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The coin-operated laundrette has been a fixture of London’s highstreets for decades.
In fact, Britain’s first wash shop opened in the capital in May 1949 in Queensway, Bayswater and their numbers continued to grow until the 1980s, a high-water mark for self-service laundry in London.
Finding one today is a tad more tricky.
There are currently just around 250 laundrettes in London, a historic low and sizeable drop-off in numbers from just six years ago when there were over 450.
But look closely and you’ll find London still plays host to some of the finest stain removers in the business.
Our list contains ten of the best of them.
The shops below offer different types of laundry service, from simple self-service washing machines to more bespoke laundry offerings that will collect, clean, and deliver your clothes to your door.
All the establishments and services on our list have one thing in common, however: a first-rate reputation for the quality of their service, in some cases built up over decades doing business in London’s laundry sector.
We also have a laundry service for every budget – from cheap-and-cheerful coin-operated laundrettes to more pricey bespoke services that will ship your cleaned clothes to you wherever you are in the world.
Disclaimer: Our list is in no particular order and all information was correct as of the publishing date.
Let’s dive in.
1. I Hate Ironing
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This aptly named laundry service provider operates across the capital via its website and app.
The company is one of the most responsive laundry services in London.
Book a pick-up and let them know what you need, and they will clean your clothes and have them back to you within 24 hours.
So confident is the company in their cleaning abilities that if you’re not 100% happy with your clothes, they will waive the fee for washing them.
How to Book
Their laundry service is available across London and can be booked via the website and mobile app: Android and Apple iO.
Prices:
Service Wash (wash, dry and fold): up to 5kg: £17.95. For each additional kg of washing a charge of £3.55 applies.
Opening Times
Monday – Friday: 07:00 – 21:00. Saturday: 08:00 – 19:00.
Address
International House, 6 Canterbury Cres, London SW9 7QE.
Contact
Email: info@ihateironing.co. Phone: 020 7060 4939.
2. Jeeves of Belgravia
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This upmarket laundry operates a network of eight laundry shops in London and is ideal for busy professional types and jet setters.
The people at Jeeves have been cleaning Londoners’ clothes since 1969, so they know what they’re doing, and offer laundry, dry cleaning and alteration services.
They provide a complimentary collection and delivery service for London and the home counties. Within metropolitan London, there is no charge for having your washing collected and delivered, but collection fees apply outside.
Jeeves is also an international service, meaning that clothes can be collected and delivered in ten major cities worldwide. A postal option is available if you wish to take advantage of its international service.
How to Book
You can have your clothes laundered by Jeeves using the form here. Alternatively, you can contact the concierge team (contact info below).
Prices
You must fill in the form (link above) and they will send you a price quote once they understand your requirements.
Opening Times
Monday–Saturday: 09:00–18:00.
Contact
General Enquiries: 020 7235 1101. Concierge: 020 8809 3232.
Email: services@jeevesofbelgravia.co.uk.
Address
8-10 Pont Street, Belgravia, London.
3. Lila’s Laundrette
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Lila’s is an old-fashioned coin-operated laundrette in Seymour Palace that serves central London, especially south Marylebone.
It offers a range of services, including an on-site laundrette and an online service that allows you to have your clothes collected, cleaned and delivered to your door.
They also offer ironing and folding services, in addition to clothes alterations and repairs and sell a range of laundry supplies such as detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets.
How to Book
Visit Lila’s website to arrange for your clothes to be collected and cleaned.
Prices
£6 per load of washing for a 28-minute warm cycle, plus £1 for washing powder and £2 for 20 minutes in the dryer. Additional time in the dryer costs £1 per 10 minutes.
Opening Times
Monday – Friday: 08:00–21:00. Saturday – Sunday: 08:00–18:00.
Contact
Phone: 07424 506019.
Address
11 Seymour Place, London, W1H 5AN.
4. Mr Steeds of London
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If you choose to have your clothes cleaned at this laundry shop in South London, you’ll be in some rarified company – members of the British Royal Family and many leading fashion houses stores use Mr Steeds to get their garments spick and span.
