Visit to the Laundromat

I’ve been spoiled. Having owned my own washer and dryer for many years, I’ve been able to avoid laundromats.

But dirty clothing was mounding up, so it was time. Now there is a washer and dryer in the basement of my daughter’s apartment building. But it would take so long to do everything, that we stuffed things into the car and drove the four blocks (hey—it was a beastly hot day!) to get our clothes clean.

I do have a confession. I have been in a Laundromat recently—just not done my laundry in one. I actually visited the World’s Largest Laundromat in Berwyn, IL. Not sure if they actually deserve the title, but it’s a nicely laid out establishment. Far more impressive, however, is the fact that the hot water for the whole place comes from solar panels on the roof!

But the one I trekked to in Logan Square was no stellar establishment. It was moderately clean and moderately worn down.

We’d come prepared. A small bag of quarters, which disappeared quickly at $1.75 a load (these were double load washers). We got everything stuffed into, soaped, and coined to start. Time to sit.

I remembered a couple of unpleasant, but memorable, laundromat experiences. One wsa when Ashley was eight. And maybe the Laundromat wasn’t so bad, but having to take every bit of clothing, and all linens and wash them in hot water all at once—that was a task.

I didn’t know, the night before, when my head itches and I reached up to scratch it, what I would get started.  As I was scratching, something fell to the table. I picked it up. A tiny insect.

Somehow I knew, although I had never seen one before. This was a louse.

I transferred it to a glass and dragged Ashley (who’s been scratching her head a lot lately) to the drugstore.

“Is this what I think it is?” I questioned the pharmacist.  She nodded her head. And pointed to the aisle that had products for getting rid of head lice.

I went home loaded up with special shampoo, and upholstery spray, a very thin comb, and a panplhet outlining the steps and the order to follow for eliminating lice.

I don’t know if it was worse that I had gotten lice as well.  All I knew was that I had to get Ashley up early, shampoo her hair carefully and send her off to school.  Then it was my turn. And I took the day off work, loading up everything washable in the car, and taking it to the Laundromat for very hot washes.

Before anthing was unloaded I sprayed all the upholdstry and carpets.  And then prayed that I had killed them all.

I got a scare when I couple of days later Ashley was sent home from school, She had nits in her hair.  I hadn’t completed the job. I hadn’t gotten all those tiny eggs out of her hair.

So I shampooed thoroughly again and touch the fine toothed comb and start to pull out all the tiny dark nits. (Fortunately she was a blondie then so it was easier to see them.) She fell asleep while I was carefully going through her whole head of hair. And I learned the real meaning of the word nit-picking.

So my Laundromat trip of today was insignificant compared to the mountain of clothing and lined I took to a Laundromat years ago.  Today I had no worries that my ablutions would be not enough to eliminate those tiny lice, leaving way for a new infestation.

Still, I don’t really like laundromats.  The chairs are never comfortable,