Okay, so I was until now a launderette virgin, and have to admit I was quite intimidated by the idea of visiting one because I didn't have a clue what to do. However, my spare sofa cover needed washing and is too big for my own washing machine...
Sure enough, the whole launderette experience started off being quite traumatic, but now I've done it once it would be easier second time around! For fellow novices, here's what you need to know:
1. First, you need to have the right change. It's £3.20 for a wash in one of the smaller machines. During the day, they probably have someone there doing service washes who may be able to give you some change - but when I went in the evening I had to walk down the road to a newsagent's to ask for change. I had to leave my washing dumped there (because I couldn't carry it that far), and was just keeping my fingers crossed that no one would pinch it. Luckily for me (and I can't think why), no one took a shining to my dirty sofa covers and they were still safely waiting for me when I got back with the right change.
2. Next you need to choose a washing machine and put your washing and soap in. You can take your own soap, or buy it there (80p I believe). I took along a capsule type one and stuck it in the washing machine drum itself, but most people were using soap powder so I don't know if I was breaking any rules. Worked fine, though. Just make sure the knob on the front is set to the temperature you want (I think there's just a choice of 'cold', 'hot' and one other that I didn't understand). The doors are quite difficult to press shut - you have to push them quite hard!
3. To get the wash started, you put the money in not at your individual washing machine, but at a central paypoint within the launderette. You have to press in the washing machine's number, then insert the correct change, then press 'S' to start it.
4. You sit and wait about 25 minutes for a normal wash cycle to finish. I took a book and sat reading. Once all the lights are off, you can press a level to open the door and remove your washing.
Job done! There are also dryers on the other side of the launderette, but I didn't use those because I thought my sofa covers might shrink - I just brought them home wet to dry naturally. read more