Mr Steeds is ideal if you have something special you want to get cleaned as they offer a specialist service for ties and scarves, fine silks, designer garments, fine wool suits, lingerie and ball gowns.
The company has all the cleaning bases covered and offers laundry, dry cleaning and a specialised service aimed at wedding and bridal gowns.
How to Book
To book a wash via the online ordering section of Mr Steeds of London website, you will first need to set up an account.
Alternatively, download the Android app here or the IOS (Apple) app, which can be found in the Apple Store by searching for ‘Mr Steeds’.
Prices
Not available.
Opening Times
Monday-Friday 08:00 – 18:00. Saturday 09:00 – 17:00.
Address
20-22 St Dunstan’s Hill, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 2UE.
Contact
Tel: 07780 704 419
Email: contact@mrsteedsoflondon.co.uk.
5. King Square Launderette
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This laundrette in the heart of London is the perfect place to have your clothes cleaned and dry cleaned in central London.
It also has good transport links so if you’re thinking of schlepping a big load to be washed into central London – both Old Street Tube and Rail Station are close by – you can transport them to the shop easily.
If you can’t make it to the shop yourself, the company can collect, clean, and deliver your laundry to your doorstep and boasts that 98.7% of all its standard laundry and dry cleaning is delivered the next day.
They also offer a self-service option, meaning you can leave your washing with the staff, and they will oversee the washing in one of its machines while you go about your business.
How to Book
Ring 07908 915437 to arrange for your clothes to be collected and washed and/or dry cleaned.
Prices
Prices start at £2 per wash load and £1 for drying. Discounts are available for bulk loads and regular customers.
Opening Times
Monday–Friday: 08:00–18:30 (Last wash is at 17:00). Late Closing Thursday: 08.00–20.30 (Last wash is at 19:00). Saturday: 08:00–16:00 (Last wash is at 14:30).
Contact
Phone: 07908915437.
Address
147 Central Street, The City, London, EC1V 8AP.
6. Wash.Me
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This company operates their coin-operated self-service washing machine and drying machines across sites in London.
To find your nearest one, you can use this handy locator tool here.
It’s a self-service laundry service so you will have to load the machine and wash your clothes yourself. Washing typically takes around 30 minutes and drying takes 15 minutes.
You can set a notification via the company’s app – the Android app can be found here and the Apple version is here – which will alert you once your load has finished its cycle and is ready to be collected.
Free washing detergent is provided and the machines are large capacity, so you can load up the machine with a whopping 20 kg of washing if you wish.
How to Book
To find your nearest Wash.me self-service washing machine, you can use this handy locator tool here.
Prices
The cost of a wash cycle is between £5.50 (8-9 kg) and £11 (18-20 kg), including free detergent.
Opening Times
The service is 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Contact
Customer service: 0970823247 (24/7) – If your washing is stuck, you can email callcentre@me-group.com with the subject line ‘Washing – stuck’ for help.
7. 123 Cleaners
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One of London’s largest and most trusted laundry companies, 123 Cleaners has shops in Maida Vale and Kings Cross.
It was established in 1969, and they have a long-established reputation for the quality of its clothes cleaning service.
The self-service laundrette is kitted out with industrial-grade washing machines, which means your clothes are sure to get a good wash. The machines’ high speed also saves both time and money.
For your bulkiest items such as bedding and curtains, there are super-large washers and tumble dryers available in the laundrette.
If you can’t make it to the self-service laundrette in person, 123 Cleaners can also collect, clean and deliver your washing.
How to Book
You can book a laundry collection by using the form here.
Prices
Service wash: a bag of laundry up to 6kg of washing is £14.30, which includes the clothes being washed, dried and neatly folded.
Opening Times
Maida Vale
Monday – Saturday: 07:00–22:00. Sunday: 7:30–22:00.
Kings Cross
Mon–Sat: 07:00 – 20:00.
Address
Maida Vale, 123 Cleaners Ltd, 121 Shirland Rd, London W9 2EW
King Cross, 18 Penton St, London N1 9PS
Contact
020 7289 9123.
