How to Prepare Laundry for Pickup: The Two-Minute Checklist
Everything to do before a laundry pickup, from pockets and bag ties to gate codes, detergent choices and where to leave the bags.
It takes two minutes, and it matters
Laundry pickup is meant to be the easiest chore you have. The whole job on your end is two minutes the night before: fill, tie, check the pockets, put the bags out. But those two minutes decide whether your laundry comes back perfect or comes back with a tissue shredded through every dark item. Here is the checklist we send every customer the day before, with the reasons behind each line.
The bags
- Standard 13-gallon kitchen trash bags, any brand. They are the unit we price by, so a tied 13-gallon bag is one load at one price. Bigger bags or bags you cannot tie count as two.
- Tie the top with a plain knot. Not a twist tie, not a clip. A knot survives the ride; the others do not.
- Do not double-bag. One bag is fine. We bring your clean laundry back in fresh bags, so you are not losing anything.
- Sort only if you want to. Each bag is its own load. Lights in one bag and darks in another is the only sorting you need, and most people skip it.
The pockets
This is the one that matters most. Empty every pocket in every garment. Pens, tissues, receipts, earbuds, lip balm, cash, keys and hair ties are the usual pocket finds, and three of those can ruin an entire load. A tissue turns into lint across everything dark. A pen marks a whole bag. Earbuds do not survive a dryer, and anything left in a pocket is not covered by our Protection policy.
Two other habits that help: turn jeans and hoodies right side out, and unroll socks. Both wash better and take up less room in the bag. A quick way to check pockets on a whole bag is to do it as you pack rather than at the end: pat each garment once as it goes in. It adds about ten seconds a shirt and saves a whole load.
Detergent: three choices
- Fragrance-free (default, free). What most people want, and the right choice for babies, sensitive skin, and anyone who works with the public.
- Scent booster ($1 per bag). A light, clean scent added in the wash. Pick it on the booking form and it is charged with your order.
- Your own detergent (free). Pick "I'll provide mine" and set the bottle or pods on top of your bags. We use it and leave it with the clean laundry.
Where to leave the bags
Outside your front door is the default. If that is not the right spot, tell us in the notes when you book, and it is saved on the order: side door, porch, behind the gate, with the leasing office, in the lobby by the mailboxes. For gated buildings, put the gate code in the notes. We email you the day before with the checklist, and we text when we are on the way, so you will know exactly when the bags need to be out.
Bags are in your care until our pickup text with the photo, and again after our drop-off text with the photo. In a normal week the bags are outside for less than an hour on each end.
What you will hear from us, and when
Everything before pickup day happens by email, so you have a written record. You get a confirmation the moment you book, with your order number, the pickup day and the total. The day before, you get a reminder with this checklist and the bag count you booked; if it has changed, reply and tell us. On the day itself we switch to text: one when the driver is on the way, one with a photo at pickup, and one with a photo at drop-off. If you never see a text on your pickup day, something is wrong and you should email us, because it means we did not make it to your door.
A note on apartments and gated streets: the driver has your notes, not a key. A gate code, a lockbox code for a lobby, or "leave with the leasing office" are all fine. "Call me when you get here" is not, because the whole point is that you do not have to be reachable.
Things to keep at home
Comforters, pillows and duvets. Dry-clean-only pieces, silk, leather and wool. Rugs, curtains and shoes. Anything with grease or paint on it. And anything you would be upset to see shrink slightly: everything is washed and dried on medium heat, which is right for the everyday load and wrong for a cashmere sweater.
Changing your mind
Left out more bags than you booked? Fine. Tell us the new count and we send a link for the difference before we wash. Fewer? We refund the difference. Need a different day? Reply to your confirmation email; changes are free until 8 PM the night before. Ready? Book a pickup for any day this week.