Launderettes

We have a few local ones I guess that is only to be expected in London though.. I did take a quilt there once to use the dry clean machine and it was quite busy so I guess there are still people who don't have their own machine.. like everyone in Eastenders of course..

I cant think of one close to me.

Well, talking about middle-class- no launderettes in such areas, but still plenty in areas with a big immigrant and where people live in flats and digs.

Great for washing duvets and larger items in the 4kg machines - and always had nice chats with Indian grannies and East European workers. I wish we had them here where I live now (out in the sticks in Swiss mountains- but not such luck). Fortunately my lovely neighbour manages the local Youth Hostel, and they have 2 x 4kg machines - so when I need to I can ask and put some money in the staff kitty.

Now I know I definitely live in a middle class area . As far as I know the nearest launderette is 15 miles away in Stoke.

Agree with you granjura they are great for washing duvets much better than putting them in the bath and treading them like grapes

I have no washing machine, so I use the launderette in the village which has a large supermarket - it is about 9 miles away, but the route is so lovely I don't mind how often I go. There are many in France, often in supermarkets.
I do my small laundry in the bath and use a spin drier, so I only need to take my bedding and towels to the laundrette. It is very convenient, because the machine takes, cards, coins and notes and the detergent is supplied. Once I have turned the machine on, I have about 45 minutes to do my shopping or go to the library (I use the printer there).

I have a launderette just a five minute walk from my house in a very middle class town. However it's also a seaside town and the launderette is well used by the holidaymakers I suspect.

We have a couple in town, but we only used them for washing sleeping bags, so now we have duvets in the caravan, we don`t need to go anymore. I`m quite pleased really, they tend to attract kids who just want to mess about.

When I was first married, before we had a washing machine, our Saturday morning ritual was to take our washing to the launderette in the village, load it in and retire to the pub! One of us would nip back to put it in the dryer. We didn't dare leave it unattended then, though, after someone stole ex-DH's best shirt out of the dryer...

The launderette's long-gone now though.

In the early 80's I went camping in the lake district with the Wonderful Man. It poured with rain and we got soaked along with all of our (limited) clothes. My husband shamelessly stripped off his wet clothes and popped them into the tumble dryer in the local launderette - I remember being both proud of his pragmatism and mortified by the fact that others were in the launderette and I was embarrassed. A few years later the Levi ad came out and I realised that, for once, he'd actually been a trendsetter.

Two years ago, in a Provencal town, we spotted an open air street launderette. I don't know what happened if it rained.

Do you mean an electric launderette, anno? Many villages still have the wash-house, with big sinks, cold water and boards for scrubbing on. I have never actually seen anybody washing clothes in them, but I did once see a woman, stark naked, in November, standing under the running tap. I got the estate agent I was visiting to ring the local police as the wash-house was completely open to the street and she was obviously not just having a shower. Believe it or not, I was told by several women on the expat forum that I should have minded my own business!

Where are you Sook? We lived in Staffs for a few years in the 70s - and made so many friends there - our first daughter was born at the General (under Mr Club, always a good joke there ).

Our nearest town, about 3 miles away, is a university town so we have access to quite a few. I take my winter duvet there when I change it and the summer one in the autumn. It always comes back in a lovely bag ready to store.

Knowing my habit of losing things, I constantly worry that I won't remember to pick it up and will then upturn the house looking for it.

I was really glad of campsite laundrettes when we were touring Australia in a camper van and all three children got a stomach bug, overnight naturally, and I had to shuttle backwards and forwards washing, drying and swapping sleeping bags - yuk! Luckily, mine was not in use so we always had one spare.

You mean you have a service wash, kitty? There's posh.....

I have today taken the duvet and four pillows from our bed round to the nearby laundrette and will pick them up tomorrow. All the other duvets and pillows were washed and dried a few weeks ago. One set of stuff has to go on our bed until Wednesday when we depart from home but I don't think it will be horribly smelly and disgusting when it has been shipped to the other side of the world after such a short period of use. At least, I hope not.

granjura for the last 27 years I've lived in a small village just outside Nantwich. Newcastle under Lyme is a 20 minute drive by car. I remember you mentioning Mr Club in a previous post . I find Newcastle folk very pleasant and friendly.

Our dry cleaner does duvets.

grannya that made me

Our laundrette has closed.

Dry cleaners do duvets, yes - but somehow I'd rather have mine washed...

Dont have much choice here!

Well I am surprised, have just googled my area and found there are 5 launderettes within reasonable travelling distance. Haven't used one since I was a child and Mum used to send me with the wool blankets because they were too thick for our mangle.

I have always lived near a launderette! I once lived very near where I worked and sitting watching your smalls go round with a few of the kids & parents from the class you teach for company is a bit weird!

We have one in the 'village' just a few minutes walk from my 'new' house We have made good use of the local one when the building work was happening and for the duvets etc. Occasionally I have taken stuff to dry too as do not have a dryer.

The one near the old house is now a charity shop!

I wish I had known where the launderettes were, when we had the builders in we were driving two hours to our other home to do the laundery. Doh, I should have googled then.