8. Prestige
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The laundrette and dry cleaner has shops in three London locations: Muswell Hill, Willesden Green and West Hampstead.
To find out if your area is covered use the tool here.
While Prestige calls itself a launderette, it doesn’t have traditional coin-operated machines, but it does offer a handy pick-up and delivery service for your dirty washing and also has a dry-cleaning service.
If you spend at least £35 and live within a two-mile radius of its shop or spend at least £60 and live within five miles of the shop, your laundry or dry cleaning will be collected and delivered free of charge.
How to Book
You can also use the collection booking form here to arrange a collection.
Prices
For a service wash, clothes are cleaned with non-biological washing powder, fabric softener and Vanish. Clothes are also folded and finished with a scented sheet to keep them fresh.
Small load: prices start at £17. Medium load: prices start at £20. Large load: £25.
Opening Times
Willesden Green: Monday–Sunday: 09:00–19:00.
West Hampstead: Monday–Sunday: 09:00–18:00.
Muswell Hill: Monday–Saturday: 09:00–18:00. Sunday: 10:00–17:00.
Contact
Willesden Green: 020 8459 0555.
West Hampstead: 020 7794 3986.
Muswell Hill: 020 8341 1530.
Address
58 Walm Lane, Willesden Green, NW2 4RA.
165 Priory Road, Muswell Hill, N8 8NB.
9. Bubble Laundrette
Based in Teddington, Bubbles is situated on the site of the original laundry of the same name that was established in 1963.
The laundrette principally serves the borough of Richmond and the surrounding areas and provides self-service laundry facilities, drop-off service washes, and pressing service, not to mention a free local collection and delivery service for busy people.
The self-service laundrette features three types of washing machines – 7kg, 10kg, and 18kg – and six temperature-controlled tumble dryers to suit your load type and laundry needs.
How to Book
You can arrange to have your clothes collected and cleaned here.
Prices
Self-service cleaning: A 7kg bag of washing: £5.00; 10kg: £6.00; 18kg washer: £10.00.
Self-service drying: Use of 14kg dryer costs £1 per 8 minutes; 24kg dryer: £1 per 6 minutes.
Service wash: Small wash (7kg): £13.50; medium wash (10kg) from £16.50; large wash (18kg) from £24.50.
Opening Times
Monday–Sunday: 08:00–20:00.
Contact
Phone: 020 8616 0552.
Address
191 Waldegrave Rd, Teddington, TW11 8LX.
10. Boswell Laundrette
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Based in Bloomsbury, Boswell’s has been in the laundry business for over a quarter of a century.
Their express service is ideal for folk who need their clothes cleaned in a rush – they can get a fresh load back to you on the same day.
For your less urgent laundry needs, they offer a wash and fold service, where they will take care of cleaning and ironing your clothes.
You can take your load of washing in person to their shop or arrange for it to be collected from your address (a £45.00 minimum order applies).
They also offer dry cleaning, repair and specialist cleaning services.
How to Book
You can book to have your clothes cleaned using the form here.
Prices
Service wash: £22.50 per 4kg bag of washing (laundry bag provided). Free delivery on orders over £39.50.
Opening Times
Monday–Sunday: 08:00–18:30. (Except for Bank Holidays).
Contact
Phone: 020 7404 1248.
Email: info@boswelllaundrette.com.
Address
23 Boswell Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3BW
Final Thoughts
Laundrettes in London might not be as popular as they once were, but many people still rely on them and they’re a real life-saver when a plumbing emergency strikes and your domestic washing machine is out of action.
And thanks to app-based systems such as those offered by Wash.me and the like, getting your clothes cleaned in a public washing machine has never been easier.
It’s not just app-powered self-service launderettes that continue to move with the times.
Door-to-door laundry services add an extra layer of convenience when it comes to clothes cleaning and many of these services too can now be booked in London with a few taps of a smartphone.
If you want us to add a suggestion here based on your experience, please get in touch with us!
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