Each country will usually only have 1 option for washing clothes available to you. Depending on the country, you will have the option to either wash your own clothes or a laundry service, in which someone else washes them for you.
Usually you will not have both options, only one of them. Unless if you are renting and the rental has a laundry machine available for the tenants’ use.
Cultural – Washer & Hang Dry (No Drier)
Southeast Asia, the clothes washing machine has a spin cycle that removes most of the water from the clothes. The clothes are then hang dried, which is most common.
Therefore, there are not many drying machines. However, self-serve laundromats will have driers. Laundry services usually will not have driers, but some do have them along with an clothes ironing service.
Hang drying is assumed to be most common due to weather, space that a drier takes up, and cost. It is cheaper to not have a drier or paying for the electricity to power it. The weather is always warm, so hang drying is always an option. And, housing in Southeast Asia is smaller, so a drier would take up too much space?
Many rentals have an area with racking to hang dry clothes.
CONs of hang drying clothes:
DIY Laundry (Wash Your Own Clothes)
Laundromats
Cost: $1.25 to wash + $1.25 to dry (you can hang dry at home for free, of course).
Come to a laundromat to wash + dry your own clothes. Laundromats in Southeast Asia have new equipment, a fair price, the place is clean, and they can actually be a chill place to hangout. Massage chairs have been spotted at these laundromats – awesome!
Thailand is the best place for laundromats as they seem to be in abundance. Malaysia also has good ones.
Fun Fact
“Laundromat cafes” are starting to pop-up on the map. Yes, this is a fusion of the laundromat + a café that serves coffee and deserts with comfortable furniture and Wi-Fi!
Washing Machines
It is common for a clothes washing machine to be included at a hotel, rental, or an Airbnb. You will need to confirm this before renting, though.
Most of the time they are located a common area either for free or coin-operated. Some rentals will have personal/private washing machines within the rental, but are considered “higher-end” on the local marketplace cost scale.
Expect to hang dry your clothes, and not to expect a clothes drier machine. However, this varies based on the rental or hotel.
The Sink
Whether at home or hotel, washing your clothes in the bathroom sink is an option.
Washing clothes in the sink does not work that well. Try using this dry bag made for washing clothes called ‘The Scrubba’!
Laundry Service
A laundry service is where you pay for someone else to wash your clothes for you.
Short-term travelers enjoy this, because it is easy, “cheap”, and frees up precious travel time. They enjoy it until they have issues, but we’ll get into that, shortly.
Overall, it costs more and takes longer than doing laundry yourself at a laundromat.
The Service Includes:
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Washing the clothes
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Drying them (hang dry or machine dry)
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Ironing or not
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Folding clothes
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Packaging them into a plastic bag
How It Works:
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Drop your clothes off at a laundry service
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Pay.
The pricing is per kilogram. Or, the pricing is a set price for the first few kilograms with a price rate per extra kg after that.
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They will wash your clothes, dry them, maybe iron them, and fold them.
Note
Be clear about drying and ironing – if the service dries clothes with drier or hang dries them, and if the iron the clothes or not.
If you prefer something to be hang dried you need to make sure they make a note of it.
⚠️ The driers blast at high heat (even at the low setting). Some clothes will shrink or get ruined. So, be very clear with them about not drying or ironing.
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Pickup your clothes at the time they inform you to.
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Inspect your clothes at pickup (suggested, but not required).
Warning
The services can be careless with customers’ clothes at times.
If you have sensitive clothes that you do not want dried or ironed, then you need to specifically tell them and ensure they understand you do not want that. Unfortunately, clothes have got ruined such as dry-fit material that should not be ironed.
Possible Issues:
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Missing clothes
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Damaged clothes
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Clothes not as clean as they should be. Do they use less soap to save money?
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Ironing dry-fit material, which ruins them
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Drier on high heat, potentially ruining or shrinking clothes
Warning
Unfortunately, there are many negative experiences with laundry services.
You will notice frustrated travelers warning others and noting their comments within the reviews. It happens way more than it should. And, the response from the service seems to be that they just do not care.
PROs
CONs
Laundry Options By Country
Malaysia 🇲🇾, Thailand 🇹🇭
– DIY Laundry – Laundromat
Laundromats are common and everywhere, clean, and good quality. Washer and drier machines are both available, and pricing is categorized based on weight (based on the size of the machines). They are not a bad place to chill at, either. It’s becoming more common to see cafes attached or nearby these laundromats. Some laundromat cafes have emerged with cafes directly integrated with laundromats.
– DIY Laundry – At Rental
It is possible for clothes washing machine to be included at a rental or an Airbnb.
– Laundry Service
This is not typically an option, but you may find one in tourist vacation destinations.
Cambodia 🇰🇭, Indonesia 🇮🇩, Laos 🇱🇦, Vietnam 🇻🇳
– Laundry Service
A laundry service is most common in these countries. You drop off your laundry and come back a day later to pick them up. Express service pricing is also available to speed things up if you do not wish to wait a full day.
– DIY Laundry – Laundromat
Cambodia and Laos have a few laundromats, but there are not many. Vietnam does not have any. The ones available are clean, and good quality. Washer and drier machines are both available, and pricing is categorized based on weight (based on the size of the machines). They are not a bad place to chill at, either.
– DIY Laundry – At Rental
It is possible for clothes washing machine to be included at a rental or an Airbnb.
Shoes – Washing Dirty Shoes
If you need your shoes cleaned you will have to search that out.
Stand-alone services exist for washing shoes. Your best bet is to use a laundry service as they will have a shoe washing service.
ℹ️ Typically, you cannot wash your shoes in the same machine that washes clothes. It seems to be taboo to do this, and places will forbid it. If they see you doing it they will get mad.