DIY laundry @ Xpress Laundry, Bukit Katil

One of the trends these days is self-service laundry, which are now popping up all over the place, especially in high-density housing estates and near apartments / condominiums. Never really gave one a try, until today....


We had a total of 6 curtains that needed some washing. Due to the absence of a back up set, they had to be washed, dried and re-installed by tomorrow in preparation for an upcoming event. Now, we could have loaded them into our washing machine, but we don't have a dryer at home. Hence the idea to try out the DIY laundry. My wife and I dropped by Xpress Laundry, somewhere in Bukit Katil, and took some time to get our bearings. Neither one of us had done this before, so to the other people there, we must have been one odd couple.

It was good that the instructions were clearly written literally on the wall. The 24 hour establishment was essentially open at both ends, with a row of 9kg and 14kg washing machines taking up the first third of the shop lot, in the middle was a row of 6 dryers arranged in a 3x2 configuration (3 rows up, 3 rows down). Back portion was empty, save for 2 massage chairs. There were CCTV cameras mounted at strategic locations, which is a must as this was a 100% DIY joint - not a single employee in sight.

Here's the location on Google Maps:

I guess it must be a franchise with standard decor, as there was also info on a 25kg washing machine, that was not available at this branch. Interesting, there was a warning label listing down what was prohibited, including shoes! :)

We did not bring our own washing detergent, so we purchased some powder from the vending machine. A standard cycle takes roughly 27 minutes, and water temperature and machine determines the price. Of course, one can do some load optimization to maximize the load/cost, but since we'd have to make do with 2 loadings anyway, we divided the curtains equally between the 2 washes. An overloaded chamber would restrict the tumble movement of the fabric and result in poorer cleaning.

We managed to find another free machine, so we didn't have to wait for 27 x 2 minutes back to back. Since the dryers were much larger, we collected our curtains and loaded them all in at one go. There are 3 temperature settings - the highest one is possibly for thick, heat-proof fabric!

Interestingly, the drying cycle took 24 minutes, but one can open the door at any time (the machine will come to a halt when this is done) to check and remove anything that has already dried up. There's even an option of topping up and extending the drying cycle if done with more than 8 minutes left on the timer. Saw some of the other customers doing this - though since we were new, we reserved ourselves to being non-interactive and hoped that the dryer would take care of everything. Luckily, 5/6 of the curtains were dry, and the last one was only slightly damp in the center.

There were a few benches along the opposite wall for customers to sit and wait, and some tables where one could fold the laundry so they won't wrinkle. In the end, we found the place to be convenient and a viable solution if you don't have a washing machine at home (especially for student houses) or if you need to use a dryer. Cost-wise, would be nice to do a mathematical exercise if I have the time to calculate and compare the DIY solution vs having one at home. Perhaps in another blog post.... :)

Do you or anyone you know do your laundry at a self-service laundry mat? Do share your experience and views via e-mail or in the comments below.