Doing laundry in China?
 

Due to the tight luggage requirements, it appears we will need to do laundry in China. How doable is this? Do they have coin operated machines or does the hotel provide laundry service? If so, how expensive is this?
Thanks!

Well, it kind of depends on where you are staying.

Most hotels have laundry bags and you just put whatever laundry you want the hotel to do for you and voila! Clothes come back clean and ironed by the next day. This is the simplest.

There are no laundromats that I know of in China, simply because there are no dryers. Dryers are horrid beasties sucking up huge amounts of energy which the country simply can't afford - at the moment.

The other option is to go to a sporting goods store before you leave and get some concentrated detergent in small bottles. You can then do your own little delicates every day and hang them in your room to dry. You can also get a nylon clothesline with huge nylon clothespins once you get to China; cost about 25 to 50 cents.

This sounds great if the hotel will do it by the bagful. Not too expensive?

Anywhere I've travelled, I've found that the cost of laundry depends on the cost for the hotel room: the more expensive the hotel room, the more expensive it'll be for the hotel to do your laundry - curious, isn't it? :)

I'd budget about $1-$2 for a pair of pants or a jacket, $1 for a blouse. Socks and underthings are the most "expensive" and those I'd suggest doing yourself.

I don't know when nor how long you plan to be in China, but would it be possible to mix and match and wear a few items more than once? There have been tons of threads on the Europe board on how to pack light, you should explore those threads. It may be possible for you to do this trip without having to do laundry in China or having it done by the hotel only once.

Happy sudsing!

stayed in China for a week. the laundry costed as much as 1 night at the hotel. sometimes, buying new clothes is cheaper than washing them. they want $1 to wash a pair of underwear. Chinese laundry costs more than europe. on the other hand, getting a haircut can also cost only $1

This strikes me as the funniest thread of the year ... so far!

(and I found Chinese laundry to be quite cheap ... under $5 for a week's worth ... go to a local laundry hear your accommodations)

No need to buy concentrated detergent if you do your own laundry - shampoo works fine.

Come on, folks. This thread is from 2005. It was topped by a firsts-time poster I can only guess is a troll.

Certainly during the winter local folks do not wash many clothes. Go native for 2 weeks and then enjoy a nice spa and scrubdown. After 2 weeks you will have a massive coal dust 'ring a round the collar'. Also true in North China rooms are heated during the winter so some rooms have clothes festooned here and there.

As you would guess, I paid a lot less in hotels in the more remote areas of China than in Shanghai and Beijing.I did hand laundry and esent out larger pieces such as slacks.

Beware of hotels or inns in more remote areas, they do not have dryers and just hang them dry. We sent out a few larger pieces in Lijiang, after 3 days they came back still damp ...

we did laundry once or ... just dropped it off at a local laundry and it is ready in about 24 hours.. watch for small "laundry" signs..

>Come on, folks. This thread is from 2005.

You're right ... so it's the funniest thread of the century!

Glad you think this is funny, NoFlyZone, because China has changed a great deal in the last few years - except for getting damp clothes back out in the Chinese hinterlands :)

"stayed in China for a week. the laundry costed as much as 1 night at the hotel. sometimes, buying new clothes is cheaper than washing them."

We have only been once but that was our experience. I thought the otherwise fantastic B&B owner was kidding when he told us how much the laundry would be. I am sad to say I did throw out a few t-shirts and bought new ones. Of course they have now shrunk to the size of a small sandwich.

Quite aware, easytraveler, and that change is one of the things that makes the thread so funny to me. Anachronisms R Us!