Raleigh Laundry | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

April 27, 2018
by Laundry Expert
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Try Drying Your Clothes Outside This Spring Continued

Finally, after a long and frigid winter hopefully, spring is about to be upon us. This is the time of year when we begin to clean out our homes and clean up for the warmer weather. It is also that time of the year when we begin to want to be out in the sunshine and warmer days. This might also include our laundry. Not everyone brings their laundry outside to dry these days but there are some good reasons why you should be drying your clothes outside during the warmer weather.

Line Drying Clothes in Spring! | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

The biggest reason for drying laundry on the clothesline outside it’s because it saves us money. Modern day electric dryers use a lot of electricity and that translates into the loss of more money. The United States Department of Energy estimates electric clothes dryers can cost as much as 6% of an entire household electricity conception each year. When you consider how many times you use the dryer in a year, then your clothes dryer alone can account for $72 per year in the household electricity budget. We have more good reasons for line drying.

When your clothes are dried outside in the sun you use fewer chemicals on them. The sun will naturally bleach your clothes particularly those white clothes that we do not want to damage with bleach. If you are a household that uses cloth diapers on your children, the sun can get them as white as possible without using harsh chemicals that can harm your babies skin.

Another good reason for line drying is that we evaluate our clothes in a different way. Instead of automatically washing clothes that might have another wear on them we may find that we hang them up to wear again before laundering.

Did you know that hanging your clothes either outside or inside on a portable drying rack will save your clothes as well? Clothes dryers will dry your clothing and can make it feel softer, but it also weakens the fabric of the clothing. Over a period of time, this will harm your clothing. Your clothing will not last as long and you will spend more money buying new clothing. This is a good reason for hanging your clothing to dry versus using the electric dryer. You can also opt for a portable indoor rack to dry your clothing on. This is particularly useful in the winter months, but you may also dry things in the warmer months on one as well.

Many people who utilize drying their clothing outdoors on a clothesline love the idea. Many use the time in which they are hanging their clothes to dry, to get a bit of peace, to commune outdoors with nature, and to gather their thoughts. It can be a therapeutic way to reduce stress.

Some people do not like to line dry clothing because they do not like the way it feels afterward. You can reduce this problem by bringing the laundry in while it is still a bit damp. Place the still damp clothing into the dryer for as little as five minutes. The clothing will soften up and hopefully feel like you dried it totally in the electric dryer.

Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

If you are being run ragged, just attempting to keep up with all your extra laundry. give Laundry Express a try! We offer state of the art machine for washing and drying your clothes. We also offer laundry services that include coin laundry in Raleigh NC, dry cleaning, wash-dry-fold, and stain removal! Don’t get behind on your family’s laundry. We are here to help! Visit Laundry Express soon!

April 20, 2018
by Laundry Expert
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Try Drying Your Clothes Outside This Spring

Many of us can remember a time when the only way to dry our clothing once it had been laundered was to hang it outside on the clothesline. For most of us, those days are long gone as automatic dryers have taken the place of that wonderful time in generations past. Today we still see some folks who will hang their laundry outside to dry but most often the dryer inside the home is used for that purpose. Over the next couple of posts, we are going to look at drying our laundry outside and how we can do that. We are also going to look at some good reasons for drying the laundry in that way.

Line Drying Clothes in the Spring! | Laundromat Raleigh NC

One of the best reasons for drying clothes outside on the clothesline is to save money. Drying the clothes in that way is very energy efficient. The first thing you will want to do is to purchase and install an outdoor clothesline. You may have to look at a few big box stores to find one these days. Make certain that you purchase a good sturdy one. You will want to take the proper amount of time to install the clothesline properly. The following are some tips for hanging your laundry outside on the clothesline.

Tips | Laundromat Raleigh NC

You will need a good laundry basket and some clothes pins for pinning the clothes I want to the line. As you begin to get ready to hang the clothes own to the line you will want to give them a shake before placing them on the line to reduce wrinkles. This will also keep you from having to spend a lot of time earning the clothing.
What’s the clothes have been hung to dry you will want to fold them and place them back into your basket. Take care that you do not place them into the basket to tightly, this will mean more wrinkles.
If you are worried about the sun fading out your clothes, make sure you choose a more shaded area for your clothes. You should note however if you have a lot of white clothing and you would like the sun to bleach those and keep them why it didn’t hang those more in the sunlight.
If you are not happy with your towels or jeans wants they are lined dried completely did take a few minutes and tumbled them draw in your inside clothes dryer. You may also want to bring them inside and place them in the electric dryer while they are still a bit damp. This will keep them from being too stiff.
Another good tip is to be sure the clothesline that you purchased to use is a coated one. If it is not, then it could rust leaving stains on your clothing. Always take time to make certain your clothesline is not dusty, has bird droppings on it, or anything else that can transfer to your clothes as they dry.

