Wash me clean

The small machines and centrifuge
in the middle

Washing clothes in Sweden is an activity requiring great precision and timing. Fitting into the schedule for the shared washing machines is quite a task when there are 8 machines for 100 families...

...but thats how the Swedes roll: like all things in the country, washing facilities are built to work well and built to last. Buildings in the country are made solid with all their attachments and peripherals a little bit more heavy duty than needed, so they last for ever.

Underneath apartment blocks in Sweden you will find an equally sturdy laundromat that services the whole building. The machines in there are heavy duty and wash quickly. You can do a whole load (6.5 kg in the normal machines and 10 kg in the big ones) in 37 minutes on normal settings and dry your clothes in as little as 20 minutes.

When you want to wash you need to go downstairs and make an appointment. Usually you can't get a spot on the day, so you need to plan in advance. When it's your turn you get your spot (usually two hours) and then some extra time after that for drying.

The reservation book

There are two washers and a centrifuge in every washroom. Also there is a drying closet, an ironing machine, sinks, a desk, chairs and an ironing board. In the drying room you have three massive tumble driers. Basically everything you need for industrial-scale washing.

By sharing these hardcore washing machines you get to have more space in your flat, more efficient washing, less plumbing problems and so on. It also reduces the risk of fires — when you have 100 washing machines operating in different flats, the chances of an electrical fire that could kill hundreds of people as they sleep increases exponentially, therefore it's better to have a centralized system.

Swedes take the scheduling of the washing very seriously. If you are late to start, you lose your spot. If you are late to finish you are likely to have a run in with an angry Swede. I've never received one personally, but I'm told that the normal way for people to scold each other in the laundry is to leave nasty notes and to handle your clothes for you. This could mean putting them in a basket or throwing them on the floor in the corner. The nasty notes in laundries across the country are so well used that they have inspired books and websites to showcase the brilliant creativity that late washing spurs.

Tumble driers - the one on the right
is somehow special, though I don't
know why...

Speaking of scheduling, sometimes I wonder what people do in there. Given that you can wash 12 kg of clothes from start to finish including drying in less than one hour, I sometimes look at the scheduling book baffled and annoyed when someone takes a six or eight hour block for washing. Either they are helping every pensioner in the housing block to do their sheets or they are just too damn lazy to come back in a timely manner and move their clothes from the machine to the drier.

Drying closet and ironing
machine (click to enlarge)

There is one cool thing that most people in other countries would not have seen: the drying closet. It's a big closet with a massive hair-drier in it. It works at  cooler temperature than the tumble drier so its less likely to destroy your clothes, but it takes 90-100 minutes to dry everything properly. If I have the time and there is no booking after me I use it every now and then.

Washing in Sweden is fun.