A self-service laundry, coin laundry, or coin wash, is a facility where clothes are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as laundromats. In Texas and other parts of the south central United States, the term washateria is still used by some older speakers. [1] The first laundromat opened on April 18, 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas. [2]
While most homes have their own washers and dryers[ where? ], self-service laundries are used by many who do not have their own machines. Even those who have their own machines sometimes use them for large bedding and other items that cannot fit into residential washers and dryers.
Laundromats are an essential business in urban communities. Laundromat owners may employ someone to oversee and maintain the general laundromat throughout the day. Some laundries employ staff to provide service for the customers. Minimal service centres may simply provide an attendant behind a counter to provide change, sell laundry detergent, and watch unattended machines for potential theft of clothing. If the business is big enough, the owner may employ a plumber to constantly maintain the machines and other workings.
Others allow customers to drop off clothing to be washed, dried, and folded. This is often referred to as fluff & fold, wash-n-fold, drop off, bachelor bundles, a service wash or full-service wash. Some staffed laundry facilities also provide dry cleaning pick-up and drop-off. There are over 35,000 laundries throughout the United States. [3] Similar services exist in the United Kingdom where the terms service wash or full-service wash are also in use. The evolution of self-serve laundry services have been seen in some "fluff and fold" (also styled fluff n fold, fluff & fold, fluff 'n' fold, and fluff 'n fold) services provided by various laundromats. These services provide the end user with washing, drying, and folding services on a per pound[ clarification needed ] basis. Some services offer free pickup and delivery, as well as complimentary laundry bags as part of their customer appreciation. Additionally, dry-cleaning services have been known to utilize the pickup and delivery as a means to help generate additional revenue. [4]
On-premise laundromats are found in locations such as hotels, hospitals, student residences at universities, or apartment blocks. Facility managers/maintenance staff work directly with machine distributors to supply and maintain washers and dryers. Use of the machines are primarily reserved for the residents of these facilities. [5] [6] [7]
Many building owners use on-premise laundromats as a way to increase revenue. They can do this through renting their laundry room to laundry companies for a fixed monthly price allowing the laundry company to keep all revenue from the machines. Building owners also have the option to create a revenue sharing system where the apartment owner and laundry company split the profits from the machines each month. [8] [9]
In Spain, self-service laundries are available and popular mainly in Burgos, where there is a large network of laundromats.
In Andorra, self-service laundries are widely available and in use by a good percentage of the population. Due to its cold weather, Andorra has a much larger percentage of dryer owners, as the cold weather doesn't allow for hanging laundry outside for most of the year, with the exception of a few months. The large Andorra winter sees a large usage of drying machines, also easily found in self-service laundries.
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In Australia, self-service laundries are widely available and in use by a good percentage of the population. Due to its mild weather, Australia has a much smaller percentage of dryer owners, as the mild weather allows for hanging laundry outside for most of the year, with the exception of a few months. The brief Australian winter sees a surge in the usage of drying machines, usually easily found in self-service laundries.
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In Israel, self-service laundries are available and popular mainly in Tel Aviv, where there is a large network of laundromats.
Self-service laundries are present in Portugal.
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In New Zealand self-service laundries (known locally as laundromats) are available, but not widely used. Historically, most houses in New Zealand have had their own laundry rooms for clothes washing. In recent decades the number of people living in smaller flats and apartments has increased, and so too has the availability and use of laundromats, especially in larger cities such as Auckland and Wellington.
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The first UK launderette (alternative spelling: laundrette) was opened on 9 May 1949 in Queensway, London. [10] UK launderettes are mainly fully automated and coin operated, and are either fully staffed, staffed during certain hours, or unstaffed. They are generally found only in urban and suburban areas, where they have been common features since the 1960s.
From 1985 to 2010, the number of launderettes has declined, with only around 3000 remaining. [11] Rapidly rising utility charges, premises rent and a lower purchase cost of domestic machines have been noted as principal reasons for the recent decline. High initial launch costs, specifically for commercial washing machines and dryers, have also been commented on as reasons for fewer new entrants into the market. Furthermore, machine updates can be prohibitively expensive, which has held back premises' investment.
Many of the staffed operations in the UK have added-value services such as ironing, dry cleaning and service washes, which are popular among professionals, students, and senior citizens. Student accommodation blocks often have their own unstaffed laundries, which are typically run at a profit by the accommodation provider.
Local phone directories only show laundries that pay to be included, so trends are difficult to assess.[ original research? ] However, large cities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton have significant numbers of launderettes, as do many coastal tourist areas.
The main manufacturers serving the UK in this market are Electrolux, IPSO, Maytag, and Primus. Brands such as Frigidaire and Speed Queen are also regularly deployed, with most originating from Belgium and the US.
Self-service laundry facilities in the United States are most commonly called laundromats. The term "laundromat" is the genericized trademark of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, later White Consolidated Industries, [12] and was created by its employee, George Edward Pendray. [13] [14] "Washateria" is an alternate name for laundromat, but is not in common use outside of Texas. The term comes from the first laundromat in the United States, which was known as a washateria and was opened on 18 April 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas, by C.A. Tannahill. [15] Though steam-powered laundry machines were invented in the 19th century, their cost put them out of reach of many. Cantrell and others began renting short-term use of their machines. [16] Most laundromats in the US are fully automated and coin-operated and generally unstaffed, with many operating 24 hours a day. [17] The invention of the coin-operated laundry machine is ascribed to Harry Greenwald of New York who created Greenwald Industries in 1957; the company marketed the devices through the 20th century. [18] [19] [20] While coin laundromats are very common, some laundromats accept credit cards or provide their own card system.
