Derry people now washing their dirty laundry in public

By Gareth Cross

Would you be willing to wash your dirty laundry in public?

That's exactly what many Derry people are doing as a new set of outdoor laundry machines are proving very popular at their new location.

The washing and drying machines, outside Centra on the Creggan Road are attracting people from all over Derry to use the service.

A member of staff at the Centra told The Derry News that the service was 'steadily busy throughout the day'.

In April one of Derry's oldest city centre dry cleaning businesses closed its doors for the final time.

Smooth Operators opened its doors at Sackville Street in 1999, where it provided dry cleaning services to both private and commercial customers.

The business shut due to the rising costs of overheads and rates associated with running it.

Revolution Laundry is the company behind the new venture and they have a number of machines across the country.

They also have locations in Buncrana, Letterkenny and Limavady.

A spokesperson for Revolution Laundry said the service was more appealing for customers than the traditional laundrette service.

"The Revolution launderette is not a traditional laundry service with limited opening hours and high costs," the spokesperson said.

"Instead, it is located in the car park and forecourts around the country where it remains open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

"This is ideal for busy homes where there can be so much to do every day that getting the laundry washed and dried is a huge challenge…that is when the Revolution service comes in handy."

The spokesperson said that the service was quick and catered for customers needs.

"The washing cycle only takes 30 minutes and Non-Bio detergent is included in every wash, so there is no need to bring in your own," the spokesperson said.

"The dryer is a large capacity dryer (18 kg) and is great for drying heavy loads in the worst of weather and only takes 15 minutes, depending on the load capacity.

"The launderette is ideal for weekly washing, curtains, duvets, and pillows."