Raleigh Laundry | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

July 3, 2016
by Laundry Expert
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Best Reasons To Use A Laundromat

One of the really big decisions one must make when it comes to laundry is “Should I buy my own washer and dryer or should I continue to haul my laundry to a Raleigh laundromat?” There are many pros and cons for each and the decision can be harder to make than you think. There are several things you must look at such as your time, money to spend, and how does my decision impact the environment? Lucky for you we are going to use this blog to really dig in and help you decide what will work for you. This blog will look at some of the reasons you might choose a laundromat verses your own washer and dryer.

Using a Raleigh Laundromat

One of the first things to consider is weather or not you will drop off your laundry to be done and picked up by you ready to put away when you get home or if you will be doing it yourself. Drop off means that you virtually eliminate the time consuming laundry chore and reduce it to a 2 minute drop off and a 2 minute pickup leaving you a lot of time for other things. If you choose to do the laundry yourself then you still save loads of time because there are lots of washers and dryers so you have less wait time to boot the laundry from wash to dry. This is a huge time saver. Because the machines in a laundromat are designed to hold more laundry per load you also save time by being able to do multiple loads at one time. This means no all day washing and drying marathon for you!

One of the best things you will find about a laundromat is that they have machines that can do your bedding and other heavy and bulky things. These machines are powerhouses that can handle up to 75 pounds of laundry at a time. Home washers and dryers cannot handle this type of laundry ever!

One of the biggest cases for choosing the Raleigh laundromat is of course in the savings. A statistic says that a regular household washer and dryer are used at least two hundred seventy days of the year! Wow! The self serve laundromat also uses two-thirds less water than your typical home washer. Laundromats certainly want to make money so they research how to save on electricity costs by making their business as energy efficient and cost effective as they possibly can. This means you are doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint on the world.

Lastly, a Raleigh laundromat is going to use only the best large commercial machines available. This also means that these machines will be very well maintained all the time. You will never have to worry about a breakdown in your machine or repair or replacement costs. You are also able to catch up on a little reading or simple relax with a great cup of coffee while you wait for your laundry to cycle. This will become the best One hour or so you will spend all week!

The best thing about our Raleigh laundromat is that there are on staff experts available to help you with all your laundry issues. They can advise you about stain removal particularly if it is a stubborn stain. Laundry Express offers a state of the art laundromat for all your laundry needs. Our wash, dry, fold services are guaranteed to save you time and energy. Come by and check out our many services including dry cleaning services!

June 25, 2016
by Laundry Expert
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Laundry Routines and Schedules for Large Families

Laundry! One of those gotta do things that never goes away. The more family members in the household, the more laundry you have. How do you ever get ahead or even keep up with it all particularly in larger families? We are going to offer some really good ways to work out a laundry schedule and develop a good routine for your larger family. A good plan takes practice and loads of patience. Putting some really good thought into how to make this work for your family will also be needed.

Family Laundry Schedule | Laundry Service Raleigh NC

One of the first considerations for a large family is how often you need to do laundry. Is it a daily necessity or a few times a week chore? Children of all ages can be assigned specific age appropriate tasks to do to help with their individual laundry. Teaching little ones to fold, sort, and bring their laundry to your laundry are can help Mom and Dad immensely.

To make sorting and later folding and putting away easier a good tip is to color code or use a dot system for each family member. Using a permanent type marker you can assign each person a color or a number of dots to mark their clothing. One dot for the oldest, two dots for the second oldest, etc. This works for all their clothing from Socks to pants and shirts. Teach your family to sort their laundry.

Steps | Laundry Service Raleigh NC

1. The adult does it while the child watches.

2. The Adult does it while the child helps.

3. The child does it as the adult helps.

4. The child does it as the adult watches.

Pretty soon your children will be experts at it! Once they have mastered this task they will be able to sort and then fold their own laundry. This is a huge step in establishing a good laundry routine.

One essential tip is that laundry does NOT have to be folded perfectly. As soon as parents learn this valuable tip things will go much smoother. This is an added stressor families just don’t need. You will come to appreciate their help in the long run even if it is not perfect.

Decide how many times a week you will need to do laundry. This will indeed vary by family and size. Some large families find doing one person’s laundry per day is what works best for them. Others may do a load three times a week. Always keep in mind that one day will need to be set aside for bath towels and linens.

