4 Reasons You Should Spend The Money On Having Your Laundry Professionally Done

I’ve developed an addiction to having my laundry done for me. Not just having it done for me…but actually paying someone to take care of it. Which is slightly different than the unmatched joy that came from having my mom do it for me, fo’ free, while technically being an “adult” in college. That’s not an addiction – that’s just straight resourceful. This time, it’s me just being…lazy, whiny, irresponsible, or quite possibly – a genius.

It started during a crunched week with unexpected work travel. I had friends coming into town. I had no underwear. And the sheets needed to be washed so my friends didn’t think I was a Nasty McNasterson. I knew laundry services existed…but I had never done thorough research. I did a quick Yelp search for nearby laundry places, and up comes this Rainbow Laundry in my neighborhood. What astonished me was the fact that this laundry joint had a Five Star rating. It was listed as very inexpensive, and had 30 comments RAVING about the owner being the nicest guy on the planet. I didn’t think Yelp reviews like that existed, let alone about a LAUNDROMAT.

I will fully admit that I was so embarrassed about getting my laundry done that I actually lied to the owner when I dropped off my bag for the first time. “I…uh…my machine in my apartment is broken. Sucks!”

It was fairly simple. They weighed my monstrous drawstring bag. It was 26 pounds. Was that a lot? Was that a little? I have no idea. But it was a dollar per pound, and I’d probably paid double that for a large pizza with side of ranch…so like. Why not. The owner took my laundry, asked me if I had any fun evening plans. He then suggested I find a patio for a nice glass of wine because I deserved it. Yelp reviews on point.

Laundry would be ready for pick up the next day. I spent most of the evening having a slight panic attack over my unmentionables. Like maybe I should have left them out? What if this is some sick panty-sniffing business…? What if this is straight OITNB, and they steal one panty from every bag and sell them on the internet?!

All my fears were subsided when I retrieved my laundry the next day, and discovered every item was pristinely folded and sorted in categorical piles, followed by vacuum-seal saran wrap.

All my yoga crops in a clear, plastic pile. All my tank tops neatly folded and shrink-wrapped in a pile above that. All my socks paired up in a plastic baggy. And all my under pants folded and secured by plastic wrap to make sure no dirt or dust could get in while they were waiting to be picked up. I didn’t even know thongs could be folded like that… Victoria’s Secret got nothing on this thong-folding science.

From that moment on, I was hooked. The deal was sealed when it took me 14 seconds to put my laundry away – which we all know is the most annoying part. How many of you have dumped all your clean laundry on the couch, and just hand picked the items you needed for the next three weeks? Me.

Do I have weird feelings about strangers washing my under pants? Yeah. But I got over it. Do I feel bad that someone is subject to my dirty drawers besides me? Yeah. But…I didn’t feel guilty making my mom do it, and I wasn’t paying her. So at least this is slightly more moral? Maybe?

I will be the first to admit that this laundry shenanigan is a little ridiculous. Really, how hard is it to do my own laundry? Rhetorical question. Because life is hard, so why not make it just a little less harder. These are four reasons why you should think about splurging (or reconsidering your budget?) and getting your laundry professionally done:

1. Time is money.

And ain’t nobody got time for that. There are only so many hours in the day – and there are only so many days in a summer. So take back those lost hours waiting for laundry to finish. Take back those wasted nights waiting for the timer to buzz for the 4th time cuz your apartment machines are small and require four loads. Spend your new-found time with friends, on a patio, with that much deserved glass of wine.

2. Gotta spend your money on something.

I completely understand that I could be making a huge financial mistake here. I could be saving money for a trip to Portugal instead. But in reality – how often do I blow $30 on a whim at a bar? Or order an appetizer with dinner? Or get my nails done at lunch? In fairness, I have consciously forgone nail appointments since indulging in the laundry service, knowing my budget can’t allow for both. But the point is – money gets spent. We choose how to spend it. And the laundry service is worth it to me.

3. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

I can’t even count how many items of clothing I have ruined because I refused to separate my whites, my darks, my colors, my reds, my delicates, and my lululmeon (because yes, lululemon recommends an entirely separate load because of “the special, porous, breathable fabric”…). My particular laundromat promises to separate all loads to avoid any color bleeding. And it has to be true based on my experience. I’ve sent in a new red blazer and white jeans in the same bag, and had it returned in perfect condition. I probably would have risked it if I was doing it myself… but now I can leave it to the pros, and let them do it correctly. And save myself the self-induced shame of “Ugh…I knew this would happen…”

4. Because you can.

We live in a beautiful modern world where we can pretty much do anything we want. So if you want to get your laundry professionally done, you can. Whatever the reason. Lack of time, lack of machine, lack of decent machine, lack of quarters (how is it 2015, and I still have an apartment that requires quarters?), lack of motivation – whatever it is. I’ve got some haters around town that would definitely argue this is a ridiculous use of my money. But I think it’s one of the greatest life-hacks I’ve ever discovered. It’s even caused me to wash my sheets and towels more – which is just a win-win for everyone, all around.

I’m the friend that people never want to bring shopping because I can always find a reason for that unnecessary purchase. But sometimes this is exactly why people want to bring me shopping. So if you need any more persuasion as to why Professional Laundry Services are worthy of your funds – find me on the internets!