The United States Census Bureau estimates that there are 11,000 of this style of laundromat in the US, employing 39,000 people and generating over $3.4 billion every year. [21]
Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this universal human need are of interest to several branches of scholarship.
A washing machine is a machine designed to launder clothing. Modern-day home appliances use electric power to automatically clean clothes. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning or ultrasonic cleaners. The user adds laundry detergent, which is sold in liquid, powder, or dehydrated sheet form, to the wash water.
Washing is a method of cleaning, usually with water and soap or detergent. Regularly washing and then rinsing both body and clothing is an essential part of good hygiene and health.
A clothes dryer is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually after they are washed in the washing machine.
A clothes line, also spelled clothesline, also known as a washing line, is a device for hanging clothes on for the purpose of drying or airing out the articles. It is made of any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points, outdoors or indoors, above ground level. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung over the line to dry, held in place using clothes pegs or clothespins. Washing lines are attached either from a post or a wall, and are frequently located in back gardens, or on balconies. Longer washing lines often have props holding up the mid-section so the weight of the clothing does not pull the clothesline down to the ground.
A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of cars. Car washes can be self-service, full-service, or fully automated. Car washes may also be events where people pay to have their cars washed by volunteers, often using less specialized equipment, as a fundraiser.
Speed Queen is a laundry machine manufacturer headquartered in Ripon, Wisconsin, United States. Speed Queen is a subsidiary of Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, which billed itself as the world's largest manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment as of 2004.
A combo washer dryer is a combination in a single cabinet of a washing machine and a clothes dryer. It should not be confused with a "stackable" combination of a separate washing machine and a separate clothes dryer.
A drying cabinet is today usually an electrical machine designed to expedite the drying of items - usually clothing - that are unsuitable for a mechanical clothes dryer. Such items may include delicate clothing care labeled as "hang dry", "dry flat" or "do not tumble dry" on their wash instructions, as well as items such as comforters, boots and coats.
Staber Industries, Inc. is a manufacturer of residential laundry home appliances, with headquarters in Groveport, Ohio. The products they currently manufacture include a washing machine, a clothes dryer, and a clothes drying cabinet.
A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a 2012 British horror comedy film starring Simon Pegg, written and directed by Crispian Mills with Chris Hopewell as co-director. It is based on the novella Paranoia in the Launderette by Bruce Robinson, writer and director of Withnail and I. It has been described as a low-budget "semicomedy" about a children's author-turned-crime-novelist who has become obsessed with murder and murdering. It was released on 8 June 2012 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and received a limited U.S. theatrical release on 7 February 2014. The BBFC classified the film a 15 certificate in the UK, while the MPAA rated the film R in America.
NightWash is a German television comedy show in which young artists and new stand-up comedy talents have the opportunity to perform in front of an audience with their program, typically lasting for 7–10 minutes. The series was created by, and is produced and presented by Klaus-Jürgen Deuser. The series made its TV debut on 14 October 2001 on WDR TV; it had existed as a live show since 2000. From 2007 until October 2009, it was broadcast on Comedy Central, and since November 2009, it has been aired on digital channel Einsfestival. The original series was set in a coin-operated laundrette in the Belgian quarter of Cologne.
The JLA Group is a provider of the distribution, rental and servicing of commercial laundry equipment, commercial dishwashers and regulatory compliance tools as well as Fire & Security Systems, Passive Fire Doors, Fire Risk Assessments, Automatic Opening Vents(AOV) . The company is the market-leading distributor of commercial laundry and catering equipment in the UK, having recorded circa 30 per cent market share in 2011. Founded in 1973, JLA is based in Ripponden, West Yorkshire, UK.
Laundroid was a laundry-folding machine and home robot, used to automatically wash, dry, iron, sort and fold clothes to a dedicated closet. It was dubbed to be the world's first laundry folding robot, and was planned to go on sale in Japan first, and subsequently, in a limited number, in the United States. Release date was set to 2017, with pre-orders starting in March 2017.
A laundromat (laundrette) is a self-service laundry facility.
A launderette (laundromat) is a self-service laundry facility.
Dhobi ghat or dhobighaat is used throughout south-central Asia to refer to any laundry-place or washing-place where many launderers or clothes-washers are present; they may be ordinary people or professionals who use the place to wash clothes and other linen. Mumbai has an extensive dhobi ghat known as Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat and there are several other dhobi ghats in Mumbai.
A laundry-folding machine or laundry-folding robot is a machine or domestic robot which folds apparel such that they can be stored compactly and orderly.
Poplin is an American company which allows people to hire independent contractors to wash, dry, fold, and deliver laundry. SudShare was co-founded in 2018 by Mort and Nachshon Fertel in Baltimore, Maryland, and operates through a mobile app of the same name. The service is available in over 400 American cities.
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