Is a laundromat hygienic?

"Someone else's laundry was in there before": that is the most common objection before a first visit. True, but it is exactly the same with every machine in the basement of a block of flats. What matters is not who washed before you, but how hot, how long and with what detergent you wash yourself. And at a laundromat you have more room to choose than at home.

So the question "Are laundromats hygienic?" has a clear answer: yes, as long as you choose the right temperature and don't overload the machine. At the laundromat Ludwigsburg that's easy, because a hot wash costs nothing extra and there are enough machines for large amounts.

At home people often wash at only 30 or 40 °C to save energy. At Wash&Go Ludwigsburg a wash always costs the same whichever temperature you choose: €5.00 for 8 kg, €13.50 for 18 kg. So for anything hygienically sensitive, simply pick 60 °C:

• Towels, flannels and tea towels
• Bed linen and pillowcases
• Cotton underwear and socks
• Laundry after a cold or a stomach bug

Best with a heavy-duty detergent. Detergent costs €0.70 at the payment terminal, and you are welcome to bring your own. Anything the care label doesn't allow, you wash cooler, of course.

Warm air dries laundry right through, including seams and thick hems. Laundry that hangs damp in the flat for days, on the other hand, easily starts to smell musty. The four 20 kg dryers at the laundromat can be set to 30, 40, 60 or 80 °C. A high setting suits towels and bed linen, while sportswear and delicates dry on a low one.

Especially in small flats without a balcony this is a gain for hygiene: the laundry comes home dry, and no damp air builds up in your room. Which setting suits which fabric is explained in the guide Dryer temperature at the laundromat.

To keep the machines clean for everyone who washes after you, a few things are off limits:

• Pet blankets from dogs or horses, because allergy sufferers wash after you
• Shoes and trainers, because they damage the drum
• Dyeing, because dye residue ends up in the next person's laundry
• Work clothes soiled with oil or petrol, or heavily soiled, and textiles with solvents
• Floor cloths and cleaning rags
• Rigid rugs (flexible rugs are allowed)

Normal household laundry, duvets, curtains and jackets are expressly welcome.

These rules apply at all 7 Wash&Go laundromats. They are the reason you can rely on a clean drum: because everyone sticks to them, nothing stays behind in the machine that has no business being in your laundry.

• "More detergent means cleaner." Not true. Too much detergent rinses out badly and stays in the fibres. The right dose is on the packet.
• "30 °C is enough for everything." Often yes for everyday clothes, but for towels, bed linen and laundry after an illness, 60 °C is better if the label allows it.
• "It's always cleaner at home." Your own machine needs care too. At the laundromat the team looks after maintenance, and you only look after your laundry.

Know these points and you'll wash at the laundromat Ludwigsburg at least as hygienically as in your own laundry room.

1. Take a quick look in the drum before you load. If a forgotten sock is still in there, put it on the counter.
2. Wash sensitive items hot: towels and bed linen at 60 °C, which costs nothing extra.
3. Don't overload. The laundry needs room so water and detergent reach everywhere. Better to take a second machine.
4. Empty it straight away when the machine has finished. Wet laundry left lying quickly smells. Set an alarm on your phone.
5. Carry clean laundry home in a clean bag, not in the bag the dirty laundry came in.

These are five small habits that don't cost you a single extra minute. Together with the right temperature, they make the biggest difference.

At the self-service laundry at Stuttgarter Straße 54, right next to the Friedenskirche on Karlsplatz, a hygienic wash day looks like this:

1. Towels and bed linen in their own 8 kg machine, 60 °C programme.
2. Everyday clothes separately, at the temperature the label allows.
3. Add heavy-duty detergent, your own or from the payment terminal.
4. After about 35 minutes, straight into the dryer, towels on a high setting.
5. Fold while warm and take it home in a clean bag.

Large items like duvets go into one of the 3 XXL washing machines with 18 kg; how that works is explained under Washing duvets at the laundromat.

The machines at the laundromat at Stuttgarter Straße 54 are serviced regularly. If you still notice something, a machine smells odd or a lint filter is full, call the service number at the terminal: +49 711 96893785, or use WhatsApp. That way we can take care of it straight away.