How does a self-service laundrette work?

How a self-service laundrette works:

A self-service laundrette puts professional washers and dryers at your disposal, which you use yourself, with no appointment and no staff on the premises. You bring your laundry, you start the cycle at the temperature you want, and you leave with clean, dry laundry, usually in under an hour. Our small 6 kg MIELE machines still let you select programmes as precise and as long as the ones you have at home. Our 8 kg PRIMUS machines are there to save you time, with programmes lasting 30 minutes at most.

Everything is designed around your comfort and the amount of laundry you have: 6, 8 or 18 kg washers, and 14 kg dryers. In every case, washing or drying here will be quicker than doing the same at home — always with a powerful spin that remains gentle on your fabrics.

The steps, in order:

First, sort your whites and colours, set delicate fabrics aside and empty your pockets. Choose a machine suited to the load and spread the laundry inside without packing it down. Add the detergent — your own, or one from the two dispensers on site: liquid detergent or detergent tablets. Close the door, select your programme and enter the machine number at the central payment terminal. Pay with coins or notes and collect your change.

The cycle starts automatically. When the wash is over, transfer the laundry to a dryer, making sure it is not overloaded and that the air can circulate freely, for the best possible drying. Select and pay for the drying time you need. Finally, once the dryer stops, take out laundry that is ready to go straight back into your wardrobe or cupboards.

One central payment terminal — no coin slot on each machine, as you may find in other countries:

In most modern laundrettes, you no longer pay coin by coin on each appliance: a single payment terminal, the « centrale de paiement », controls all of the machines. You enter the number of your washer or dryer, you pay, and the terminal starts it for you.

Payment is made in coins or notes, and the terminal gives change. If you are unsure, instructions are displayed on the wall — and there is nearly always a regular in the laundrette happy to help a newcomer.