Why can't you have a washing machine at home in the USA?
Russian citizens who are in the United States of America as part of a work or tourist trip may be unpleasantly surprised by the lack of washing machines in their rental housing. Tourists are faced with natural questions: “where to wash things? Is it really impossible to have a washing machine in the country?” Let's figure out why there are no automatic machines in homes and what to do if you don't want to wash things by hand?
There are washing machines here and there
At first glance, it may seem that washing machines in the home are prohibited in the United States. However, it is not. Americans living in rural areas, far removed from the city, purchase and install laundry equipment. In this case, the laundries are located at an impressive distance, and to overcome it, you need to spend a lot of time and refuel the car, which is not very profitable and convenient for an ordinary housewife.
In cities with high population densities, washing machines in apartments are extremely rare. We are talking about New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dallas, etc. In multi-storey buildings and residential complexes there are special “Laundryrooms”, rooms in which 2-3 washing machines are located.
To operate the equipment, you will have to pay. The principle of the rooms is similar to the work of laundries. A significant difference is that you don’t have to leave your home; “Laundryrooms” can be located right in your entrance.
Reasons for the unpopularity of home washing machines
US citizens do not install machines in their apartments for several reasons.Some items on the list will seem funny to a Russian person, while others will make you think twice. In most cases, Americans give the following objective reasons:
- 70% of housing in the States is rented under a rental agreement. The lessor does not install the cars because he simply does not want to get into difficulties because of this. Thus, the owner strives to avoid expensive repairs when equipment breaks down due to careless tenants. Another factor is the fear of flooding neighbors, because such a misunderstanding can lead to long trials and considerable amounts of damage.
- In the USA, it is not customary to install washing machines in the bathroom, much less in the kitchen. A special closet is allocated for equipment. Because of a room for a machine gun, you can lose useful square meters, which, for a minute, are very expensive in America. Residents of the country will prefer to adapt this closet as a locker for things or storing supplies.
- In the States, people constantly move from house to house, and often travel around the country. That’s why the Yankees don’t even think about buying a washing machine and other bulky household appliances.
- Many are sure that using laundry services is more rational and profitable. So, you can sort all the dirty laundry, put it in several drums at once and finish the job much faster.
All these reasons exist. And everyone explains differently why he gave up the washing machine. Owning household appliances is not prohibited in America, so if the equipment does not cause internal discomfort to the owner, you can place it in your personal living space.
There are no cars in a large family
Another factor encouraging Americans to give up washing machines is having a large family.To a Russian woman, such a reason will seem simply absurd, because if there are several children in a family, then a lot of laundry will accumulate. This is where a “home assistant” comes to the rescue, freeing up a couple of hours for preparing dinner, working with the children, and simply relaxing for the mother.
American women feel and think differently. It seems strange to them to load laundry into the drum several times a day, then take it out, hang it to dry, wait until it is completely dry, remove the laundry, and so on day after day. It is much easier for them to collect things that have accumulated over 5-7 days and visit a laundry located nearby. In professional institutions, you can put all the laundry into different washing machines, wash it, throw it in a professional drying chamber, and go home with a large supply of clean items.
Residents of the United States prefer to use the services of laundries, which allow them to save not only the time spent on washing, but also the money paid for consumed electricity and water.
Meeting and communication place
American laundries are no longer perceived solely as places with a huge number of automatic machines. In the laundry room you can make new friends, chat about politics, prices, children, play board games, watch TV together. A visit to the laundry is considered an extra reason to make new acquaintances, chat with neighbors, and discuss the latest news.
Very often, laundromat owners negotiate with the owners of cafes and restaurants. The catering establishment should be located in close proximity to the laundry. Thus, citizens who have started the washing cycle can calmly visit a nearby restaurant and chat over a cup of coffee. Time will fly by even faster while eating.
At the American Laundry
There are a lot of premises equipped with washing and drying equipment in the USA. Laundries are located at almost every turn. The opening hours of firms may vary, but generally the schedule is standard, closing after 10 pm. You can also find laundresses working around the clock.
Once inside, it’s easy to get confused by the large number of washers. Sometimes the premises are equipped with different models of machines, but the washing programs are mostly similar. The visitor only needs to sort the brought laundry, find unoccupied equipment, load things, pour detergent into the dispenser and start the cycle.
Each machine has a digital display that displays the current state of the equipment, as well as the price that must be paid to start the device. The average cost of one wash cycle is about two to three dollars.
In most cases, payment machines only accept 25-cent coins.
After starting the cleaning process, the housewife will have free time. You can spend it in different ways - chatting with others, going to lunch at a nearby establishment, walking down the street, reading a magazine, etc.
You are allowed to bring laundry detergents from home, or you can use special machines selling washing powder, soap, bleach, conditioner, and stain remover. Such devices will give you the required amount of money for quarters.
At the end of the washing process, you should take a special cart and unload the items from the drum. Wet clothes are transported to drying equipment. Be sure to check the cleanliness of the chamber and only then put things inside.
For the use of drying equipment, you will have to pay the same 25 cents for approximately 8 minutes of operation of the equipment.If there is a lot of laundry, then it will take about 40 minutes of drying to completely dry, which will cost almost one and a half dollars.
In larger laundries you can meet an administrator. An employee will help you if you have any questions and show you how to use the equipment. However, a special worker is the exception rather than the rule. In ordinary saunas there are no hall staff, so if you have questions, it is better to call the phone number written on the wall banners. After the call, you will have to wait for help within 10 minutes.
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Smart people. And my upstairs neighbors wash their houses every day, for several hours, causing vibration in my apartment.
What about disgust and sanitary standards?
When will this nonsense about washing machines in the USA end?
The upstairs neighbors do their laundry around the clock 🙂 Why, I ask, do you turn on the washing machine at three in the morning? Go, they answer, screw it, we live here. In short, after 11 pm and before 7 am, if I hear the sound of their washing machine, I call the police. So far it helps :)