Laundry - the mundane of life

[Serendipity2]

One thing I've not seen mention to any extent is laundry. We all need to wash our clothes but aside from going to a commercial cleaners - which can be expensive - I'm curious what long term expats do for washing. I would expect most, it they own a home, might have a washer & dryer rather than have it done professionally which, over time, would be a major expense. In my many trips to Thailand I have usually found a small mom & pop cleaner rather than using the hotel but even they are fairly expensive when you consider having ALL of your cleaning / laundry done. I'm doubting that many apartments are going to have washers & dryers in the apartments but one can hope! Thanks in advance for any comments.

Serendipity2

[Bill29]

We bought a washer for our house for 6,000B. Its been a great investment especially when there is a 2 year old involved. Right now the sun takes care of the drying - but there is a dryer in the very near future.

[frogblogger]

When I first went to LOS one of the local laundries - if you can call it that, a little old lady on her own with a sign in front of her house - did all my stuff for 30 baht a kilo, washed and ironed. 30 or 40 baht washed and ironed is still the going rate around Chiang Mai. She never lost anything, I never ended up with anyone else's stuff.

In the smaller, cheaper studios (the likes of the Night Bazaar Condos I've mentioned previously) there is no washing machine. You don't really need a dryer in these temperatures, despite the humidity.

I did buy a washer a year back, but that's because as a family of three even at 30 baht a kilo it adds up, plus my w2b insists on doing it all herself anyway. Had I still been single, it would have taken about a year and a half at 30 baht a kilo to rack up the price of a cheap washing machine... and I would have had to do all the ironing.

On a vaguely linked topic, I needed some t-shirts shortening, they seem to make Ls and XLs so that they come down to your knees these days - and I'm not short at 6 foot. Walked past a place with a couple of people working their sewing machines the other night, so thought I would give them a try. Gave them six t-shirts to do - cost me 20 baht per t-shirt and they did a very good job. Wonder how much that would cost back in Europe.

[KhwaamLap]

I have a MIL (mother-in-law) - and an old washer. Airer on the porch (out of the rain) dries fine in next to no time.

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by Bill29

We bought a washer for our house for 6,000B. Its been a great investment especially when there is a 2 year old involved. Right now the sun takes care of the drying - but there is a dryer in the very near future.

Bill29,

A washing machine sounds like a good investment. It doesn't take long to chew through $180 on laundry let alone the logistics of dropping off and picking your laundry up. One pair of Levi's is about a kilo. I imagine most shirts are cotton so they wash pretty well and dry with minimal ironing - or a W2B if you're luck!

They may not have them yet in Thailand but there are now waterless washing machines that work on just air. A bit more expensive than traditional but you can bet they will be coming down in price and become more available to the public. Using air they may not require ironing [or a dryer].

Serendipity2

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by KhwaamLap

I have a MIL (mother-in-law) - and an old washer. Airer on the porch (out of the rain) dries fine in next to no time.

KhwaamLap,

I don't suppose you lend your MIL out for doing laundry do you?

[frogblogger]

I shan't be lending my w2b out either

Agree up to a point S2, but you need to be sure you're staying put for a year or so to recover the cost of laundry at 30bt a kilo, plus if you move you've the hassle of removals once you start accumulating washing machines/microwaves etc. And your washing machine doesn't produce perfectly ironed clothes!

On balance I wouldn't start buying until I was very sure of my situation, longer term. I actually ended up giving away a decent tv and hifi the first time I came partly for this reason. Had to go back to France for family reasons for a few months, and had nowhere to store my stuff.

[KhwaamLap]

The alternative is to rent fully furnished - I got the washer as part of the furnishings (did buy a new TV and DVD player though - the TVs were pretty old).

Oh, on that at BigC I got a new Samsung HD Plasma for 21k and they threw in a large Samsung Fridge Freezer (worth 9k)! Free delivery too. Pretty good.

[Serendipity2]

Originally Posted by frogblogger

I shan't be lending my w2b out either

Agree up to a point S2, but you need to be sure you're staying put for a year or so to recover the cost of laundry at 30bt a kilo, plus if you move you've the hassle of removals once you start accumulating washing machines/microwaves etc. And your washing machine doesn't produce perfectly ironed clothes!

On balance I wouldn't start buying until I was very sure of my situation, longer term. I actually ended up giving away a decent tv and hifi the first time I came partly for this reason. Had to go back to France for family reasons for a few months, and had nowhere to store my stuff.

frogblogger,

I can't borrow your W2B? Wait 'til you've been married for 20 years THEN you'll be more than willing!

I agree one should be pretty settled before buying a washer or any other appliance. Even a TV. It's a lot easier to buy than to dispose of - short of giving it away. Anyone who has sold off all their material possessions and moved overseas knows nothing ever sells fast or for near what it would cost to replace it and there's a lot of stuff you either end up throwing out or giving away.

Has the new technology [waterless washing machines] shown up in Thailand yet? I just heard about this new technology a few weeks ago, have never seen one, but understand they will cost substantially more than the conventional washing machine. Early adopters will pay that to have the newest, latest gadget but prices will come down quickly to where the rest of us are willing to pay and buy. I'd like to see the results of one - one idea how it works but sounds intriguing! I would think it would obviate the need for a dryer AND [?] ironing?

Serendipity2

[frogblogger]

S2, I thought you were joking with your 'waterless washing machines'?! But just googled it. Another great British invention