Why do my clothes shrink from the Laundromat?

There are many reasons why clothes can shrink from the Laundromat. I’m going to outline a few of the main areas in this blog.

Dani Ofsink – Answering your Questions…

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Dani Ofsink and I am a student at Penn State. I work as an Intern on researching the Laundry Industry for Todd Layne Cleaners and helping to increase visibility on the most common questions that people are looking for answers on. Many recent questions relate to an explanation of “why clothes shrink from the Laundromat.” My email is at the bottom of this blog if you would like to get in touch for additional information.

Shrinkage at a NYC Laundromat

Why do my clothes shrink? There are many reasons that clothes shrink when you get them back from your local laundry service or Laundromat. While many people think that shrinkage can only occur in the dryer, there are many items that can shrink just from the washer. Due to recent manufacturing changes, some delicate items are really only suited to hand washing. Don’t panic, this certainly doesn’t apply to the majority of garments.

The Dryer

The dryer is often the biggest cause of shrinkage. Most Laundromats have dryers that operate at a much higher temperature than a standard residential dryer. The reason for the higher temperature is that most laundry facilities want to dry as many clothes as possible in the shortest amount of time. This is the greatest cause of garment shrinkage.

Mixing customer’s clothing together in the Dryer?

Many local laundry and dry cleaning businesses mix customer’s garments together in the same washers and dryers. If you’re wondering how they do this, each customer’s clothes is placed in a large mesh bag and washed and dried together.We know that sounds gross, but it’s just how its done. It’s also an explanation of the high dryer temperature and shrinkage. If the price seems to good to be true, you now have an explanation. I wrote another blog about how much wash and fold should cost in NYC, you can read it here.

At Todd Layne Cleaners, we promise to never mix customer’s clothes together. Also, our dryers are calibrated to operate at lower temperatures. We recognize that this takes more time, but we have less issues with shrinkage and it keeps our customers happy 🙂

Hang and Air Drying

Hang and Air Drying are great options in preventing shrinkage for gym clothes and other delicate garments. Try to find a Laundromat or laundry service that offers this option. Hang Dry means that garments are not placed in the dryer and are returned damp on hangers. Air Dry means that garments are placed in a specially calibrated dryer with air and no heat. Air dry garments are returned dry either folded or on hangers. Many of our customers use the Air Dry option for their Lululemon and other expensive gym clothes and delicates.  It is important to recognize that the Air Dry process is a very time consuming process and most Laundromats are reluctant to offer this service. At Todd Layne Cleaners, we offer this service with no limit of the number of garments.

How to Find a Laundromat that won’t shrink your clothing

The easiest way to find a laundry service that won’t shrink your clothing and do a great job washing them is to use Google and type the keywords Laundromat, Laundry Service, Wash and Fold, Hang and Air Drying. Compare pricing for each service and remember that you get what you pay for. A decent laundry service generally costs around $3.00 per pound.  At Todd Layne Cleaners, we offer laundry service at our storefronts and free pickup and delivery throughout New York City.

Other Questions about why clothes shrink at the Laundromat?

If you have any questions or would like additional information about anything in this blog, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. We’re also happy to answer questions about our services, delivery service in NYC or anything else. Call or text us anytime at 646.661.4777. One of our friendly and knowledgeable staff will quickly respond.

If you are an existing customer, we would love to hear your feedback. Text or call us at 646.661.4777 or send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for Reading!
Dani Ofsink – Author and Niece of the Boss 🙂

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