Laundromat & Dry Cleaners

I’ve never used a laundromat because I’ve always been lucky to have a washer & dryer in my building, but since I moved to NYC. I was not that fortunate.
The location of this laundromat is very convenient from where I live. First, I thought about doing my own laundry — but with the busy NYC lifestyle, I decided to drop it off and let them do it for me. I think it averages about $ 1 a lb or something. But they do have a price list behind the counter in the back that will tell you. The women that work there are very friendly.
My laundry comes neat and folded when I pick it up. They also hang garments that need to be hung.
FYI — it is cash only. So if you are doing laundry drop off or dry cleaning, make sure you bring cash when you are paying.

JAILED IN THE LAUNDROMAT!!!
Standard neighborhood laundromat… so why the bad review? I was doing laundry there one night, just got in in time for the last wash, which is 8:30. I put my clothes into the washer, which tells me it’ll be 47 minutes. Fast forward, I come back at 9:15, expecting it to be done shortly. To my surprise, I saw on the washer it still said 47 minutes! The lady manning the store immediately told me, I won’t have time for the drier. She says, this machine does 2x wash and 2x rinse. I’m not sure what that meant but I thought she also said, takes 2 hours. I was shocked! This meant my clothes would not dry at all since the laundromat closes at 10PM. Dismayed, I went to sit down for a while to wait for my wash.
After 15 minutes, I got up and walked around, only to notice that my wash had stopped! On the one hand, great! Now I have some time to dry my clothes. On the other hand… when had the wash stopped? Maybe I was right originally and it was only 47 minutes! Had the lady just lied to me? And as a result, I wasted 10 minutes when I could have been drying my clothes. I put my clothes into the dryer and set it for 40 minutes. I knew this was going to go past 10PM but I felt that if I hadn’t listened to the lady and thought it would take 2 hours, I would’ve switched the clothes to the dryer a lot sooner.
Of course, when 10PM came around, the lady wanted to shut down, not a minute past due. She told me to take out my clothes and go. I explained to her, I just needed a few more minutes since she had told me it would be 2 hours for the wash and delayed my drying. There was much back and forth and at one point she was just shouting for me to get out. When I didn’t leave, she turned off all the lights and went to lock the door… i.e. JAILING me in the laundromat. I rushed to the door and screamed nooooo. She kept pushing against me and trying to lock me inside. When I wouldn’t let the door close, she threatened to call the police. I told her, I would love to explain to her manager how she is treating her customers and my reasoning for staying past closing time but was not given this opportunity.
However, the lady at the laundromat did speak to her manager, in long string of spanish. Thankfully I retained a few Spanish words/​phrases from H.S. and realized the lady was BLATANTLY lying to her manager TO MY FACE, except of course she thought I couldn’t understand. She said I came in late, past the 8:30 last wash mark and therefore it was all my fault. She also said I should have asked her about the machine before using it, because it was going to take a long time. I’ve never heard of asking about a machine, especially when it clearly said 47 minutes wash! The lady was just twisting the story to make me look like the bad guy.
Once she hung up on the phone, the lady told me, ok I’m just leaving. I just stood there, finally relaxing that she wasn’t going to bother me anymore. Then I turned and went to check the dryer, hoping it was done. In the 5 seconds I took to walk to the dryer, the lady came back to the door and attempted to lock it again!!! (WITH ME INSIDE) I was franctic and ran to the door to hold it open. At this point, I was so desperate. The lady was yelling to everyone who would listen, saying I was crazy. I was also calling out to people for help. I tried to explain the situation and asked people on the street to please watch the door for me while I got my clothes just so she didn’t lock me inside.
At this point, I went back to the dryer and took out my clothes, only to realize I didn’t have my hamper bag with me. I looked around for a plastic bag and found one behind the counter. As I took the bag, the laundromat lady RAN back inside and started yelling at me, calling me a thief! THERE ARE CAMERAS!!! I will gladly pay for the plastic bag I said. I held the bag up to the camera and said, I’m taking this and then took out a quarter and placed it on the counter for the bag. As I was taking out my clothes and storing them away, the lady kept going on about how I was late and etc… I turned to her and said calmly, there are cameras, they will tell the truth. There’s no need to argue and with that, I ended my battle at the laundromat.

Pros:
— Super friendly owners
— Free soap on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
— Racy telenovelas on the TV
— Jumbo dryers
Cons:
— Limited hours (last wash at 8:30 PM)
— It’s a laundromat
Verdict:
A four star review for a laundromat? Yes. This place changed my perception of doing laundry. Sure, lugging your clothes down the street and unloading countless quarters in overpriced machines is miserable, but conversing with the owners of L & DC makes it much more tolerable. They’re an elderly couple that genuinely seems to care about their customers. They’ve offered tips on detergent (I was using stuff from the dollar store) and gave me a nice bag to hold the clothes that were overflowing from my laundry basket. They’ll also lock the door if you’re there late («keeps the burglars out», says the old man). For a laundromat, this place is fantastic.