Your Date with the Laundromat

Tips for Machine-Washing Laundry

• Conserve energy: Cold-water cycles are energy efficient and safe for any material. Choose a gentler, cold-water cycle for everyday clothing and linens that are only lightly soiled and have no stains.
• Avoid detergent overkill: Most laundromat washers are front-load models, which don’t require as much detergent as top-load models. A half or quarter cupful of detergent is fine.
• Get your timing right: If it’s an option, add detergent as the machine is filling with water. Detergent added after you load your laundry can get concentrated in the fabric and not rinse out fully, causing faded or greasy spots. If the machine doesn’t have a detergent compartment, put the detergent right into the machine as it starts filling with water, before loading the laundry.
• Attend to clean laundry: After the wash cycle is over, shake out items to release excess water and wrinkles.

Tips for Machine-Drying Laundry

• Don’t leave the laundry unattended: Worst-case scenario: Your laundry could be stolen.
• Don’t overfill the dryer: An oversized load can reduce the machine’s efficiency, hampering its ability to tumble the items.
• Don’t underfill the dryer: If you have a small load that needs to be tumble dried, toss in a few dry, non-lint-producing items to facilitate the tumbling action.
• Dry multiple loads back-to-back: That way, you’ll take advantage of leftover heat.
• Remove items immediately after the drying cycle ends: Laundry can shrink or wrinkle if left sitting in the machine for too long. Also, you’re sharing washers and dryers, and leaving your laundry in the machine for hours is inconsiderate.
• Prevent overdrying: Remove items with thick seams, such as jeans, when the flat parts are dry but the seams are still slightly damp.
• Dewrinkle any items you plan to air dry: Throw them in the dryer for 8–10 minutes. Then remove and transfer them to a drying rack.