Bestsellers for Laundry Detergent
Pack detergent, dryer sheets or dryer balls, a stain pen, a basket or bag, and quarters or a card. Many laundromats sell single-load boxes of detergent from a vending machine or the counter, and a few include detergent in the wash, though bringing your own means you have the detergent you like.
Sort your loads at home and, if you can, go on a weekday morning when it's quieter. The checklist and steps below cover the rest.
Laundromat Packing Checklist
Use the checklist below to see each item to bring to the laundromat, why you need it, and what to look for on the shelf.
Item | Why bring it | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
Detergent | Not every laundromat sells it, and you know what you're using | HE pacs or sheets: nothing to measure or spill |
Dryer sheets or dryer balls | Softer clothes, less static | Free & gentle sheets, or reusable wool balls |
Stain pen or wipe | Treat spots before the wash | Pocket size |
Laundry sanitizer (optional) | For shared machines | Goes in the fabric softener dispenser |
Basket or bag | Carry clothes both ways | A collapsible basket; a mesh bag for socks |
Quarters or a card | Machines take coins, cards or an app | Check before you go |
Do Laundromats Have Detergent?
Many laundromats sell single-load boxes of detergent and dryer sheets from a vending machine or the counter, and a few include detergent in the wash. It varies by location, so check the signs or call ahead before you go. Bringing your own means the detergent you like is ready to go.
Look for a high-efficiency (HE) formula. Many laundromat washers are front-loading HE machines that need low-sudsing detergent, and HE formulas work in traditional top-loaders too, so one detergent covers both.
New to HE? Here's what HE detergent is and why it matters.
Easy-to-Carry Detergent
Pacs and sheets are the easiest detergents to carry because they're pre-measured and won't spill in your bag. Good options include Tide PODS, all Free Clear Mighty Pacs, Open Nature Free & Clear packs or detergent sheets, and Tide Evo tiles, or a travel-size bottle of Tide if you prefer liquid. Put pacs and detergent sheets in the empty drum first and then add your clothes, rather than putting them in the dispenser.
Ingredients MEA C10-16 alkylbenzenesulfonate; MEA laureth sulfate; C10-16 alketh and/or C12-18 alcohols ethoxylated; propylene glycol; glycerin; MEA salts of C12-18 fatty acids; polyethyleneimine alkoxylated; PEG-136 polyvinyl alcohol; tetrasodium glutamate diacetate; may contain PEG propylene glycol terephthalic acid polymer; MEA-citrate; sodium bisulfite; hydrogenated castor oil; disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate; may contain zeolite; methyl di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate; subtilisin; amylase enzyme; mannanase enzyme; cellulase enzyme; styrene/acrylates copolymer; denatonium benzoate; polyvinyl alcohol polymer; colorants; fragrances; water
Ingredients C12-15 alcohols ethoxylated, sodium laureth sulfate, water, glycerin, sodium and MEA-cocoate, propylene glycol, MEA-LAS, aziridine, polyvinyl alcohol based film, ethanol, sodium sulfite, disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate, denatonium benzoate
For the Dryer
Pack dryer sheets like Bounce Free & Gentle or our Signature SELECT Fresh Linen sheets, or bring reusable Whitmor wool dryer balls. Keep a small spray bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser in your bag for clothes that sat a little too long.
Ingredients Polyester, 1.2.3-Propa Netricarboxylic Acid, 2-Hydroxy, Sodium Chlorite, Ethanaminium, 2-Hydroxy-N-Nbis(2hydroxyethyl)-N-Methyl-Esters with C16-C18 and C18-Unsatd Fatty Acids, Me Sulfates (Salts), Fragrance.
Stain Pens and Sanitizer
Treat stains before clothes go in the washer with a pocket-size Tide To Go pen or Shout Wipe & Go wipe. Some people also add Lysol Laundry Sanitizer Free & Clear to the rinse by pouring it into the fabric softener dispenser and following the label.
Ingredients Water, Dipropylene Glycol Butyl Ether, Hydrogen Peroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Sulfate, C10-16 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide, Fragrances.
Ingredients Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, C11-15 Sec-Pareth-12, Dipropylene Glycol (DPG), 1,2 benzothiazole -3(2H) one, Citric Acid, Non-Woven Material.
Ingredients For ingredient information, visit www.rbnainfo.com
Baskets and Bags
A collapsible basket like the Eco One or Vanderbilt carries your loads both ways and folds flat when it's empty. Pair it with a Whitmor Mesh Laundry Bag to keep socks and delicates together and from getting lost.
How to Do Laundry at a Laundromat
Sort at home. Sort your laundry before you leave the house and empty every pocket. Put socks and delicates in a mesh bag so they stay together.
Pick a washer that fits the load. Choose a regular washer for everyday clothes or a big machine for comforters and bedding. Look inside the drum before loading for stray dye or detergent left by the last person, and wipe it out if needed.
Add detergent. Put a detergent pac or sheet into the empty drum first and then load your clothes, or pour liquid detergent into the dispenser. If you use a laundry sanitizer, add it to the fabric softener dispenser and follow the label.
Pick water temperature and start the wash. Check your clothing care labels to choose the water temperature, using cold for most everyday loads and darks. Use quarters, a card, or the laundromat app to start the machine.
Move clothes to the dryer promptly. Stay near the machines while your load washes so you can move it as soon as the cycle stops.
Clean the dryer lint screen. Check and clean the dryer's lint screen before you load your wet clothes. Add a dryer sheet or wool dryer balls with the load.
Pick dryer heat and do not overfill. Choose the heat setting by the care labels. Leave enough room in the drum so your clothes can tumble.
Fold while warm. Take your clean laundry to the folding table when the dryer stops and fold your clothes while they are still warm. Use a wrinkle releaser spray on any items that sat a little too long.
Bringing a helper? Here's how to teach kids to do laundry, age by age.
FAQ
Do laundromats provide detergent?
Some sell single-load boxes at the counter or from a vending machine, and a few include detergent with the wash, so check the signs or call ahead. Packing your own means you have a detergent you like.
What kind of detergent should I bring to a laundromat?
Pack pre-measured HE pacs or sheets. HE detergent works in front-loading HE washers and standard top-loaders, and pacs and sheets won't spill in your bag.
Do pods go in the dispenser or the drum?
Pacs go in the empty drum first, then the clothes, not in the dispenser. Detergent sheets also go in the drum, while liquid detergent goes in the dispenser.
Can I wash clothes at home and dry them at the laundromat?
Yes, washing at home and drying at the laundromat works. Carry your wet clothes in a sturdy bag and get them into the dryer soon so they do not sour.
How do I keep from losing socks at the laundromat?
Put socks and delicates inside a mesh laundry bag, such as the Whitmor Mesh Laundry Bag. It keeps small items together so they don't get lost. Check care labels before you put delicates in the dryer.
When is the laundromat least busy?
Off-peak hours on weekday mornings are usually quieter at the laundromat. Evenings and weekends are generally busier.