Laundry Express | Laundromat Raleigh NC

Laundry Express knows your time at home with family is valuable. Doing the laundry can be time consuming. We can help you with all things laundry. Come by and check out our laundromat in Raleigh NC, right here in the Triangle area. We can help you get caught up as quickly as possible and get you back to doing things that are much more fun! Stop by today!

April 15, 2018
by Laundry Expert
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How Much Laundry Detergent is Enough?

One of the most time-consuming chores most families must do is laundry in Raleigh NC. The laundry can take a lot of our time, especially if you have a larger family. One would think that doing the laundry should be one of the simplest chores that we do. The truth of the matter is if we are doing it as cost efficiently as we should, we must put some thought into it. This blog post will look at how much laundry detergent we should be using per load. You may be surprised to learn that you are either using too much laundry detergent or too little.

How Much Detergent Should Be Used? | Laundry Raleigh NC

One of the first things you will want to look at is the type of laundry detergent you are using. Laundry detergents are formulated in many ways. Depending on your family’s needs you will want to choose one that will take care of all your laundry problems. This can involve doing a little research on the several types of detergents that there are on the market today. Water temperatures will also play a big part in how efficiently detergents work.

Once you have determined the right laundry detergent for you look at your laundry. This will involve looking at a freshly laundered load of clothing. Does the laundry appear to be as clean as possible? Does the laundry appear to have any type of residue left on it? Is the laundry not as clean as you thought it would be? If any of these is a problem, then it may be a matter of the measurement of your laundry detergent. Most of the laundry detergent’s manufactured in today’s world have some way of measuring. This will be with a scoop or the cap the detergent.

Most of the time how much laundry detergent you will use depends upon the size of a load of clothing you are about to wash, how hard the water is in your area, and the amount of concentration the detergent you were about to use is. Most detergents will have directions somewhere on the packaging that can be a general rule of thumb for the amount you will use. There will be other things that will factor in such as:

How dirty is your laundry?
What size is your washer? This will mean the capacity of laundry in which it will hold.
What type of washing machine do you have? (front load or top load)
Does your washer call for a high efficiency detergent?
Which kind of detergent do you favor, liquid or powder?

It is important to note what type of water you have. Most will have soft water or hard water. If you have hard water, you will more than likely need to use the full amount of your laundry detergent. If you have soft water, then you may be able to use less detergent than normal.

A good rule of thumb to use when it comes to measuring laundry detergent is that 2 tablespoons or 1/8 of a cup is more than likely good amount to use when it comes to your laundry. A good tip is to use a permanent marker once you have found the correct amount on the lid of your liquid detergent or on the scoop that you use for your powdered detergent.

If you find that you are behind on your laundry chores and need a little help catching up give us a try! Laundry Express offers many kinds of services for laundry in Raleigh NC including a wash, dry, fold service that will catch you up in no time. Stop by our laundromat today!

April 5, 2018
by Laundry Expert
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Powder or Liquid Detergent-Which is the Best?

Shopping at any grocery store or even online can be a little overwhelming. Aisles and aisles of all kinds of products. If you are looking for a laundry product that aisle or aisles alone can be a case of sensory overload. Dozens and dozens of brands, types, fragrances, and promises of perfect laundry will leave you confused as to what to buy. In today’s market, you also have a choice of powder, liquid, and the much newer “pods”. So which is best? Well, this post will look at powder versus liquid and hopefully give you an idea of which is best for you.

The good news is that today’s laundry detergents work well in all kinds of water temperatures and cycles. No matter if they are powder or liquid. Knowing this at least lets you know you are not limited by the cleaning factor. The following will look first at powdered detergents.

