My precious little snowflake has to use a laundromat! Oh noes!

[Jester]

Seriously though, what's wrong with using a laundromat?!! Especially on a campus? Those border on hangouts.

And they can be awesome. Perfect example: we have a laundromat here in Key West with an attached cafe. Perfect combo: lunch and laundry. The best thing is that the cafe actually has awesome food, and a majority of the cafe's customers aren't even doing laundry. Hell, the place delivers food, too!

I've never heard of a place furnishing washer and dryers.

It happens all the time, though. Hell, my apartment came with the mini-stack washer/dryer setup we have, and we've been using them for the entire 7 years we've been here.

For times when I have a lot of laundry to do, though, I will go to a local laundromat. There's only so much a mini-stack can do, and the dryer is REALLY slow.

You have *no idea* how many guys will hem pants with duct tape or a stapler

I've done it for work, with both staplers and safety pins. Not sure if I've ever used duct tape, though...

[Merriweather]

And they can be awesome. Perfect example: we have a laundromat here in Key West with an attached cafe. Perfect combo: lunch and laundry. The best thing is that the cafe actually has awesome food, and a majority of the cafe's customers aren't even doing laundry. Hell, the place delivers food, too!

We had one somewhere I lived that was a combination laundromat & beer bar - I think it was called Suds. Can't vouch for how well people's laundry turned out, but they didn't mind doing it as much

[DGoddessChardonnay]

We had one somewhere I lived that was a combination laundromat & beer bar - I think it was called Suds. Can't vouch for how well people's laundry turned out, but they didn't mind doing it as much

I had to use one temporarily a few years ago when our washer broke down and we were saving up to get it repaired.

Unfortunately, no wifi or cafe, but there was a tax place next door. I'd do roughly 4 loads twice a week . . . what a PITA but at least it was there.

Last time I had to go (the weekend last fall when the dryer went out due to the floor guys drilling too close to the electrical box in my office) turned out Mom's friend had reopened his laundromat (it's 2 streets behind us - much closer) and moved his hardware store inside the place.

The only time I have to use the laundromat anymore is if we have to wash Mom's comforter (king size will NOT fit inside our washer at all) so we'll go to Larry's.

And if I need to pick up any screws, nails, new case cutter, et al, I can do that too all in one place.

[Sonoma]

We had one somewhere I lived that was a combination laundromat & beer bar - I think it was called Suds. Can't vouch for how well people's laundry turned out, but they didn't mind doing it as much

There was a place where I went to college called Suds & Suds. Another combo laundromat & beer bar. Right next to the best pizza place in town. Talk about one-stop shopping.

I must confess, my mom did all of our laundry when we were growing up. With 5 people in the house, she decided it would be easier & cheaper for her to manage it. That said, when I went to college, I knew it was my responsibility to do my own. I read the instructions, and was able to figure it out without too much difficulty

I was lucky in that my first (and only) apartment did have W/D hookups, but I was there about 5 years before I bought a set. Mom & Dad lived 5 miles away, so I'd haul my stuff to their house & wash, or take it to the laundry room in the apartment (and pay for the privelege). After a few years, a friend who was moving out had an older set for sale, so I bought them for $200. Served me well for several years before they died.

When I bought my place, I scratched a few off the list since they only had room for stackable units, and my year-old set was a full size top load washer, and full size dryer. Not getting rid of those.

Finally found the perfect condo that had a separate laundry closet, and my set fits in perfectly.

[Merriweather]

When I bought my place, I scratched a few off the list since they only had room for stackable units, and my year-old set was a full size top load washer, and full size dryer. Not getting rid of those.

Finally found the perfect condo that had a separate laundry closet, and my set fits in perfectly.

I have to admit, I am SO spoiled now, if I ever have to move I'll never have it as good as here. We bought our first house (after 20 years of renting during hubby's military career), and though our budget was rock bottom, we found a nice little (lower middle class? upper lower class? ) house, an older one that has had two additions over it's 60+ years. It has some idiosyncrasies that kept it from being an easy sell, so we got more for our money, and several things not ususally found in a house of our price range. Including a 12 x 10 laundry room, with loads of counter space, upper & lower cabinets, a small sink, room for full size w/d, freezer & even a broom closet that holds my vacuum. I've had several kitchens smaller with less cabinet space than my laundry room here The previous owner used it as a craft/laundry room, the counter has a section that you can pull up a bar stool to and work on projects, under a large window with a view. I even have a shelf I can hang drying laundry from. Like I said, I am SO spoiled. We got really lucky with some things about this house (then again, there's the teeny tiny bathrooms, and the room that needs all new wiring cause I think it still has it's original 1940's wiring, and the a/c that died within a year, and.....

[Aethian]

I just went to see a friends place that had been a moved military house. Apparently someone tried updating it once it came out unusual. Between the washer and dryer is a working toilet.

[Sapphire Silk]

The kid, who is presumably an adult and of legal age to sign legal contracts like, say, leases, signed the fucking lease to the place that didn't have a washer/dryer unit.

Whose fault, precisely, might that be? Hmmmm....I wonder.....

The kids, probably. It's an oversight you only make once. If Mom was smart, she'd let kid learn it the hard way.

From memory all landlords are required to supply in Aus is a working stove.
Supplied dryers (and to a lesser extent) are becoming more common in units (apartments for non-Aussies :-) ) these days but are not a requirement

That's pretty much the same in the US, but it varies from state to state. Fridge is also required in some places. Dishwashers, W/D, microwaves are optional.