As children get older you can then begin to teach them how to load the washer and dryer. The goal will be to get them doing their own laundry from sorting to putting away. This will help keep laundry at a minimum throughout the week. Taking a bit of time to teach children this is teaching them some really important life skills they will need in the future. This is important no matter the size of the family. Kids need to feel important to the running of a family and this is a great place to start.

Laundry Service Raleigh NC

Laundry Express offers a laundry service in Raleigh NC that can help you get ahead of your huge pile of laundry. We also offer dry cleaning service for your more delicate items. Come by and check us out today!

June 20, 2016
by Laundry Expert
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Laundry Tips for Large Families

All of us, no matter the size of our family, more than likely feel we never get to the bottom of our pile of laundry. We may catch up for a very brief amount of time but then “snap” it’s piled up again. You may even feel that the bottom of your hamper is one of the seven wonders of the world! Large families feel the laundry pain more than others. Getting the laundry under control and keeping it manageable is a matter of establishing really good routines and practices. There are some really good tips for doing so and we are going to offer up some today.

Laundry Tips | Coin-op Laundry Raleigh NC

One of the best tips for eliminating odors that come from clothing not getting washed regularly or from being slightly damp from sports activities is white vinegar. White vinegar is a secret most moms of all generations rely on. It is great for tough smells and to strip diapers of detergent residue. That residue keeps cloth diapers from absorbing as well as they should. In our regular laundry this can happen also. Children who are mostly potty trained sometimes have accidents overnight. Then you have smelly linens and bed clothing. Just like diapers detergents and fabric softeners bind with the fibers on our clothes. This keeps them from getting clean and sweet smelling. Try adding detergent to your dispenser as normal but then add white vinegar to the fabric softener cup. Just use the same amount you normally would. Run the cycle as normal and then repeat-running two full cycles with the detergent and vinegar. You can then run a regular cycle with detergent and fabric softener to get them smelling great again.

Mesh Laundry Bags | Coin-op Laundry Raleigh NC

One really neat trick for sock sorting is to purchase white mesh laundry bags that zip. These can be found at most big box stores. Assign one to each family member and have them put their socks into it as they wear them. Be sure to code each in some way so you know who’s is who’s. Simply toss and wash then dry. Each person gets theirs back and can sort and put away.

Towels

Bath towels are another area where things can get quickly out of hand in a larger family. We all like nice bath linens but have you ever thought about how many you really need? Technically the rule is two per person. One to use and one being washed. Most of us have way more than that. In a larger family household this can contribute to many more loads of laundry that is needed. Families that are larger have tried the one per person rule. One bath towel, one hand towel, and one washcloth per person. These “sets” are laundered once a week and returned to the bathroom. You could keep a few extras tucked away in case there is a towel emergency for whatever reason. You also can always keep a pretty set in the linen closet for when you are entertaining company.

Treating Stains | Coin-op Laundry Raleigh NC

The best non-negotiable tip we have for larger and even smaller families is stains must be pointed out and treated quickly. In a larger family stains can become a really big problem if this is not taken care of. The longer a stain sits the harder it will be to get it out. This will result in costly wardrobe replacement. Either you must treat these yourself or do a really great job teaching your children to do it themselves.

Our never ending laundry chore is one of those things we just have to get done. Putting together a good schedule and routine will help especially in a larger family. Next blog we will address how to develop a good schedule for all the family members. Laundry Express is here to help you with any of your laundry needs. We offer wash, dry, fold services to help you get control and save time and energy so you can enjoy other things. Check us out today!

June 15, 2016
by Laundry Expert
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Best Ways To Launder Linen

We are now headed into the really warm temperatures of summertime here in the south. This means more outdoor activities and loads of indoor air conditioned ones. This much warmer time of year inspires us to get out our coolest clothing. For many of us linen is a great choice this time of year.

Linen | Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

Linen has been a really popular choice for clothing for many years. It is made using fibers that come from the flax plant. This make it a natural fabric that breathes really well and makes it feel much cooler against the skin. It is much stronger than its cotton counterparts. It is also known for its difficulty to easily weave. For these reasons it is also more pricey and therefore clothes and linens made from this fabric cost much more but are more durable. It dyes well and can be combined with other materials and for that reason care must be taken in the laundering of our linen pieces.

