Do you need to bring detergent to a laundromat?

If you come spontaneously, just buy the detergent as you go: at the payment terminal at Stuttgarter Straße 54 you'll find detergent for €0.70 and, if you like, fabric softener for €0.40. That's handy when you come straight from work or the station and don't want to carry anything.

The discount card makes this cheaper too: detergent then costs from €0.50, fabric softener from €0.30. You pay for both together with the machine, in cash, with all major credit and debit cards, contactless with Apple Pay or Google Pay, or with the discount card.

Your own detergent is expressly allowed at Wash&Go, whether powder, liquid or tablets. It's worth it, for example, if

• you have sensitive skin and use a specific fragrance-free product,
• you need wool or delicates detergent for individual items,
• you come regularly and want to save €0.70 per wash.

A small bottle or a few tablets in your laundry bag are handy, so you don't have to lug the big pack through Ludwigsburg town centre. If it's your first visit, you'll find the full packing list in the guide Public washing machine in Ludwigsburg.

For whites and towels a heavy-duty detergent works well, for colours a colour detergent. Wool and delicates need a delicates detergent, down a mild down detergent.

• Whites, bedding, towels: heavy-duty detergent, ideally at 60 °C. At the laundromat that costs not a cent more than 30 °C.
• Everyday colours: colour detergent, to keep colours fresh.
• Wool, silk, delicates: delicates or wool detergent, only if the care label allows machine washing.
• Sportswear and functional clothing: a little detergent, no fabric softener. More under Washing sportswear.

The machines at the laundromat are bigger than the ones at home, but that doesn't mean more detergent is better. Too much doesn't rinse out well and can leave residue.

• 8 kg machine: the same amount as for a full load at home, so the quantity on the pack for normally soiled laundry.
• 18 kg machine: about double that amount, for a single duvet rather less.
• Tablets and pods go straight into the drum with the laundry, not into the drawer.
• Powder and liquid detergent go into the machine before you start. The instructions at the payment terminal show where exactly.

No, it's a matter of taste. Fabric softener makes towels and jumpers softer and smells nice, but it isn't suitable for sportswear and functional clothing, microfibre and down. If you use the dryer, your laundry usually comes out nice and fluffy even without fabric softener.

The four dryers at the Laundromat Ludwigsburg have a large 20 kg drum. Your laundry tumbles loosely in there and turns soft and fluffy all by itself. If you still like the scent, buy fabric softener at the payment terminal for €0.40, with the discount card from €0.30, or bring your own.

Your own detergent is allowed, but dyeing clothes in the machines is not. The dye stays in the drum and would otherwise end up in the next customer's laundry.

For the same reason, work clothes soiled with oil, petrol or heavy dirt don't belong in the machines, and neither do shoes, rigid rugs or pet blankets. That way the Laundromat Ludwigsburg stays clean for everyone, including people with allergies. You'll find all house rules with the reasons behind them under How it works.

An 8 kg machine with detergent from the terminal costs €5.70, or €6.10 with fabric softener. With the discount card you pay from €3.80 for the machine and from €0.50 for the detergent, so from €4.30 in total. More examples: How much does a laundromat cost?

If you bring your own detergent, you just pay the machine price: €5.00 in the 8 kg machine, €13.50 in the large washing machine with 18 kg. For an XXL load, for example when you wash duvets, your own mild detergent is especially worthwhile.

No detergent at home but you still need clean clothes? Just drop by: at the Laundromat Ludwigsburg you get everything at the payment terminal, no appointment needed.

The self-service laundry in Ludwigsburg is at Stuttgarter Straße 54, next to the Friedenskirche and opposite the Residential Palace (Residenzschloss). We're open Mon–Sat from 6 am to 10 pm. How to get here and where to park is under Opening hours & directions.