Show HN: Laundromatch – Community-based laundry services | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Laundromatch – Community-based laundry services

laundromatchapp.com

72 pointshmaidasani25 comments

Is it just me, or is this kinda gross? I totally understand if it's just me.

Ripe for abuse, but not gross in principle.

This trend of "crowd-source everything" is getting a bit silly though. It really just makes more sense to operate a laundry service with pickup/dropoff. If there's no demand for that service, then there is no demand for this one.

Here in NYC, laundry pick up and drop off services are hugely in demand. I look outside my window all day and watch van load after van load of other people's laundry get delivered and picked up.

I don't know what such services cost, but if this is cheaper and/or more convenient, I can see it taking off.

I agree and disagree. Like the comment below, I could see this being really useful in some metro areas. I think what these crowd-source apps are missing are dynamic pricing based on purchasing power. $10 for a load of laundry in San Jose? Yeah, that sounds great. In Austin TX that's pretty high.

True, but I'm from Austin Texas and just moved to San Francisco, so I have some insight into this. I'm not sure if there's as big of a demand for laundry pickup services outside of dense urban areas like New York and San Francisco (where many residents do not have in-home washers and dryers). In Austin, most people have laundry machines, so it might not make sense there.

For crowd-sourced apps more generally I think you have a valid point with respect to cost of living adjustments.

Hi HN, I'm one of the co-founders of Laundromatch, I would be happy to answer any questions!

Is pickup/delivery $10 per load or $10 per pickup/delivery?

What happens if the host ruins my clothes (because, for example, they didn't follow the included instructions)?

The pricing is $10 per load to do wash/dry/fold and extra $10 if you want pickup/delivery. For example, 2 loads with pickup would be $20 (for laundry) + $10 (for delivery), total of $30.

If there is clear evidence that your clothes were ruined, we will work with both parties, and reimburse you for any damages. For more detailed information, email us at contact@laundromatchapp.com

$10 for a load of laundry seems really expensive to me. What am I missing?

Really depends on the size of a "load". At least a dollar per pound is standard. If their "load" is more than 10 pounds of clothes, then it's easily within range.

Their website says a standard 18-pound load.

The average front-loaded laundry machine can hold ~18 lbs. Washio and wash and folds cost around $1.60 a pound, so this is close to $20 cheaper. Still $10 cheaper if you get delivery.

Check the comparative pricing table, I think it's pretty accurate. When I lived in SF, that's what we'd pay for a large load at the laundromat. Same in NYC. That said, the laundromat was 1 block away and the industrial machines are much larger than the typical home machine so there's not much of a value prop for me unless the delivery works really, really well. I tried washio once because I had a $20 promo code and it was over $40 for a smaller load.

My closest laundromat does 10lb of laundry for $12.5 with separate washes for colors, white and whatnot, AND fold.

This seems absurdly expensive.

Out of curiosity, how much is 10lb of laundry? I don't think I have any idea how much my clothes weigh.

Found this on housekeeping.com:

Front loading washing machines can hold as much as 18 lbs of clothing. So how many items are in a lb. of clothing? To find out how much your loads weigh, you can weigh yourself holding a load of dirty clothing, and subtract it from your weight without the dirty load. While weight varies with type of material, these are some general guidelines. Twin Sized Quilt-3-5 lbs. Complete Child Outfit-1-3 lbs. Complete Adult Outfit-3-5 lbs.

For 2 weeks of clothes, I spend about $15-$17. Apparently this service is $10 per load, so for me, it would end up costing at least $30 (1 whites, 2 colors loads)

Are these prices for real? I'm paying 3.50€ for a load in the laundromat next door.

Most self-serve laundromats in the US charge $3-7 per washer and dryers cost $0.25-0.50 per 10 minutes.

The name sounds a lot like our old mobile game "LaundroMatch" (with an updated release coming soon).

http://laundromatch.com/

> Why pay ~$27/load at local wash and folds?

Does one load of laundry in NYC really cost this much? Where I live, it's ~$7.

You have $7 wash and fold places in New York? Or are you talking about laundromats? Because the ones in San Francisco run you about $25-30 a load.

He said it's $7 where he lives; he didn't say he lives in New York.

amazing idea! i love it

Reply on news.ycombinator.com