Laundromat or own washing machine: what pays off in Karlsruhe?

This comparison is not about a single wash but about the whole package: purchase, space, maintenance, power and time.

• You wash small amounts every day or nearly every day, for instance with a baby or children.
• You have a connection and space in the bathroom or kitchen.
• You want to start a load spontaneously at any time.

• No connection, no space: Many rented flats have no spot for a machine.
• Big items: Duvets, curtains and blankets fit in the XXL machine of 18 kg.
• Dryer included: You dry in 20 kg dryers without putting up drying racks in your flat.
• No maintenance: If a machine breaks, it is not your problem.
• Several loads at once: With 7 machines of 8 kg everything is through at the same time in about 35 minutes.

With four loads a month and 20 minutes of dryer the laundromat costs you €32.00, which is €384.00 a year, or €288.00 with the Discount card. To compare, set the purchase and running costs (power, water, detergent, repairs) of your own appliances against that. Say a machine and a dryer cost €900 together and you use them for eight years: that is €112.50 a year, plus power and water. Calculate with your own numbers, and here is the calculator:

Many people keep a small machine at home and use the laundromat for duvets, rugs and curtains. The trip to the laundromat Karlsruhe-Oststadt takes about five minutes on foot from the Gottesauer Platz/BGV stop.