Local Location in Review: The Wash Hut

For a long time I lived only in places that had either washers and dryers in the apartment, or laundromats on site.  Now, however, I rent a small house in Provo, Utah, just off 9^th East, and (cool as the house is) it has no laundry facilities.  Accordingly, Laura and I are required to do our laundry at local laundromats.  Most commonly, we patronize The Wash Hut on the corner of 5^th East and 6^th North.

 

As laundromats go, The Wash Hut is pretty decent.  It costs $1.50 to do a small load of laundry, and $2.50 for a large load.  Drying is $0.25 per ten minutes (usually, though there have been times when it was mysteriously more or less).  Though those prices seem like a rip-off to me, they are also comparable to and competitive with other laundromats in Provo, so they’re at least fair within the community.  Also, The Wash Hut is large and has enough washers and dryers that I’ve never had trouble getting my wash done, even at busy times.  It's open Monday through Saturday, 7 AM -11 PM.      

 

Where the Wash Hut really excels is in all the extras it provides.  First, there is usually someone present, in the office, in case something goes wrong.  I’ve been to other facilities that seem like no one has come to clean up or do repairs since the 1990s.  In The Wash Hut’s case, everything is clean-ish and in working order.  While that might seem like the bare minimum for a decent laundromat, The Wash Hut also provides change machines, old arcade games, and free hangers.  While having some of these things (like the change machines) might seem like common sense, The Wash Hut’s strength is that they actually work. 

 

Probably the best thing about The Wash Hut is its free wireless Internet.  As I write this, for example, I am actually doing my laundry.  They have a protected network, but the password is posted on the office door.  Given the size and potential for relative anonymity at the facility, it might be my new favorite wi-fi hotspot.  (I actually hate going to cafes and stores to connect to the Internet.  It seems like they’re never big enough or don’t have a place to sit, or have a line of customers trying to read my emails out of the corners of their eyes.)

 

In the end, you probably don’t want to spend all day hanging out at The Wash Hut, but if you need to do your laundry, send an email, or play an arcade game, its not a bad place to be.  And while I wouldn’t recommend anything from the vending machines, if you choose to do your laundry at The Wash Hut you can rest assured that you clothes are getting clean and you won’t get mugged while waiting for them.