The single received heavy airplay and appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart; journalists cited this success as evidence that Kelly's 2002 arrest for possessing child pornography did not hurt his career.

[8] The song uses the sounds of bursting bubbles and dripping water as a part of its instrumental;[9][10] Rolling Stone writers Hank Shteamer, Elias Leight, and Brittany Spanos identified a contrast between the single's sound and its lyrics, writing: "The bubbly funk arrangement can't conceal the song's tragic core.

"[12] The song opens with Nivea arguing with Kelly, who is referred to as Keith;[3][5] she calls him "a lying, cheating, son of a ..." and later hangs up on him.

[11] The New York Times's Neil Strauss described the track as having "a half-spoken and half-sung arrangement", and likened the chorus to a Burt Bacharach song.

[10] Jive released "Laundromat" in the UK as a double A-side single with "Don't Mess With My Man" on the week of April 28, 2003.

Discussing Kelly's absence, author Mark Anthony Neal wrote: "A man accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with minors obviously cannot show up in a music video cooing in the ear of a teenager.

"[19] Tracey Cooper of the Waikato Times praised "Laundromat", along with "Don't Mess With My Man" and "What You Waitin' For", for having a "cruisy groove and attitude" that would appeal to "the soul sistas".

[21] In a People article, Chuck Arnold highlighted its humor,[22] and Steve Jones, writing for the Gannett News Service, considered it one of the "clever tracks" in which Nivea "shows her moxie".

[24] Although he enjoyed the chorus and verses separately, Neil Strauss said they were incompatible in a single song, and criticized the lyrics as seeming "quickly written and unconvincingly delivered".

[25] A reviewer for Music Week disliked the laundry metaphor and said the song was overshadowed by "Don't Mess With My Man" on the double A-side release.

[26] In her negative review of Nivea, the Edmonton Journal's Sandra Sperounes was critical of "Laundromat", writing: "You'll find more soul in a bottle of bath gel.

[12][24] Fennessey included "Laundromat" in his 2007 list of Kelly's essential collaborations; in his entry for the song, he noted Nivea was "another in a long line of young females [he] has err, raised up ... with his vocal talent".

[8][9] While panning the choice of collaborators, Laura Checkoway wrote "the banter between barely legal Nivea and Kelly is unsettling".

[29] Music journalists pointed to the single's success when discussing how Kelly's 2002 arrest for possessing child pornography did not damage his career.

[39][40] Vitaminwater's brand manager Ben Garnero said the laundromat concert was intended to "take on these iconic, mundane moments and tackle Mondays in New York and these places you never expect to see a show".

[41] Critics praised Knowles's performance; The Fader's Deidre Dyer and Nicole James said she picked the perfect venue for the song.

[42] Fuse's Joe Lynch commended the arrangement, saying the band had modified the song for "Solange's casually funky vibe perfectly".