I want to emit, especially during the sweaty summer months.

Laundromats vary widely in their quality. Some laundromats are nicely laid out with seats that are not miserably uncomfortable and are reasonably clean. Others have little to no seating and look like a kids' soccer team stormed through after a rough game in a muddy field on a rainy day...and the kids had a blast dumping powdered laundry detergent all over the joint and at least one of them left tissues in a pocket - again - so there's shredded tissue in the machines and all over the floor.

Some have TV, some have radio, and some have silence. The really good ones, which are few and far between, allow patrons to select the television program they desire. The really bad ones have the media set on something awful at a high volume.

The machines can range from something left over from the 40s to very nice machines that actually clean the clothes. Be assured, however, that all will cost a fortune and you'll be lucky to fit two t-shirts and a couple of pairs of underwear in them. If you choose the more expensive front-loading machines designed for multiple loads, you can probably get a couple of pairs of socks in with the two t-shirts and underwear. Despite the higher cost, I recommend the front-loading machines. They don't have the agitator which saves a lot of wear and tear on your clothes, and they spin more water and soap out at the end.

Speaking of soap, you don't need all that much, regardless of the type of machine you select. This morning, I watched the soapy display in the other front-loading machines in amazement. Other folks are dumping huge amounts of detergent in with their clothes, I guess assuming it will get them cleaner. Actually, it just ensures that there will be more soap residue left in the clothes at the end of the cycle and soap, ironically, attracts dirt. So, their clothes will get dirty faster....and then they'll probably think they need to use even more soap to get them clean the next time. For a double load, I am using no more than two tablespoons of liquid detergent (one of the "green" brands) and my clothes come out just fine. I also use vinegar for the rinse cycle, especially since I know there is soap residue left from other people's laundry. (I can smell it...)

I learned pretty quickly not to use the dryers in laundromats; they seem to be terribly inefficient. When travelling, one has little choice since letting clothing air dry generally won't fit the schedule. When not travelling, however, there is no reason not to take the wet clean laundry home to air dry. Of course, one does have to consider the facilities available at home. I do not have a clothesline yet so I can't dry more than two loads.

Two loads is actually stretching my current resources. Right now, there are jeans hanging on the shower road, hanging clothes rack, and one folding clothes rack. The cover for my comforter is thrown over the fence outside next to shirts hanging off the fence (on hangers). The second clothes rack is filled with washcloths and underwear while the socks dangle from clips on a plastic chain stretched between a hook in the ceiling and the hinge of the refrigerator door. I can't wait until I've got a real clothesline!

Lastly, patrons can vary tremendously from one laundromat to another and from one time to another. I've had miserable laundromat experiences, dealing with folks smoking right outside the door or yelling loudly on their cellphones or letting their kids run rampant about the place. Last week, I had a scary experience when a car zoomed up to the parking lot and the guys in it were obviously not there to do laundry. I calmly walked out and called my sweetie on my cellphone, getting in my vehicle for privacy. The cellphone was just an excuse to be out of the building when one of the guys went in with a backpack. He came out a couple of minutes later and the car left. What did he do inside? Don't know but my instincts told me it was safer not to stay inside.

I've also had pleasant laundromat experiences where I'm the only one there, the other patrons are friendly, or I've had great conversations with the person who cleans the machines. In West Yellowstone, more than 1,000 miles from home, my sweetie and I were the only ones in the laundromat until the guy that cleaned the machines came in. As we chatted, we discovered that his wife was from my hometown and the guy had grown up in my sweetie's hometown...and had been childhood friends with my sweetie's cousin that also lived there!


Update: Due to an impending storm, I had to bring the damp comforter cover in off the fence. The only place large enough to drape it out was over my bike piled with stuff on and around it.

The ultimate indignity for a bike...