I had a few large things to wash that would not fit into our washing machine at home, and looked for a local laundromat. I chose Lava Laundry because it is not too far from home and I know it's in a relatively safe area (right next to the Reading commuter rail station). They don't have a web site, so I called their number to check their hours and heard a recorded message that provided this information.
I went there in the early evening on a Saturday (around 5:00 pm), expecting it to be a fairly crowded. It was not, however - I guess prime laundry time must be earlier in the day. I don't go to laundromats often, so maybe I'm out of touch with the prices, but this was more expensive than I expected. The last time I used a large capacity front-loading washer (large enough to take a queen-sized comforter), it was $3.00. At Lava Laundry, this washer cost $5.00! There was an even larger front-loading washer that cost $6.00. I did not use the normal top-loading washers and did not check the price on those. The normal capacity dryers (still quite large - I think you could fit two normal-sized loads into just one) cost $.25 for every 5 minutes.
Overall, Lava Laundry was pretty clean, much more so than I expected. In fact, while I was there for about an hour, someone (an employee or owner, I guess) to straighten up. They have a TV mounted to a rack in the room that holds the normal top-loading washers. They have folding chairs placed throughout, which is nicer than the fixed chairs since you can move them to be able to sit by the washer or dryer you're using. It is well-lit, and has all of the usual accoutrements - change machines, vending machine for detergent and other laundry necessities, and even an ATM. The front-loading washers and the dryers seem to be fairly new and in very good condition.
I would go here again to wash my comforters and other extra-large items. My only wish is that they had a wifi network so I could bring my laptop, but a book works just fine to pass the time there...
My rating would be 4 stars if the washers weren't so expensive (and I'm happy to change it officially if their costs are in line with other laundromats in the area), and 5 stars if they had free wifi too! read more