Powder Detergent | Raleigh Laundromat

In the “olden days” before the advent of commercially developed detergents, laundry was done using homemade soaps. These were harsh on clothing and on the skin. In the 1930’s powdered detergents hit the marketplace. They have remained by far the cheapest form of laundry detergent. If you want really clean clothes for the least amount of money powdered wins hands down. The issue is it is not nearly as popular as the liquids and it seems there are fewer brands available today than in the past. We like convenience today and of course boxes of detergent take up much more room. The bulk of those boxes take up way to much space and are heavier than liquid.

Liquid Detergent

Liquid detergents became a new normal in the 1950’s. Since that time they have also become the most popular. There are many reasons for this. First and foremost is that they dissolve easily. Powders can cake and not dissolve well at times meaning a re-wash. Liquids do not have this problem. This means they wash clothing well in all temperatures. They also have a lot of various smells and fragrances. One of the best features of a liquid is that it doubles as a pre-treater. This makes it easy to spot clean any stains your clothing may have. Liquid detergents are most effective on all of your greasy, oily, stains.

A problem with liquids is that the packaging makes it hard to measure properly. Most complaints are that the lines in the cap are hard for people to see. Using too much can mean less clean clothes. It will also build upon your washer causing potential problems. This will also cost you more money.

A huge concern is environmental. Plastic fills our landfills and these plastic bottles will certainly add to the problem. The problem of a heavy product is also an issue with liquids just like it is in powders. This adds to shipping costs and that will translate to a more expensive product.

So which is the right product for you? This depends on your budget and the size of your family. If you need to do a lot of laundry for less money then check out the powdered detergents. If you want convenience and a less worry product choose liquid. Once you narrow down the product you are looking for the brand and fragrance will be a personal preference.

Laundry Express | Raleigh Laundromat

If you find yourself behind on a mountain of laundry, check out our Raleigh Laundromat. Laundry Express offers state of the art machines for washing and drying. We also offer laundry services that include dry cleaning, wash, dry, fold services, and stain removal. Don’t get behind when we can help! Visit us soon!

April 1, 2018
by Laundry Expert
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More Money Saving Laundry Tips

Today’s modern families are always looking to save some money where they can. One of the most time consuming chores as well as the most energy consuming ones is the laundry in Raleigh NC. Depending on how large your family is you could be spending way more than you would like on doing the families laundry. Our last post began offering tips for saving money on your laundry. We will continue the discussion here. The following are more ways to save lots of money on your laundry habit.

Money Saving Tips | Laundry Raleigh NC

To save the maximum amount of money take a good look at your laundry machines. How old are they? Are they well maintained? This is the best way to make sure you are getting all of the money savings possible. If your washer and dryer have a great deal of age on them then they are probably not as energy efficient as they should be. Go shopping and check out what your older machines might be costing you. It may be worth investing in newer, more energy efficient models.

Once you have new machines, the key to save money will be to maintain them well. Just because they are cleaning your clothes does not mean they are getting clean. Take the time weekly to wipe them down, inside and out. Clean out any debris that may accumulate and the lint screen in the dryer every time you do a load of laundry. There are products on the market today to use to clean the washer quarterly. Just run a washer cycle with one to get it really clean.

When doing a load of laundry make sure you run the proper cycle. There is a reason washers and dryers have so many options. Get yourself and your family familiar with them. They are designed to run efficiently, clean the load properly, and save you money. Use them! Another great tip is to choose the proper water temperature. Not all clothes get clean as well as they should in cold water. We think the most savings come from using only cold water. The truth is if your clothes are not getting clean then you may wash more often or have to re-wash. This will certainly cost more money.

Teach your family to sort their laundry and remove any objects from the clothing or pockets. Leaving items in or on the clothes can cause a lot of damage to your machines. Also, do only full loads of laundry versus small ones. This will save time, money, and energy.

As our last blog pointed out use the right detergent and bleach. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are important as well. To save money look for coupons. But when these items are on sale to stay ahead and always have what you need. You can also research making your own laundry detergent and dryer sheets. These require the proper items but can save you a lot of money over time.

Laundry Express knows your time at home with family is valuable. Doing the laundry can be time consuming. We can help you with all things laundry in Raleigh NC. Come by and check out our state of the are laundry facility here in the Triangle area. We can help you get caught up as quickly as possible and get you back to doing things that are much more fun! Call us today!