Laundry Time by Tina

I’m a relative newbie to the world of Laundromats, save for one visit sometime in 2004 to a terrible place in Silver Spring that was so gross I felt like my clothes were actually more dirty when I left. Fortunately, I’ve always lived in a place that had laundry facilities. I still do, but after discovering that my duvet cover was too much for the machines in my apartment building to handle, I was on my way to Mount Pleasant Street for a laundry adventure!

I’ve been curious about the Laundromats for a while. Is it cheaper or faster than doing laundry in my building? Are they as awful as that place in Silver Spring? Who uses them? So many questions! So I took a trip to Laundroland, at 3215 Mount Pleasant Street, to find out.

The only other option was Pan American (3127 Mount Pleasant St) since it seems that Speed Wash, over by Hobart St., has closed. I’m not sure when that happened. Laundroland doesn’t have video games like Pan American does, but it’s bigger, has more seating, has AC, and seemed to be doing a bit more business. It’s also open 24 hours, which might be a nice perk for some.

I spent a few minutes wandering around since there are so many different sized machines and I wasn’t sure which one I wanted. There are toploaders that cost $2, and commercial washers at various sizes, costing $6, $4, $3, and $2 per load. In total I’d say there are about 50 machines, and only 6 were out of service – not bad! I finally settled on a $3 “Speed Queen” washer, though I probably could have used the smaller one. Sixteen minutes later (Speed Queen, indeed!) I was ready for the dryer. I only had one item, but even the small machines are HUGE. You could probably fit two loads into one easily. The dryers get super hot too, so at 7 minutes/$.25 I was able to dry my laundry for one dollar.

Overall, it was a pretty pleasant experience. It was clean, there were two employees inside, I was in and out in 45 minutes and it only cost me $4. I brought my own supplies, but they sell detergent, bleach and softener and there’s a change machine. It wasn’t too crowded either, but that could be because I went on a weeknight right after work. The convenience of doing laundry at home wins out for me, but if you don’t have a laundry room, I’d recommend Laundroland.