Washr Online Laundromat in Cape Town

The cyber pick-up and delivery service that’s revolutionising the way we clean our clothes

One of life’s greatest schleps is doing the dirty washing. It’s a relentless, soul-sucking chore that spins all the fun out of a potentially great day and sponges up valuable time that could be used doing more important things, like for instance, knocking back a beer or squeezing in an afternoon snooze.

Fiddling around on your iPhone, Galaxy S5 or Apple Mac, however, is more heaven than hassle. So, three Mother City-based digital entrepreneurs weighed these two facts against each other and, after some deliberation and a look at successful overseas operations (like Washio), decided to launch Washr, South Africa’s first online laundromat, to make life a little easier for locals.

“Everyone needs to get laundry done at least once or twice a week,” asserts co-founder David Shleifman, “so we decided to do something that could free people up from this undesirable household chore so that they can have more time to relax or focus on work.”

To benefit from the convenience of this mobile-friendly e-service, all that Capetonians have to do is visit the venture’s super user-friendly website (Washr.co.za) on a PC or smartphone, register by filling out a short form and then place an order, specifying the date, time and place they’d like their dirty clothes to be collected. A driver will then arrive at the requested location within the chosen hour slot to collect the laundry and whip it off to be washed, dried and folded, and within the next 24 hours, garments will be returned to the specified address, smelling fresh and looking spotless (the turnaround time is only longer than 24 hours for complex dry cleaning requests).

Pick-up and delivery is 100% free, and all orders are on demand, which means that if you want your socks and undies rinsed right now, Washr will be at your doorstep within two hours of the order being placed, so you don’t have to recycle old items day after day until you have the time to wash them on the weekend.

The touch-of-a-button business, which has been billed as the ‘Uber for laundry’, currently services busy urbanites based in the CBD, on the Atlantic Seaboard or in the Southern Suburbs and will soon expand to other areas too.  It only works with reputable, eco-friendly laundromats in and around Cape Town and will wash and dry clean absolutely anything that can be washed or dry cleaned, from work shirts, winter coats and evening dresses to sleeping bags, double-bed duvets, curtains and carpets. Customers can also make a note on the online form if they want a specific item to be ironed or to receive special care.

And the cherry on the proverbial cake? When clean clothes are delivered to your office space or home, the neatly folded package comes complete with a chocolate or cookie of some kind – a nice little touch that speaks volumes for the personal service that this Mother City start-up promises.

Aside from the surprise treat though, it’s the click-of-a-button convenience that makes this cyber washroom so wonderfully appealing. It’s definitely going some way towards saving critical beer-drinking time and lessening the dullness of domestic life.

Tip: Washr is offering all CapeTownMagazine.com readers 10% off their first laundry load. Simply insert the voucher code CPTMAG10 into the ‘Extra Info’ box when placing your order.

The Bill: Rates are slightly more expensive than those at conventional laundromats, but they’re still fair considering that pick-up and drop-off is free. A standard wash and fold costs R24p/kg (5kg is the minimum weight), and all other prices are clearly marked on Washr’s website. Payment is also very easy: patrons receive an invoice via email an hour or two before their clothes are dropped off and they can then pay with cash or via an EFT or SnapScan. Remember, CapeTownMagazine.com readers get 10% off their first load (see the tip above).

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 7am – 8pm; Saturday – Sunday: 9am – 12pm (customers can obviously make laundry requests at any time, but these are the hours during which orders are processed)

Washr.co.za | care@washr.co.za | +27 (0)72 535 9111

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Keen on buying all your products and services in cyberspace? Have a look at our overview of online stores in South Africa.

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