How to do Laundry in an Apartment Without a Washer & Dryer

You struck gold. You found your perfect rental. It’s got all 6 must-haves for apartment living and more. There’s one downside. There’s no washer and dryer. Don’t be discouraged, I’ve got 3 solutions for how to do laundry when there’s none in your rental. 

3 Options When You Don't Have A Traditional Washer & Dryer:

Option 1: The Laundry Mat

This may be the most oblivious option to most renters and sometimes it doesn’t even bother most people. For me, it’s the thing I dreaded the most in the world (I would give up coffee for a month if it meant avoiding the laundry mat). You don’t know what kind of creeps will be there. You don’t know what the last thing washed in the machines were – I once had gum stuck to my clothes from the previous occupant! BUT you can get a lot done all at once. This can be both a blessing and a curse. 

My top trick for the laundry mat: show up as soon as they open. I had one around the corner from my place. I would get up at 6:30 in the morning (on a Saturday!) and go as soon as they opened at 7. There’s likely no one there and you get first dibs on the best machines. 

Since Laundry mats can be quite expensive, you could save money by washing them there, but air drying them at home. 

Option 2: Use a Laundry Service

Care.com is a great site to find all kinds of people locally to help with your needs. In the capital region, there are loads of people to choose from. Each person comes with reviews. I haven’t personally used this service, but it seems like a great option.

Option 3: Portable Washer and Dryer

I suffered for about a year before I decided to invest in a portable washer. The price tag can be a bit of a sticker shock, but let me tell you it’s so worth it and it eventually pays for itself! I started by purchasing the Haier Portable Washer. I did extensive research on all the brands and even looked into the list Apartment Therapy pulled together. I settled on this one ultimately because of the overwhelming great reviews on Amazon.

It comes in a really big box, but it’s so easy to assemble. You do need to make sure your faucet is threaded to accept the water hose. I was SO excited the first time I got to wash my own clothes in the comfort of my own home, I texted a video of it to everyone I know. I felt like such an accomplished adult. The only downside is you do have to do much smaller loads.

Note: You should check your lease or ask your landlord for permission!

For the following six months, I just air dried all my clothes, but that got old, really quick. Have you ever air dried towels? They are horrible to use! And your jeans get so stiff. Not to mention you have clothes hanging around everywhere for 1-2 days. SO, what's a girl to do? Invest in the coordinating portable dryer! This one is from a different company, but it had the best reviews out there. I bought the filter that's recommended by Amazon, and it was all easy to put together. 

I do recommend drying as small of a load as possible as well as buy extra filters in bulk! You can reuse them for some a while if you clean them out really well, but after about a month, I replace mine. 

After two years of using both the washer and dryer they both run so smoothly and do such an amazing job. It was totally worth the investment! However, if you invest the portable washer/dryer, they are easy to move from apartment to apartment since they're so compact, or they make great Craiglist/Facebook selling items if they’re not needed in the future.

Happy Adulting!

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