Clean clothes anyone? A Practical Tip for Life in Paris

Okay, let me give fair warning right here that this is not a post about a new museum or a new restaurant. It’s about something more practical. Laundry. Yes, if you stay in Paris for a long enough stretch, you will need to clean some clothes, right?

In my case, I was having a minor dryer crisis, so I needed to learn how to use the local “Laverie Libre Service.”  Turns out there is one close by. The sign on the outside says it’s open 7 days a week, from 7:30 to 22:00 (10:00 PM). I found a big, old IKEA plastic bag, filled it with sheets, towels and clothes, and headed out.

It was a Sunday, and there were a variety of people already inside, who nodded politely as I entered. I realized that many people probably don’t have a washer/dryer in their apartments and this is therefore a standard part of their weekend itinerary.

Okay, so I approached the machines, trying to look confident. I could figure this out, right?

The sign above the machines pretty much spelled out the process, but I was still thankful that the woman filling the machine next to mine walked me through the steps. First, put clothes into the washing machine. Makes sense. Next, add detergent. Luckily, I had thought to bring my own soap from home (a little tablet). This is where the assistance helped, to make sure I put the soap in the appropriate little drawer on the top of the machine. Okay, now you select which cleaning cycle you want (basically from very hot (80 degrees celsius and 50 minutes) for whites, to cool (30 degrees and 30 minutes for wool). The next step is the part that was different from my past experiences in the US, though I will admit it’s been years since I used a public laundromat. Actually, the last time was in college. At that time, you had to be sure you had a roll of quarters and dimes to insert into the machine.

Here, there was nowhere to put money in the machine itself. Instead, you make note of the number on your machine and then go to the payment station (third picture above). You input the number of your machine, then pay the amount it requests. I can’t remember the exact amount but I think it was 2-3 euros for one load. Then you can go run other errands while the machine does its thing, because, as my new “friend” pointed out, the washing machines are locked shut (to prevent stupid people from opening them and flooding the space I’m sure) so no one could come and steal your laundry (though, honestly, would someone do that anyway?).

Then, once that finishes, you move your clothes and towels and sheets to one of the dryers and again, you input the number of the machine and your money into the payment station. Here is where I learned a good tip. My “friend” told me that the drying cycle is not really long enough to thoroughly dry the items, so you can immediately re-enter the machine number and pay a 2nd time to lengthen the cycle. The dryers don’t lock, like the washing machines, so you need to bring your book to occupy you while you stand around for the 30-40 minutes waiting for your items to dry.

Voila! I felt like such a local! Laundry all washed and dried and back into the giant IKEA bag.

Now comes the best part of the whole day/experience. On my way back to the apartment,  I passed, two doors down, “Le Petit Falafel.” The space inside appeared to be only as wide as the sign above the door announcing the name. There was a tiny copy of the menu hanging on the door, and after a quick glance (it was noon and I was starving), I had the brilliance to open the door, allowing a waft of pure yumminess to emerge. The two tiny tables were already occupied, so I got a falafel sandwich “a emporter” (to go). There was a tiny counter and glass case, where you could see all of the very fresh-looking ingredients, two very nice gentlemen, and a fryer. Ten minutes later, I was leaving with what turned out to be a DELICIOUS sandwich for 6 euros. A DEAL for sure.

A successful day all the way around.