One of the first things you will want to do is check the washing instructions on the label inside your linen pieces. Most of your all linen clothing including dresses, trousers, tunics, and shirts can simply be washed in your washing machine. If your linen has any other type materials such as on the trim work and stitching you may need to dry clean the item. Be sure to check any linings on your clothing. Because linen is a natural fiber it absorbs a lot of water during the wash cycle. It also tends to crease heavily in the wash. We have some great laundering tips to offer that will keep your favorite linen items looking fabulous all summer long.

1. One of the best tricks for washing your linen is to not do a large load. Allow plenty of space in the drum for the items to move around freely. This helps with the heavy wrinkling referred to.

2. Launder your linen items separately from other laundry. As with other laundry keep your lights and darks separate also. If you feel it is a delicate item hand washing might be best. Even if you have a half-load it is worth keeping linens separate from other clothing. This also keeps the twisting, pulling of the linen from wrinkling quite so badly.

3. Use a really gentle detergent and as always make sure the amount you use is appropriate for the load. Make sure to choose a cycle that has a long soak, short wash, rinse, short spin if possible.

4. You will need to make certain you use a cool temperature as linen must be laundered in only cool never ever hot temperatures.

5. When the linen has been washed check to make certain there is no lingering residue from the detergent. Remove promptly from the washer to keep those pesky deep wrinkles at bay. Linen should be line dried. Some laundering labels may state they can be dried in the dryer. If you do this then make certain to use a low temperature and remove the clothing while it is still damp. If your linen needs ironing (we are certain it will!) then iron while damp.

Coin Laundry Raleigh NC

Linen is a great choice for the hotter summertime weather and can be easy to maintain if these steps to take care of your clothing are taken. Laundry Express, coin laundry in Raleigh NC, is here to help you with all your laundry needs. We can help you take care of and maintain your linen items with our great dry cleaning services. Come by or give us a call today!

June 10, 2016
by Laundry Expert
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Best Ways To Wash Swimwear

We hope that you are enjoying this beautiful spring time weather. Before we know it it is summer time and the temps are going to get really hot! With that summer time weather comes of course the beach and swimming. We all love to hit the beach and of course we want to look super great doing it. Most of us spend a whole lot of time searching for the absolute perfect swimwear and usually that swimwear is not cheap. Swimwear is really expensive. Once you have invested in a really great suit or bikini you will want to take as much care as possible to keep it looking good as new all summer long.

Wash Your Swimwear! | Raleigh Laundromat

Many things can affect the fabric of our swimwear. Wearing it daily, pool chemicals, sunscreens, and even the sand can all take a toll on our swimwear. All of these things make the delicate fibers that make up a swimsuit very vulnerable to wear and tear. Here are some great tips for caring for your swimwear that should help to prolong the life of that really great swimsuit you love!

First thing is you must remember to always rinse your swimsuit out every time you wear it. No detergent, just a really thorough rinse in cool water. Even if you only sunbathe in it. Rinsing it will remove the chlorine, sunscreen, sweat and dirt. Soaking it for up to 30 minutes is even better. This is because the spandex or lycra each piece of swimwear contains is susceptible to chlorine and other chemicals and these can cause yellowing if not removed.

Just plain water cannot get rid of all the chlorine and also the sand and salt. In the sink you can use cool water and a tiny amount of liquid detergent. Don’t use more than a tablespoon. No bleach should be used either. Turn the suit inside out and place it into the water. You will want to only gently swish it around for a bit. Do not agitate at all. Gently swish then rinse it really well taking care to get out all the laundry detergent.

Once this is done do NOT twist or wring the water out of your swimsuit. Simply squeeze gently to get out the water. To dry your suit lay it flat but never in the sun. The sun can further harm the fabric of the suit and will fade it. Dry inside or at least in the shade.

Washing Tips | Raleigh Laundromat

If you can purchase two swimsuits then alternate them. This will give one a chance to recover before use again.
If you are away from home find a shower. Rinse your suit immediately.
Be really careful where you sit. Most pools have rough concrete and decking so be careful sitting on them in your suit. Use a towel for the best protection.
Sunbathe first, will help you rinse off the sunscreen if you swim after. This will keep the chemicals from damaging the fabric.

Laundry Express | Raleigh Laundromat

Knowing how to properly care for your swimwear will ensure that you are looking great all summer long. Proper rinsing and washing will keep that suit newer looking longer.

Laundry Express offers a state of the art Raleigh laundromat for all your summertime laundry needs. We also offer wash, dry, fold service to help you keep up and be able to enjoy this beautiful weather all season long. Come visit us today!