A perfect example that correlates to this thread is the story I have told for years about when I first got to the dorms my freshman year. When it came time to do laundry, I did the logical thing: I gathered up my laundry and went to the laundry room to do it. And when I walked in, I saw several other male students standing there, their laundry in hand, staring at the laundry machines as if they were alien spacecraft. Because to these guys, they basically were. Apparently their mothers had coddled them and done their laundry, unlike my mom who basically insisted that all of us take a turn doing the family laundry from about the age of 10 or 12 on.

Well, in their defense, that's not all that uncommon. My mother wouldn't let anyone in her kitchen OR her laundry room. My brother and I learned how to do laundry shortly before going away to college. Mom taught us shortly before we hit campus.

Unfortunately, I still can't iron worth a damn, some thirty years later.

That was 35 years ago and I still follow the same routine EXCEPT when she told me to IRON my underware (which she DID do with my Father's undergarments for some reason)

He may have been military at some point in his life. A friend of mine told me how he'd iron his socks when he was in the Air Force.

My first day at my second university a woman went up to the RA and asked "Excuse me, who washes my son's clothes for him?"

The RA gave a confused look before saying "Your son..."

Gah. That is the worst example of helicopter parent I've ever seen.

He could have suggested she sleep in her son's room so she'd be available for maid service.

I've never heard of a place furnishing washer and dryers Hookups yeah, but never the machines themselves. I think every apartment complex I've lived in has had laundry facilities though.

When I first moved to North Carolina, the apartment I rented had W/D hookup. I could provide my own machines, or rent theirs. They also had a laundry room. I used that for awhile, and found a brand new dryer on sale at Lowes that had been returned because it had a minor ding when delivered to the original buyer. I got it for a couple hundred off the original price. Did the same a bit later for a washer. Still working great 7 years later.

When I first moved out on my own, I rented a house with friends. It came with a washer, but no dryer. We had to line dry our clothes. Later, we bought a used dryer from a friend who was about to get fined by the city for keeping it on his front porch: he'd been told to get rid of it or else. It was rusted but worked fine, so we paid $25 for it, took off the rust with some naval jelly, painted it, and no problems.

That place, and the next several I had had no dishwasher. I had a roomie who never did his turn at the dishes. I got sick of cleaning up after him, so I bought a portable dishwasher that hooks up to the sink. Later, I wouldn't rent a place that didn't have a dishwasher; I was so sick of hand washing dishes.

[Mytical]

I am a bachelor..who has lived with his parents (there were a few years I didn't, but not important) most of his life. I still know how to cook, and to use the washing machine. True..I've done the "Make something white Pink" before..but hey live and learn.

I am not so great at cleaning, but at least I KNOW how to do things on my own.

[Racket_Man]

He may have been military at some point in his life. A friend of mine told me how he'd iron his socks when he was in the Air Force.

.

My Father was never in the military. he worked for the US government during WWII (27 at the time) so he was "excused" from military service. Alll I remember is that is how it was done back in the day as told to me by my Mom.

[Merriweather]

On the subject of ironing socks & underwear -

I believe it was fairly common back before everyone had a dryer - things weren't always totally dry when you took them off the clothesline before nightfall. Ironing those made sure they were totally dry before being put in the drawer.

[dalesys]

...the subject of ironing socks & underwear...

Reminds me of the time my dad got back from an unexpectedly extended trip and complained to mom that the new shirts he'd bought were rubbing his neck raw... He'd left the cardboard inserts in the collars.

[telecom_goddess]

I've had all sorts of laundry setups. While growing up my mother and I generally lived in places that didn't have laundry facilities at all so we were at a laundromat for years and years. At one point it seems I remember us having a washer maybe but no dryer, the story about line drying washed clothes sounds familiar. Anyway at one place we had we would hand wash socks and underwear and hang them on one of those lines that was on a pulley...so you could pull it near to you or away from you and have it strung up on a second story that way. I still love the smell of freshly washed clothes with a hint of bleach because it reminds me of those days.

Later on when I lived in apartments there were laundry rooms in them with coin op machines (I never got to experience the card operated ones). The last two apartments I've had have had washers and dryers in them, the last one had the stackable kind and this one has the standard machines in a pretty decent laundry area with a huge shelf for storage, and folding doors that close so it just becomes a wall in the hallway. I love having this set up, I can do laundry whenever and keep up on it so nicely. I'm being spoiled now and wouldn't want a place without a washer and dryer anymore.

[Shalom]

OT maybe, but what on earth is naval jelly? It sounds vaguely disgusting, like something you might dig out of your bellybutton...

[Ironclad Alibi]

OT maybe, but what on earth is naval jelly? It sounds vaguely disgusting, like something you might dig out of your bellybutton...

Naval Jelly is a gel product that dissolves rust.

From the Wikipedia page about phosphoric acid:

Rust removal

Phosphoric acid may be used as a "rust converter", by direct application to rusted iron, steel tools, or surfaces. The phosphoric acid converts reddish-brown iron(III) oxide, Fe2O3 (rust) to black ferric phosphate, FePO4.

"Rust converter" is sometimes a greenish liquid suitable for dipping (in the same sort of acid bath as is used for pickling metal), but it is more often formulated as a gel, commonly called naval jelly. It is sometimes sold under other names, such as "rust remover" or "rust killer". As a thick gel, it may be applied to sloping, vertical, or even overhead surfaces.

After treatment, the black ferric-phosphate coating can be scrubbed off, leaving a fresh metal surface. Multiple applications of phosphoric acid may be required to remove all rust. The black phosphate coating can also be left in place, where it will provide moderate further corrosion resistance (such protection is also provided by the superficially similar Parkerizing and blued electrochemical conversion coating processes).

[Merriweather]

OT maybe, but what on earth is naval jelly? It sounds vaguely disgusting, like something you might dig out of your bellybutton...

Nope, that would be navel jelly, ick