Laundromat and Dry Cleaner Downtown

[natininja]

There are several dry cleaners downtown (since suits require dry cleaning and not normal laundering). Just go to Google Maps and search "dry cleaner near downtown cincinnati", and you'll find some.

What about this place:
Appearance Plus Cleaners

It's on 3rd Street (18 West 3rd St.), so not too far from you, but also they apparently have free pick-up/delivery:

Free home pickup and delivery.
Imagine no more laundry hassles! No trips to the basement with overflowing baskets, no chasing runaway socks, no more tiresome folding and stacking. With Laundry Basket, we'll pick up your general household laundry, clean it, then deliver it back to you dryer fresh and carefully folded.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by mattolson

In all honesty I am just lazy and would rather pay someone to do my laundry, I am definitely going to find out about this pickup/delivery service as it seems to be my best option. I have to wear suits about 3 days a week to work and if not I still have to wear business formal attire which do not do well in a regular washing machine.

The unit I rented as some sort of hybrid washer/dryer machine. Never used one, scared to use one, probably going to try and convince them to replace it.

I wouldn't be scared of that machine at all. Sounds like you have one of those high end European jobs...like a Bosch or Siemens or I think even LG makes one. The are very expensive, but much more efficient than a conventional washer/dryer. They are often ventless, which is a huge advantage in old buildings where it is a pain to plan out a space where you have to run a dryer exhaust. The biggest disadvantage they have is smaller loads, and it can take a lot longer to dry than we're used to. I hear it helps if you run an extra spin cycle.

[natininja]

If it's European, it probably doesn't dry clothes completely. Their idea of a dryer's function is to just shorten the amount of time clothes spend hanging to dry. (Reason: Dryers are incredibly non-eco-friendly/energy-hogging.)

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by natininja

If it's European, it probably doesn't dry clothes completely. Their idea of a dryer's function is to just shorten the amount of time clothes spend hanging to dry. (Reason: Dryers are incredibly non-eco-friendly/energy-hogging.)

You may very well be correct with that. Years ago, I remember going to Japan. They had built a dormetory for young male employes to offset the huge cost of domiciles. They got the bright idea of adding a wing to accomodate the frequent visitors they had from their US subsidiary, myself included.

My boss took on the task of writing a description of how to use the laundry facility. How many of you rememeber a washer called the Easy Spinner? Basically you wash the clothes, then you transfer them into a separate compartment where they are rinsed and spun partially dry. That is where the Easy Spinner comes from. Then you transfer them to either a clothes line or a dryer.

Well the washers I encountered in our dormitory in Japan deservedly would have been cslled Easy Spinners. But once you rinsed and spun the clothes dry, you put them in a dryer with about the capacity of your microwave. After a few experiences with this endeavor, I first of all packed a lot more clothes on my trips and second of all rationed them expediently. Amazing how many days you can get out of a set of underwear if you really try. Not a pleasant thought, but reality.

[mattolson]

Originally Posted by natininja

If it's European, it probably doesn't dry clothes completely. Their idea of a dryer's function is to just shorten the amount of time clothes spend hanging to dry. (Reason: Dryers are incredibly non-eco-friendly/energy-hogging.)

Yeah, the person who showed me the apartment said he bought a rack to hang dry his stuff and he spun them. This could be fun haha. The unit definitely looked new so I'm assuming its what you all are talking about.

[natininja]

I lived in Europe for a few years. Lived in a few different places, with a range of laundry facilities. The place with the most modern facilities had small washers and enormous dryers. I was kind of excited to see these big dryers, because the dryers from the last place I lived didn't really dry. These looked modern and industrial strength. The bigness of them was exciting, too, because I could put 2 or 3 washer loads in the same dryer load and save a bunch of euros. Well, they were totally useless dryers, same story as the older ones at my previous apartment. I tried running them 2, then 3 times. Pointless. So I got used to hanging things to dry all over my apartment, wherever I could fit anything to hang. In the previous place, I had two levels, with a bannister on the top level, which provided quite a bit of room for hanging clothes. Not so much in the (quite tiny) new place.

Fortunately, I found a nicer apartment for less money soon after and was able to break my lease agreement with no hassles. There I had my own private washer, which had a decent spin cycle to get clothes semi-dry. This place was huge, could reasonably hold a drying rack, and I had lots of furniture, radiators (these are key for quick-drying in winter), etc., to hang things on. But the best innovation was stringing clotheslines in my bedroom. This allowed me to dry sheets for my double-sized bed with ease.

The only problem was when my friend/neighbor (who helped me find the place), who didn't have her own washer, would leave her undergarments and larger items strung up in my bedroom for me to duck around. Fortunately, that didn't happen too often.

In short, it's more convenient and inexpensive to just do your own laundry, especially since you have a machine in your apartment. But it will probably take some cleverness, unless you have space for a bunch of racks. A balcony would be nice, especially during the warmer months. But make sure to secure anything you hang out there.