Self-service laundry

Some services offer free pickup and delivery, as well as complimentary laundry bags as part of their customer appreciation.

[4] On-premise laundromats are found in locations such as hotels, hospitals, student residences at universities, or apartment blocks.

[8][9] In Spain, self-service laundries are available and popular mainly in Burgos, where there is a large network of laundromats.

The long Andorra winter sees a large usage of drying machines, also easily found in self-service laundries.

The brief Australian winter sees a surge in the usage of drying machines, usually easily found in self-service laundries.

In Israel, self-service laundries are available and popular mainly in Tel Aviv, where there is a large network of laundromats.

In recent decades the number of people living in smaller flats and apartments has increased, and so too has the availability and use of laundromats, especially in larger cities such as Auckland and Wellington.

[11] Rapidly rising utility charges, premises rent and a lower purchase cost of domestic machines have been noted as principal reasons for the recent decline.

High initial launch costs, specifically for commercial washing machines and dryers, have also been commented on as reasons for fewer new entrants into the market.

Local phone directories only show laundries that pay to be included, so trends are difficult to assess.

However, large cities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton have significant numbers of launderettes, as do many coastal tourist areas.

The term "laundromat" is the genericized trademark of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, later White Consolidated Industries,[12] and was created by its employee, George Edward Pendray.

The United States Census Bureau estimates that there are 11,000 of this style of laundromat in the US, employing 39,000 people and generating over $3.4 billion every year.