Laundry Lesson

Doing laundry in the UK as an expat isn’t as easy as it would seem. Living in a foreign country brings a new lesson every day. Even things that you might think would be similar or simple have a learning curve. Nothing is easy.

British washing machines are small. Two pairs of jeans make a full load. I usually do a load a day, partly because the machine is so small and partly because the wash cycle is so long. Washing a load of towels (two bath towels and a hand towel or two) takes almost four hours, and they still have to be dried, which is its own adventure.

There are four kinds of British clothes dryers: combo, airer, condenser, and vented. A combo dryer is a washing machine that is also a dryer. Its built-in condenser removes the moisture and collects it in a tank, which has to be emptied regularly. This is probably the most common type of dryer as space is often limited. In fact, in most British homes, the washing machine is in the kitchen.

Another common “dryer” is the airer, which air dries clothes. These are widely used, even by those who have another form of dryer, because energy is expensive here. In the US, we call them clotheslines when they’re outdoors or drying racks when they’re indoors. The third type of dryer is a separate unit that works the same way as the combo. It dehumidifies as it tumbles and then spins the clothes and takes two to three hours to dry a load. Lastly, a vented dryer is what Americans typically use to dry their clothes. They’re not as common here because they are the most expensive to buy and use and because most homes here don’t have a dryer vent.

The home we’re renting came with a small, basic washing machine and no dryer. Because of that, I have to take any larger items to the cleaners or a launderette (laundromat). I took a duvet to the cleaners a few months ago and paid £26 (about $33 USD). Recently, I had a duvet and a large mattress pad to wash, so I thought I’d save a few quid (slang for pounds) and do it myself at the launderette.

I dropped Kurt off at work and headed to the one nearest our home. It was early, so parking was easy. They weren’t charging for parking yet when I arrived, but I knew I’d be there past that time, so I got a ticket from the machine for the first 20 minutes free.

I hadn’t been to a British launderette before, so I didn’t know how much it would cost. I had about £4 in loose change and a £5 note. In the US, there’s always a change machine, so I assumed there would be here as well. Alternatively, I hoped but didn’t expect, that I could use my debit card. I found out that it costs £5 for the large washing machines, pound coins only, and they don’t provide any means of changing notes into coins. It’s BYOC—bring your own change.

After putting the laundry back in the car, I found an ATM and withdrew £20. Now, I had two £10 notes. I needed one-pound coins. At the only store open nearby, I spent a pound on bottled water. I asked for all one-pound coins in change but was informed they can’t do that. Instead, I got a five-pound note and four one-pound coins instead.

I retrieved the mattress pad out of the car and started it in a washing machine. Then I walked to a coffee shop down the street and ordered a coffee. It was £2.80. I paid with a £10 note and 80p in change in order to get three more one-pound coins. I took my coffee and walked back to the car, retrieved the duvet, walked back to the launderette and started the second load.

By this time, I needed to pay for parking. Now, I needed change for parking and if I wanted to use the dryers, I needed more one-pound coins. I walked to a different store that had just opened. It had a sign up saying they don’t make change, so I didn’t ask. I bought another bottled water with a five-pound note and put it in the car without opening it.

Twenty minutes of parking costs 30p, but I needed another half an hour. I did what I would do back home; I put in 30p for 20 minutes plus 15p more to bring it to half an hour. That’s not how it works here. The machine took my 45p and gave me 20 minutes of parking. It’s increments of 20 minutes or nothing. It wasn’t an expensive lesson, but it took the last of my change.

In the end, I spent £10 on washing, £2 on drying, £1.90 on bottled waters that I didn’t want or need, £2.80 on coffee I didn’t need but enjoyed, and 45p on parking. It still cost less than the cleaners and now that I know how it works, I’m sure next time will be a breeze. I just have to go to the bank first.