Many years ago I was asked to clean the local laundromat one day a week. As I washed my laundry there, I was already at the laundromat, so why not? Now you can meet At the Laundromat to find out more about this interesting and necessary place.
Any business, especially those open to the public, need cleaning every day. In this case, dirt, hair, dryer sheets, spilled detergent and softener along with bits of paper and spilled food make cleaning essential.
Behind the Scenes
People come into the laundromat with their baskets or bags of laundry, stuff them into a washer to wash, a dryer to dry, fold them up and cart them home again. Sometimes friends meet at the laundromat. They take the place for granted.
At the laundromat I work at, there is the water softener to tend to, any broken machines to fix, change to put back into the machines after getting it out of the washers and dryers. All of that just keeps the place working.
Cleaning is what makes the place a good place for people to come into. Dirt and lint mount up fast. All kinds of things get left in the machines and must be taken out. Do you clean out your pockets before washing your clothes? Lots of people forget.
Folding clean clothes on tables sticky with spilled soda, coffee or mustard defeats the purpose of washing them in the first place. Washing clothes in a machine filled with animal hair doesn’t do much good either.
Using a Laundromat
People think this is easy. Easy until their quarters get stuck. Frustrating when a machine doesn’t work right. Efficient until they find some of their clothes disappeared.
At the Laundromat I work at, these problems do occur. The first is carelessness when feeding quarters into the slots. The second takes a phone call to use a different machine for free. The last takes better checking inside the machines to find clothes hidden inside.
Surprise Gift
Yes, I wrote this little picture book as a surprise for the laundromat owners as they are special people. But it wanted to be more than that. I hope it is.