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Don’t Just Search “Laundromat Near Me”, Read This First

As a full-time traveling family, we do NOT have a washer or dryer. Our RV is barely big enough for 2 adventuring adults and 3 rambunctious kiddos…..let alone a laundry room.

So we are CONSTANTLY searching “laundromat near me” and hoping we don’t walk into a run-down laundromat that is sketchy AF!

But after washing our clothes across the entire USA, we’ve learned a few things about how to search for and find a LEGIT laundromat that is clean, safe and affordable.

8 Tips For Finding The Best Laundromat Near Me

When searching for a laundromat, Google will just show everything in the area. Check out the below map to see what laundromats are near you:

Now that you have the list, you want to do some research before simply selecting the nearest laundromat to wash your clothes at.

When we are in a new city, here’s exactly how we research to find the best laundromat nearby:

Click on the nearest 4 or 5 laundromats, and first look at the pictures.

1. Is there a place to sit and tables for folding?

Look for how many chairs are in the space, and if you have a place to get comfortable while your clothes are washing or drying. And make sure there are plenty of folding tables to sort and fold your laundry (trust us on this one!)
 

2. Is there décor on the walls?

Look at the interior pics of the space. Do you see any decorations at all? It may seems ridiculous, but it means the owner cares about their place. This means it will most likely will be cleaner, and more customer friendly.
 

3. Does it look clean?

From both the exterior and interior pictures, you can quickly tell if the place looks well maintained, or run down. Our qualification is “would I take my kids here?” If the answer is “NO”, then we skip it.
 

4. Does it look safe?

Location matters, especially when it comes to safety. You want it to be in a populated area, like a strip mall, and don’t want a small, remote establishment if you don’t know the area.

Next, take a look at the reviews.

I typically avoid anything under 3 stars…..but make sure you always READ the actual reviews, not just trust the star rating.

Here’s what we look for in the reviews:

5. Is it affordable?

Most laundromats compete on price, but if the prices are unreasonably high, the top reviews will point this out quickly. Here’s our rule of thumb for pricing:

• No more than $2 for a wash for a single-size washer
• No more than $0.25 for 6 mins in the dryer. But we prefer the ones that give you 45 minutes for $1 to get the clothes completely dry at half the cost.

6. Are there enough machines?

Look for reviews about how crowded the laundromat is….and if there are enough machines. Nothing will give a place a bad review quicker than running out of machines on a busy day.
 

7. Is it safe?

Sometimes pictures don’t tell the whole story….so look for reviews that say things like “calm”, “safe”, and “quiet”. This is something we WANT in a laundromat, so we always make sure other reviewers don’t think the place is awful.

8. What Services Do They Offer?

This is kinda lame…..but most laundromats don’t have a website. This means you have to guess from the pictures and reviews what services they offer. If you need laundry supplies, vending machines, bathrooms, or an on-site attendant, you need to dive into the reviews )and “questions” on Google) to find out that info.

Overall, you can find most of what you need simply by clicking through a few pictures and reading a few reviews. If that still doesn’t work, the laundromat should have a phone number you can call to get more information.

Need A 24 Hour Laundromat Near Me?

If you’re looking for a 24 Hour Laundromat…..maybe you just need to go get some sleep…!

HAHAHAHA, ok, just kidding.

Most laundromats are open from 6am to 10pm, which may not work for your schedule.

So if your schedule requires doing laundry outside of typical operating hours, and want to find a good laundromat that is open 24 hours a day, just check out the below map:

When doing laundry in the middle of the night, safety is going to be the most important feature. Most 24 hour laundromats do NOT have an attendant, so here’s what you want to look for in the reviews:

• Find people who mention words like “safe” and “quiet.”
• Find reviews of people who did their laundry after normal hours (after 10pm)
• If there are an unusually high number of reviews using words like “creepy”, or “unsafe”, then you might want to skip this one.
• Make sure the machines and coin machine work. If there are multiple reviews complaining that “the washer ate my coins” or “the change machine didn’t give me all my quarters”, just know that it will be MORE difficult to get this addressed in the middle of the night.

And to make sure they offer everything you need, it may be worthwhile to call ahead DURING daytime business hours and ask them about what services are available at night (laundry supplies, vending machines, etc.)

Coin Laundry Near Me

Most laundromats are still taking coins. Some are switching to a “cash card” type system, so to make sure you find one that accepts cash and coins, check out the below map:

Here’s some things to note when specifically looking at a laundromat that only offers Coin Laundry machines:

Does their change machine work? Take a look at the reviews of the laundromat, and make sure people don’t have issues with the change machine. There’s nothing worse that NOT getting your money when you have a small window of time to get your laundry done. Plus the hassle of trying to get your money back….not worth the risk.

Are the washer/dryer machines old? Old machines are more prone to eat quarters. And take longer to wash. And dry. Honestly, just avoid somewhere that has BAD reviews about their machines.

Outside of those things, just use our criteria above to find a clean, safe and affordable coin laundromat.

Laundromats That Take Credit Cards (and Debit Cards)

Many laundromats are starting to offer a “laundry card system” that allows you to pay with your credit card or debit card. Some even allow digital payments with a App (though these are pretty RARE except in big cities).

Many of these still allow coins, but some of these are called “coinless laundromats”, and have done away with the traditional coin operated machines.

To find the nearest laundromat that takes credit cards near you, check out the map below:

If you are unfamiliar with the Laundry Card System, here’s how it works:

• You get a laundry card from the machine in the laundromat.
• Then insert your credit card or debit card, and select a value to load to the card. Typically has to be over $10, but less than $100.
• Then you can simply load your laundry into a washer or dryer, and insert, swipe or scan the laundry card to pay for the machine.
• Once you are done, if you aren’t planning on going back, and you can a refund for the remaining balance at the card machine. If you plan on going back….then just hang onto the card.

This can make it REALLY easy to get laundry done without hassling with cash or coins. Plus many of these laundromats offer incentives for staying loyal and using their card system. And they are usually at laundromats that have improved their business, and fall into the CLEAN and SAFE categories!

So if you’re tired of traditional coin laundry, give on of these a shot!

Find Laundry Near Me Is Simple!

I hope these tips help you find the best laundromat near you. Once you know what to look for, it really isn’t too bad!

And if you’ve a full-time traveling family like us, finding a good laundromat in town is a HUGE BLESSING, making a boring chore less painful, and can save your sanity!

Check out the maps above, do some research, and go get that laundry CLEAN!

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