The Search for the Best Laundromat

In the city of Clearwater, there are many laundromats. I suppose that's because not everyone can afford to buy a $600 washer or a $600 dryer. When I first moved to Clearwater at the end of 2010, the first laundromat that I visited and used was located at 1471 Belcher Avenue. Don't know what it was called back then, but today it's called Suds. Besides the name, it hasn't changed much. It's a very small laundromat. Most of the time when I was there, there was no air/conditioning, so it got very hot inside. Most of the machines worked though, and the coins required for wash and dry were not any lower or higher than the others. For about the first two years of my married life, I used that laundromat. Then out of the blue, I decided to search for a laundromat that was "nicer" meaning cleaner looking with a/c. I got lucky and found a new one that opened near the Publix on East Bay Drive.

I don't remember what they called that laundromat while I was going there, but today they call it Spinners. It has changed a lot. When I was washing my clothing there, all the machines were brand new. The spacious facility had nice cold air conditioning, lots of tables for folding, new carts, two video games, a soda machine, and a bathroom. It was so much nicer to hang out there for an hour or more when I had to wash the clothes. I continued to use that laundromat for the next four or five years.

I moved away in 2019 and didn't return to Pinellas County until the end of 2020. When we got into our place in Clearwater in 2021, we had no washer or dryer so I went to check out the laundromats that I used to go to (Suds and Spinners) and they had changed a lot. Suds had made some improvements, but still had no a/c. Spinners changed so much that I felt like I was at an entirely different laundromat. The bathroom was closed, the video games were gone, and the whole mood felt different.

So I went searching for yet another laundromat. First I tried Clear Bubble at 2009 Gulf to Bay Boulevard. It's nice and spacious. They claim to have a/c but I was sweating inside. Then I tried Corner Wash Club at 2134 East Bay Drive. I was impressed. It was very clean, spacious, good machines, lots of comfy chairs, magazine racks, soda machine, video games, and friendly attendants. Right after I found that laundromat, we were gifted a washer and dryer so I didn't need to go to the laundromat anymore.

So I washed and dried our clothes at home from 2022 until August 2024. Now our dryer is dying. It was a used dryer that was gifted to us from a friend who had gotten a new dryer; And I guess 2 years was all it had left. Laundry started to pile up especially after Hurricane Debbie in August, and Hurricane Helene in September. I knew I needed to head back to the laundromat, but which one?

I decided to go back to Corner Wash Club, which had been the one that was the nicest the last time I had seen it. To my dismay, the Hurricanes were not very kind to that laundromat. The ceiling was missing panels and the a/c wasn't blowing cold anymore. I did my four large wash loads and headed back home wondering if I had lost my mind. I kept asking myself, "Is it really worth it to wash and dry and fold clothes?"

It's a lot of work whether you have your own washer and dryer or whether you have to go to a laundromat. The four loads that I washed and dried cost about $15 to get done. Yes, it would have cost more than that to replace what was washed, but sometimes I wonder if I'm just doing more than I really need to do.

I was brought up to believe that it didn't matter what label of clothing you were wearing so long as the clothing was made well, looked good on you, and was worn clean. I still believe that to this day. Though I have lost most of my possessions (as discussed in my previous journals and editorials) I have always at least been able to hold onto at least a suitcase of clothing. I love my clothes, even if I don't have that much. It's been my personal motto for the past 10 years, "You Gotta Love It" - That's what I say about any garment I purchase or keep in my wardrobe. So that's why I go through the time and expense of washing, drying, folding, etcetera.

But after all these years in Clearwater and after using four different laundromats, I'm getting a bit confused about the value of clothing. Maybe all I really need in Florida is a bathing suit. Much easier to take care of. Much less expensive. I wouldn't have to sweat in a hot as hell laundromat or spend my hours folding and putting away clothes that snobs think are worthless rags.

I'm in this habit and so I'll probably continue the search for the best laundromat, because I don't have $600 at this time to replace our broken dryer. And though my clothes may look like rags to the snobs who are wearing my monthly pay on their label, I still find some pleasure in the little bit that I have. I don't know. If the economy doesn't get better, and if I can't find a decent laundromat, I just might take my minimalism to the next level. One Florida Uniform == A Bathing Suit.