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Doing laundry vs. laundry services – which is better

A Laundromat with a lot of washing machines that allow more clothes to be washed simultaneously, one of the main differences in doing laundry vs. laundry services.
Understanding the differences in doing laundry vs. laundry services might help you save time and money.
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One of the questions that come up before relocation is should you wash your clothes before or after the move? Some believe that it is better to wash them before because you can just unpack and fold your clothes in the new closet. However, the other side believes that the clothes will get dirty again during the relocation, and it is much better to wash them after. Whichever option out of those you choose, a new question arises – should you wash your clothes at home, or put your trust in laundry services? That is a good question to ask, even when you are washing clothes as a part of your daily tasks. To properly discuss doing laundry vs. laundry services, we have to look at both sides of the coin!

The cost of doing laundry vs. laundry services

When talking about daily chores, as always, it is best to start looking at things from the financial aspect. Since we all depend on money, it is crucial to figure out which option is more affordable.

Washing clothes at home

When you wash clothes at home, you have to pay for the detergent, softener, bleach, etc.

The average cost of detergent per load is around 21 cents. If you do the numbers, you will figure out that you do between 80 and 100 loads a year. With added charges for the electricity, gas, and water consumption, plus the charges for other chemicals, you annually spend between $350 and $500 doing laundry.

A drawing of a laundry basket and a detergent.
The cost of the detergent and other chemical substances needed for doing laundry is just a part of the expenses you must cover.

Even that number is not set in stone since it all depends on the size of your house and how much laundry you have. While the cost can be lower than that, it can also be substantially larger if you have more members in your family.

The cost of laundry services

An average cost of doing laundry at a laundromat is somewhere between $0.90 to $3.00 per pound. Your regular washing machine at home can take around 7 pounds of clothes per one load. So, if we do the math, you’ll figure out that the yearly cost of using laundry services can vary between $500 to more than $1000. That covers about 80 loads per year.

While that might sound more expensive, in reality, we have a whole other case here. Plus, they are much safer for your health. If you are planning to clean your rugs and carpets during the pandemic, it is better if you have it done by the professionals.

If you are using laundry services, you must understand that the washing machines are much larger than the one you have at home. With that in mind, they can take a lot more clothes in one load. Consequently, you won’t be doing 80 loads of clothes per year, that number will drastically dropdown. And with it, the cost will go down as well.

Laundry in a washing machine at home
Doing laundry at home is more useful for small batches of clothes.

You will end up spending approximately the same amount of money you would be spending when doing laundry at home. However, the main difference is that you have professionals to help you! And here is where we arrive at the second crucial benefit of using laundry services.

Laundry services reduce time consumption

Doing laundry at home takes a lot of time. You must be there to load the machine, unload it, and put your clothes on the dryer. After that, you have to iron the clothes, fold them neatly, and put them in the closet. For a working person, that consumes a lot of time.

Instead, laundry services take all that heavy work into their hands. Hiring a professional and affordable laundry company will make a difference in your life. While the cost might be a bit higher, that really pays out in the long run if you think about the time you can save.

Washing machine expenses

Another factor to consider when deciding between doing laundry vs. laundry services is the expenses of the washing machine you use. First of all, to purchase a washing machine, you will have to allocate between $350 for a low-end and more than $1,500 for a high-end washing machine.

Sure, that is a one time purchase, but it is still an expense you must pay. Furthermore, washing machines sometimes break and fixing them or replacing parts also costs money. When using laundry service, you don’t have to think about washing machine expenses at all.

A woman washing clothes in a public Laundromat.
Using laundry services means you won’t have to worry about any washing-machine related expenses.

Why not both?

So, if we look at all the factors with a clear mind, there comes another question – why not use both? If you wish to be smart about doing laundry, you will combine doing laundry at home and use laundry services at the same time.

But, bear in mind that in some parts of the world, laundry services are not so popular. If you are moving from the USA to Europe, this might be one of the things to surprise you.

For example, when moving, whether it is before or after the relocation, you will probably wash all your clothes. However, when doing your regular laundry at home, you will selectively wash your clothes.

With that in mind, it is much better to use laundry services for bigger batches of clothes, and only wash your clothes at home if you have a smaller amount that you need right away.

Still, if you are planning to downsize to a smaller apartment, you’ll probably want to separate your clothes first. If you decided to donate or toss what you don’t need any longer, there’s really no need to wash those clothes and only spend extra money.

Laundry services are easy to book

If you are in the middle of relocation, or if you are cleaning up after moving in, you’ll really need those extra hours you will spend on doing laundry. Instead, you should fill in an online form, and order laundry service in a matter of minutes.

Are you using the best moving company?

We have to spend a minute here to talk about the importance of a good moving company as well. Just like when picking affordable laundry services, you should do the same for every professional service you might need in your life. A good example is homegrownmoving.com. We can draw a parallel here because you must understand the importance of going with the right movers.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve arrived at the end of this article, it is important to summarize what we have learned so far. Laundry services will:

  • help you save precious time when doing laundry
  • deliver high-end service for a reasonable price
  • reduce the number of loads you wash per year
  • make it easy and simple to wash large batches of clothes

I hope that you now see what the main differences in doing laundry vs. laundry services are and that I have helped you make an informed decision!

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