question for those of you who do laundry @ WDW About This Page:

[IdahoDisneyMom]

We did laundry last time, and I remember DH had to wander over to POR's gift shop to exchange some dollars for quarters. I seem to remember buying detergent there, but I'm not sure if they still have it. My questions are...

how much is a load of wash? dry?

do you bring your own detergent? I'd like to bring a bag of Tide in my luggage, but not sure if that's the best route.

If you do bring your own detergent, what do you bring and how do you transport it? The smallest boxes they seem to sell in the store is about 10 times what I'd need. I'm tempted to find the local laundromat and raid its supply!!

[DisneyBri]

from one of the FAQ pages at allearsnet.com

"Coin operated washers are $2 per load. Dryers are $2 per load for 30 minutes. There is no option for any additional drying time except to insert another $2.00 for another 30 minutes. Detergents are available for purchase for $1.00 per load."

If you'd like to save $$ on purchasing detergent, I have made one load portions of powdered detergent and just packed them in ziplock baggies. As for the quarters, since many of the video game arcades have switched to card-swiping rather than quarters, I would suggest bringing your own. I know that some laundry places on site have change machines, but I have also seen where they are empty or out of service.

[Happymommy]

Just to let you know--- I usually have to run the dryer 3 times to get everything dry.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

Great questions Stephanie! Thanks for the answers Bri and Dina. I was wondering how 'efficient' the dryers are and it sounds like they are like most other laundrymat types but I'll deal with it just so I don't have to bring twice as many clothes for us all!

[poohbear.u.k.]

Hi Stephanie,
With staying on resort for 2 weeks I get to visit the laundrette several times. . Actually I've got to meet some great people while visiting, it's quite fun "swapping" info & translating english into american .

Anyway I diverse... the washing is $2.00 per wash & the drying is $2.00 per load( approx 30 mins) There are change machines in the laundry's.
As for detergent It's not practical for us to bring it from home, so we usually visit the local Wal Mart within the first 1 or 2 days of arriving & get some .Last year I got a bottle of Wisk dual action 3 x Concentrated , it worked great & it was small enough to put in my suitcase to take home. ( I didn't really want to buy one of the giant bottles, I've kept a note of the details so's that i can buy it this year.) I also pick up a box of tumble dry sheets & take them home aswell.

Hope this helps, & maybe we'll meet in the laundry ( If we're in the same section that is)

[DyanKJ130]

We don't use powdered detergent at home, but I like the idea of putting single use packages together in plastic baggies. When we went last year, I purchased empty travel size shampoo bottles & put my liquid detergent in them. They held just a little less than what I normally use for a load. I placed the bottles in baggies before I put them in the luggage, just in case. They worked out great. (I did notice undisolved powered detergent in some of the washers.....maybe the previous person didn't use hot water or overstuffed the machine??)

I did 2 loads of laundry in the washing machine and then divided it between 3 dryers to dry. (I did not put my shirts & shorts in the dryer. I hung them on the hangers in the room & shorts on the clothes line in the bathroom) Anyway, dividing up the clothes into 3 dryers worked beautifully. Don't forget you can check the status of the drying and then start up the dryer again without having to pay an additional $2.

Hope this helps!!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

[quote=DyanKJ130;1698094] When we went last year, I purchased empty travel size shampoo bottles & put my liquid detergent in them. They held just a little less than what I normally use for a load. I placed the bottles in baggies before I put them in the luggage, just in case.[quote]

Great idea!! I hate powdered detergent

[EeyoreNeedsLoveToo]

I take liquid detergent but put it into an empty water/soda bottle as follows:

measure and put in for one load and mark where it is filled to on the bottle with a sharpie line - and do this for about 4- 5 loads/lines. that way I don't have to take anything to measure it in. even though the bottle has a good screw top - I still put it in a baggie just to be safe (haven't had a spill yet though). For each load, just pour down to the next line on the bottle. If we don't use it all, we usually give it to someone in the laundry that is very grateful!
we also split 2 loads of wash into 3 drys - and do pretty well - we might have to hang a couple things - but no biggie. If a drier is working better than another one - we pass along that info as well -- and if you can get one that was just emptied, and is already 'hot' that usually works a little better too.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

You guys are WDW laundry pros - thanks again!

[Tink and co.]

One of my local grocery stores has single use sealed packets of laundry soap (I think it was All), and I've purchased a cute teeny little bottle of Tide at Target several times. The tide bottle was good for about 4 loads. I found both in the travel-size aisles. Our usual grocery store didn't carry any sample size, I happened to find it when I stopped by another store on my way somewhere. So, now I always check travel/sample aisle when visiting a new store.
Any trip we go on I keep my laundry kit in our suitcase. It's a colapsable hamper that folds flat and doesn't weigh much. And a big ziplock bag with my laundry soap, shout wipes, bounce sheets, and a tube(I use a mini m&m container) of quarters(which I collect at home all year). When we arrive at our resort, I pop up the hamper (or two if the kids have a connecting room). When it's time to do laundry, I just pick it up and head to the laundry room. That avoids looking for change, forgeting the soap, and it keeps our room relatively neat!

[IdahoDisneyMom]

Wow!! Once again you PPers have not disappointed!! Thanks for the great tips. I hadn't thought of snagging a warm dryer, looking at other stores for things mine doesn't have, or keeping quarters in an m&m container (DD will like that- she'll have to eat the m&ms for me!!). Now I can look through our loose change for enough quarters, and start putting together a laundry stash of goodies!!

[patclairesmom]

One question, does anyone know the hours you can do laundry? Also, how many washer and dryer are there? It's a great idea to divide your clothes up into 3 dryers, put I would hate being a hog.

[SHEANA1226]

It used to be $2 per load for the washer and same for the dryer. I took pre-measured ziplock bags with detergent and dryer sheets in a ziplock bag.

[DyanKJ130]

Originally Posted by patclairesmom

One question, does anyone know the hours you can do laundry? Also, how many washer and dryer are there? It's a great idea to divide your clothes up into 3 dryers, put I would hate being a hog.

When I did laundry at CSR, there were twice as many dryers as there were washers. I want to say 10-12 washers & 20-24 dryers. (If there were an equal number or people waiting to use them, I never would have done that.)

[Colexis Mom]

I brought Bounce in ziplok bags. We don't use powder detergent at home either, but I bought a small box and put it in ziplok bags as mentioned above. I think one trip I also found at Walgreens (the one near DTD/535) a box of detergent there that was a 4-load box of powder Tide. Never used it for one trip, so brought it back for another.

Also look for dryers that might still have their light on. There was one at AKL that was broken, and was always "on" so that was a free dry load for me You may get a few extra minutes, or it might be a whole entire load