Wash the things that don’t fit at home
King comforters, area rugs, sleeping bags, pet bedding, mattress pads - the household items a domestic washer physically cannot handle. Our 60 and 80 pound machines take them. Do it yourself, or leave it with us.
What we take, and what each item costs
Priced per item because a comforter and a rug are different jobs at the same weight. Nothing here is weighed.
| Item | Price | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Comforter or duvet, single | $18 | Goes in a 60 lb machine with room to move |
| Comforter or duvet, double or queen | $24 | The commonest item on this list |
| Comforter or duvet, king | $30 | 80 lb machine. Allow the full day |
| Sleeping bag | $22 | Down bags need a slow dry - say so when you drop it off |
| Area rug, up to 5x8 | $35 | Woven or tufted only. See the exclusions below |
| Bath mat or runner | $12 | Only if the backing is fabric, not rubber |
| Mattress protector | $16 | Waterproof backing is fine; solid foam is not |
| Pillows, per pair | $16 | Fibre and feather. Solid memory foam cannot be washed |
| Pet bedding | $20 | Washed separately from everything else, always |
| Curtains, per panel | $14 | Check the label - many are dry-clean only and we will tell you |
| Throw or blanket | $14 | Wool needs a cold cycle; tell us at the counter |
Why a home washer cannot clean a comforter
It is not that a comforter will not physically fit. It is that once it is wet it stops being a textile and starts being a dense mass. A washing machine cleans by tumbling - lifting the load and dropping it so water and detergent move through the fabric. A comforter that fills the drum cannot lift or drop. It rotates as a single lump, the water sits on the outside, and the middle is never really touched.
The rinse fails the same way, so detergent stays in the filling. That is the usual reason a comforter comes out of a home machine feeling stiff and smelling faintly wrong.
Then the drying defeats it. A domestic dryer cannot move enough air through that much filling, so the outside dries while the middle stays damp - and damp filling inside a sealed comforter is how mildew starts. It is also the most common way a comforter is quietly ruined.
A 60 or 80 pound machine gives it room to actually move, and a 75 lb dryer moves enough air to finish the middle rather than just the surface.
What we cannot wash, and why
| Item | Why not |
|---|---|
| Rubber, latex or foam-backed mats | The backing breaks up in a commercial drum, sheds into the machine and blocks the drain. This is the exclusion we turn away most often |
| Solid memory foam | Absorbs many times its weight in water, cannot be spun, and will not dry through |
| Electric blankets | Wiring. Not worth the risk to you or to us |
| Anything dry-clean only | We are not a dry cleaner. We will read the label with you and say so |
| Rugs with a jute or hessian base | The base disintegrates wet and the rug will not recover |
| Paint, solvent or grease | It transfers to the drum and then to the next customer's load |
How long an oversized item takes
Allow two days for most items, and say so if you need it sooner - we will tell you honestly whether it is possible rather than agreeing and hoping.
The drying is what sets the time, not the washing. A king comforter or a thick sleeping bag can take two or three times as long to dry as it does to wash, and there is no way to shorten that without handing back something damp in the middle. We would rather hold it another few hours.
If you are bringing several items, bring them together - they are processed alongside each other rather than one at a time, so three comforters is not three times the wait.
Bringing an oversized item in
No appointment. Bring it to the counter during opening hours and you will be told the price and the collection time before anything starts. If you are unsure whether we can take it, that conversation takes about twenty seconds and costs nothing.
Say anything relevant while you are there - a down filling, a wool blanket, a stain you have already treated, a rug you are not sure about. It changes how the item is handled and it is far easier to say at the counter than to explain afterwards.
Oversized items can ride along with a collection. If you already have pickup and delivery, mention the item when you book so we bring the right capacity - it is priced per item as above rather than added to the weight.
Doing it yourself on the big machines
You do not have to hand it over. The 60 and 80 lb machines are available to anyone, and a comforter through one of those costs the machine price rather than the per-item rate - cheaper, if you have the time and do not mind the trip. The full machine list is on the self-service page.
The catch is the drying. Budget considerably more dryer time than feels reasonable, and check the middle rather than the surface before you take it home. That is the step most people cut short, and it is the one that matters.
If something comes back wrong
Tell us the same day if you can. An item that is not properly dry, a rug that has not come up as expected, anything that does not look right - all of it is easier to put straight while it is still identifiable.
On damage, the honest position is that some outcomes are the item and some are ours. An old seam that gives way under a commercial wash is not the same as something mishandled, and we will tell you which we think it is rather than defaulting to either.
Bring it in and we will tell you
6043 W Addison St, open 6:30am to 10pm seven days, with parking in front. No appointment, and no charge for being told we cannot take something. If it is on the list, you will have the price before anything starts.