How Many Launderettes Are In London
Launderettes are synonymous with the 1930’s way of living, with nostalgia and cultural references springing to mind for many when the word is mentioned. What once provided people with a cost-effective and time-sensitive way to wash clothes has been overtaken by the modern-day availability of household washing machines and laundry products.
As the UK’s capital, it will be no surprise that London was home to many traditional launderettes in their heyday. This blog will look at how many launderettes are in London as of 2022.
Do launderettes still offer the most convenient way to get through your never-ending laundry loads or is there a more modern alternative? Keep reading to find out more.
UK History of Launderettes
Innovation has always surrounded the process of trying to make daily life easier. In fact, the first laundrette was established in the 1930s when a Texan entrepreneur purchased four washing machines and opened his first store. Soon after that, news started spinning around about the novel way to wash clothes quicker for an affordable price.
Laundrettes date back to 1949 in the UK when the first one opened its doors in Queensway, London. The excitement around this modern way to relieve people of their weekly chores meant they carried on popping up in abundance. That was until household washing machines became cost-effective enough to have within the home. Characterised by the fast-paced and energetic environment, they were not only looked at to get through loads of laundry but also offered people an opportunity to engage with each other.
By the 1980s in the UK, there were around 12,500 launderettes in existence, with them being available in all major towns and cities. They went from being a convenient way for families to get chores done to becoming a staple for new consumer groups such as students and for those who lived in rented accommodations without their own machines. This was particularly important for people living in cities as the population increase meant housing quickly became smaller with less space for large white goods. After this peak, the number of launderettes declined by three quarters between 1980 and 2010, with the trend continuing in 2022.
Nowadays in the UK, 97% of households own a washing machine, but we are faced with a new issue: the cost of living crisis. With people needing to reduce their household bills, are launderettes the old yet new solution? Unfortunately, it seems not as the pandemic and rising business costs doesn’t signal a great future for these high-street staples.
How many launderettes are in London in 2022?
Around 250 laundrettes are remaining in London. That may sound like a lot, but considering there were at least 450 in 2017 adorning the capital, the numbers seem to be dropping rapidly.
City living means there will always be a need for laundry services, with many smaller apartments simply not having enough room for white goods to be included. The cost-of-living crisis and general increase in the prices that people pay to live in the capital city also indicate a clear need for laundry support.
Laundrettes have not managed to escape the effects of COVID either, which may be to blame for the dropping numbers in London and other major cities. Some reported a loss of 70% of profits during the pandemic, which meant that business could not possibly continue.
Just like all good things, some things must come to an end. We understand it is hard when things that have been a constant or normal in your life disappear but fear not, as we have a solution for you! Like most things, the future is digital, and the same can be said for launderette services!
What does a modern laundrette look like in 2022 and beyond?
With the modern family doing three or more wash loads per week, the need for providing convenient solutions to daily chores is still a very real thing. However, the reality is that taking time out of busy routines to visit a laundrette is just not justifiable for many people.
The need remains the same for laundry services, with the benefits of outsourcing your washing being the following:
- It offers a quicker way to get multiple loads of laundry done at one time instead of having to navigate through each colour segment of items using household machines.
- Getting someone else to do your laundry saves time, which can be used either for other chores or social aspects that are finally returning after years of restrictions.
- It can also offer a more cost-effective solution, especially for larger families, as savings can be experienced for both water and electricity.
Whilst we don’t want to lose traditional laundrettes from our high streets, at Love2Laundry, we have made it our mission to combine nostalgia with modern techniques. Just like your favourite corner sweet shop choosing to now sell online to reach a larger audience, our online laundry services keep the sentiment of launderettes alive but in a way that suits the modern consumer.
How does Love2Laundry work?
Instead of having to pack up your laundry and transport it to your local launderette, we do that part for you! As one of the best laundry services in London, we have made it our mission to create a solution that suits modern lifestyles. The process that we have created is broken into four steps that we are constantly modifying to suit the ever-changing lifestyles of our loyal customers. When you arrange to use our laundry services, the process consists of:
- You can place your order either online or via our app. When you order, you can either fill out an inventory of what products you are sending us or just request a bag to fill, which we will then sort. Instead of paying for a whole wash load, you can break down your costs by item as can be found in our full pricing information. This already offers a benefit compared to traditional launderettes as you don’t have to pay for more than you actually need to use.
You can download our apps here: For iPhone click here or for Android click here.
- We then collect your laundry at your chosen time and place. Whether you are at home, have taken your laundry to the office, or are in a different location each time, it’s no problem. This means you no longer must hunt around for your closest launderette or be dictated by opening times.
- Once we have your clothing and linens, our laundry experts will work on refreshing and restoring your items to their best state. We also use state-of-the-art digital tagging and logging to ensure there are no issues with your clothing coming back to you. There is also additional protection ensured for your clothing compared to traditional laundrettes both in terms of your clothing condition and the general security of your items.
- Now that everything is cleaned, steamed, ironed, and pressed, your laundry is returned to you. Simply hang up your items, and rest assured that you have just saved yourself time and effort by using our service. If you were using an old-school laundry service, you would still have to treat and condition your clothes after washing them. Our modern service does everything for you so that you really don’t have to spend any time sorting your own items.
Why should I use love 2 laundry for my London Laundry services?
Living in the city is exciting and vibrant, but that is probably overshadowed if you spend all of your time hunting for a free washing machine. Love2Laundry has got you covered as our service is designed to suit city-hoppers thanks to our same and next-day laundry services.
You can also offset your carbon footprint associated with living in the city as we offer an environmentally friendly way for you to complete your laundry. This is achieved through our efficient industry machinery and the use of electric transport. This is super important to us as laundry at home results in over 400 litres of water waste yearly. We can limit our environmental impact by using state-of-the-art machinery and dry-cleaning methods.
Thanks to our time-slot booker, you can strategically plan when your laundry is completed. Choose your pick-up and delivery times when you place your order, and we will do the rest for you.
We also don’t just wash clothes but also treat household linens, including curtains and bedding, which are extremely difficult to wash at home. These delicate products are not only normally too large for standard household machines but often need special treatment, which we can always provide. This is also great if you are one of the 30% of households that only wash your bedding once a year. If you did need to get larger items cleaned in London, we could only imagine the headache of trying to get bulky items moved around, especially if you don’t own a car!
When considering how many launderettes are in London, we wanted to turn it into a positive with a way to keep the tradition ongoing for modern consumer needs. Check out our full pricing list of services for more information.
