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Is a washer and dryer worth having?
I have a one bedroom 700 square foot basement apartment that is a 10 min drive from several major employers and tourist attractions.
I’d like to attract longer term guests (7 or more days), rather than my 2-3 night typical guests.
Would a washer and dryer in the apartment serve that function?
If you are trying to attract more longer term guests I think laundry is big benefit.
It can go 2 ways, it can also attract the round-trip types that only book your place for a day or 2 to wash their stuff.
It will attract more guests on total, but not specifically longer stays.
The times guests ask me if they can do the laundry, are mostly guests that already have been traveling for a week or more. Guests that go somewhere for a week, mostly do not need to wash.
IMHO an en suite washer/dryer would not attract enough extra business to pay for itself in any kind of reasonable time. Those stacked combo units are COSTLY and a regular w/d awfully big.
What about asking guests to throw their towels and linens into washer and turn it on, just before they check out?
Thinking it will save time for the turnover and save me the effort of having to haul the load upstairs into my own washer/dryer.
[quote=“Jonathan_Brooks, post:5, topic:8150”]
What about asking guests to throw their towels and linens into washer and turn it on, just before they check out?
[/quote]Don’t do it! It’s a recipe for disaster. You want to be able to examine the linens for stains and damage before they go in the machine. Once it’s been through a wash (or even worse, a wash and a hot dry cycle) stains will never come out.
As for washer/dryer combo, my two cents. I have a washer (only) in my city flat, and I can always tell whether it’s been used. My minimum stay is 3 days and most guests are 3-4 day stays. They’re mostly couples on holidays and sometimes, singles coming for work. The vast majority do not touch the washer. Only people staying longer than a week tend to touch it. I have a small folding drying rack for them to hang their washing on and have not had any complaints there.
I personally had to replace my own washer and bought a Samsung washer/dryer combo. I deeply, deeply regret this purchase. By design, it puts the liquid fabric softener into the very first rinse cycle (while it still has soap in the clothes!) then it rinses twice more, washing all the fabric softener out, leaving clothes stiff and smelling like nothing. The drying cycle, mind you, leaves the clothes so terribly, terribly, crinkled that they are near-unsalvageable. If you look at its reviews you will see many people mention this and it’s because the clothes cannot move around much in the small washing drum (dedicated dryers are bigger).
So my washing machine life now is… washing towels separately from linens (I used to wash them all together but this is no good anymore as they take different times to dry). Wash with 2 rinses. Stop machine. Start a “jeans” cycle as it’s the only way to get a lot of water into it. Add fabric softener into the “washing detergent” tray directly. Let it agitate a few minutes. Stop machine. Start a drain and spin cycle. Wait till it finishes. Add tennis balls and set the drying cycle for 3 hours. Repeat that whole thing for the linens (don’t forget to remove the pillowcases and teatowels, and hang them to dry so they aren’t completely crinkled to the point of ruination).
Washing clothes now takes the entire day instead of running a simple 3 hour wash cycle then 10 minutes hanging them up.
Admittedly, my towels are now lovely and fluffy.
Until a piece of her red underwear gets in with your white sheets…
No, you need to check all linens and towels before they go into the machine.
Best thing to do if you buy one is specify laundry machine use is only for long term guests, or charge short-term guests for use.
A washer/dryer in the until may make your life easier so you don’t have to carry dirty items around with you. You could also get ones that are coin operated, if you feel so inclined. Depending on where you’re located, you could find good deals on Craigslist.