A friend of mine introduced me to this laundromat when I needed a place to do my laundry while my…read morewashing machine was being repaired. Never did I imagine that it would be the quality and convenient laundromat that I discovered it was.
Located at 1718 Bennington Sreet in the Southeast area of Roanoke, Virginia, it is right next to the Shell Gas Station on the same street which I reasantly reviewed on Yelp. The first thing I noticed was the clean and modern looking brick building painted in gray with tones of blue and white, surrounded by a sidewalk, and with a private lot parking all around it.
Its outside building sign beside highlighting the laundromat's name, it made sure to point out that it was "OPEN 24 HOURS," and later I found out the for 7 days a week. I parked my pearl white Lexus on one of the parking spaces on the side of the building and entered through the side entrance. Clearly written on the glass door was their phone number and some of the rules required to use this laundromat. Also there was a notice posted that it had 24 Hour Video and Audio Recording. So one could see that from the very beginning it set the tone for the expected behavior inside.
When I entered, I found the place clean and well-maintained, with the latest in modern machines, with many small and large capacity washers and dryers, including a "Hulk" washer for up to 90 lbs of laundry. Another thing that captured my attention immediately was that they no longer used coins. It had a new system of reloadable laundry cards, which you registered and used to pay for the washing and drying of your clothes, as well as for having complimentary access to their restroom if you were a paying customer on that day. It was a little confusing at first, but the instructions for purchasing a card, filling it up with different amounts of money from one of your credit cards, and using the cards in the washers and dryers wear so clear that it became simple and very convenient to use. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and many of the items I am mentioning in my review. To make sure customers registered their cards correctly, they are having a Free Laundry Giveaway where they would be giving away $25 in Laundry Credit to 4 customers every month, and winners would be notified with their registration contact information. The instructions of amounts and how to use the cards were very clear and one could also ask one of the steady customers and they were more than happy to explain. I was there on a Wednesday afternoon around 4 o'clock and there were only two more customers doing their laundry. I was told it gets busier in the evenings and on weekends.
Although the place offered a family-friendly environment with amenities such as a soap center, folding tables, seats to wait on, a restroom, a sink outside the restroom, and a play area with movies for children, it lacked Wi-Fi access, TV screens for customers to watch TV while they waited for their clothes to be ready, and I even didn't see too many plugs to be able to charge one's cellphone. On the positive side the lack of the above mentioned open doors to be able to talk and interact with customers. I met one of the cooks for Sidecar Restaurant, one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Roanoke, and was able to find out first hand interesting information about the restaurant and its menu.
I was able to wash and dry my 3 loads of clothing very well, and will consider returning here even after my washing machine is repaired at times when I have large loads of clothes to wash or large items such my bed comforter, quilt, mattress protector, throw blanket, or duvet. And I highly recommend this place as a clean, safe, and convenient place to do your laundry.
