Laundromats

So... for those of you who've spent a lot of time on my website, you may have noticed there's a page on the pros and cons of fleece liners, here

If you've been here, you see that most of our larger cages do use fleece liners, but... I'm not a huge fan.  To me, the cages look dirty right away, as all the poos sit on top of the liners (rather than fall down into / mixed up with the shavings), and I don't want to wash them in my own washer.  Which brings me to... laundromats!

Oh, the joy of laundromats.  Do you have fleece liners as well?  Well, then you know how much they hate us.

If you live in the general area around me, I should tell you, the laundromat on Broad Street in Griffith, Sweets & Suds, has told me I am not welcome there (and if you want to wash liners there, you're not either).  I wouldn't even bring this up, but hear me out.

For years, I have taken my liners there.  Before taking them there, I shake them out.  I then shop vac them off.  I put them in large garbage bags, and haul them there.  Once they're in the washer, I sweep up any small particles that may have made their way to the floor.  I understand that there still may be things stuck to them that may end up still in the washer, and, well, I am respectful of others' property, so I bring cleaning supplies!  So, once they go in the dryer, I go back to the washer, spray it down, and wipe out the washer until it is clean.  Usually that doesn't even take that long, because of the shaking and shop-vac-ing that gets done first.  If there's any particles on the floor in front of the dryer, I will sweep those up as well.  Basically... you'd never even know I was there.  I take my mess back home with me.

Every time I've gone into that laundromat, when the owner is there, she had made a comment about how I need to clean them better before bringing them in.  She once said maybe I should hose them off first, then let them dry, then bring them in.  Now, personally, the point of a laundromat is, you know, to wash my stuff there, but whatever.  Every time, I tell her, I do shake them off and I clean and all.

This last time though.... she started telling me how expensive the washers are.  How expensive her pump is.  How the washers can't handle it.  I nicely (and I do mean nicely) said to her that I would think that if my home washer can wash these (and it can... but I can only fit like 2-3 at a time so washing these would take FOREVER at home) and it not be "too much" for my home washer, then I would think a commercial washer should definitely be able to handle them.  I guess that foiled that argument, so then she started saying that it's not fair for other people to have to use the machines after me because they're dirty.

So, I showed her my cleaning supplies, and I explained how I cleaned after every time I washed and dried.  She then said, well, she's come in the morning sometimes (it's a 24/7 laundromat) and found dirty machines.  I told her, if she did, they weren't from me, as I ALWAYS clean, and my mother can even back that up for me.  She just shook her head, said, "I don't believe it."  And so I told her, you know, I clean because I want to leave everything as I found it, clean and all.

Her next tactic was to find a piece of poo that must have been stuck to a liner and tell me how OMG FECES!!!! is in the washer.  That was a washer I hadn't gotten to yet, as I had just pulled the liners out.  I explained to her, had she let me clean it, that would not have been there.  She kept going on about the feces, and not to be a bitch, but... I have seen, no joke, people there in the wee morning hours, washing cloth diapers.  I really have.  You're gonna tell me those have no feces on them?  It's a diaper.  So I told her that.  I asked her, since she doesn't like feces, does she tell those people that they can't use her laundromat?  She literally said, "no, that doesn't happen, they don't wash that here."  I told her, "I have seen them with my own eyes, when I've been here late at night."  Her exact words, "don't make things up."  BOOM -- and THAT is why I'm posting.

You all may think I'm a bitch or opinionated, or read some of these blog posts and think, I can't believe she'd say that, or what an ass, or whatever.  And I MAY be an opinionated ass that doesn't always think the most highly of people, but you know what I am NOT?  A liar.  When I said I clean the machines, I meant it -- I clean the machines.  She can choose to not believe it if she wants, but if she came to a dirty machine in the morning... wasn't me!  In fact... maybe it was the cloth diaper people!  I don't "make things up."

Needless to say, she told me, I am not welcome there.  While I was waiting for my stuff to dry, she asked if the one washer (still going) was mine.  I said, "no," and she said, "good, so I don't have to stay here to clean it," and walked out.

You know, I try to support small business, and if you've ever been to this laundromat, it's a small business.  But you call me a liar, there's no more supporting your business.  I will find another laundromat that appreciates the money I spend there.  That is all.