Helensville Laundromat

22/12/2023

Helensville Laundromat will be closed for 3 days from 24 -26 Dec 2023.
Marry Christmas!

22/12/2021

18/08/2020

Hi customers

We, the Helensville Laundromat, will open throughout the Level 3 period, but pls keep the rules, 2m distance, wearing masks, using hand sanitiser provided, and most importantly scan our QR code for the purpose of tracing just in case.

In addition, we will strictly keep the opening hours, 7am - 8pm. From 7:30 PM, you should calculate if the cycle can be finished before 8 PM. If you think it's not finishing by 8PM, you'd better come back following day.

28/03/2020

Hi Community members

Our laundromat will open during the lockdown period as it is idenfied as an essential service.

However, we have to follow the following rules:

- Keep the 2 meters rule at all times inside and outside of the laundromat
- One at a time in our laundromat, stric 'one-in, one-out' policy should be strictly kept.
- Folding tables are not in use to minimise your stay in the laundromat
- you are allowed inside the laundromat only for the purpose of loading and unloading washers and drivers
- TV is turned off as customers are not allowed to stay in the laundromat
- Cold drinks and coffee is available but can drink only outside or in your car

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult times.

Any inquiries, pls call or text me, 021 211 1457

24/08/2018

NOTICE FOR POWER OUTAGE !!!
Helensville laundromat will be closed due to power outage on Sunday, 26 Aug 2018 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
We will open early in the morning from 6:30am to 9:00am (last load should be before 8:20am), and close during the power outage, and open again from 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
Inquiries: 021 211 1547, Young

01/07/2018

Laundermai is closed due to power outage. Vector indicated that power maybe on again about 10:00 AM.
Will post again when power on.

17/03/2018

Helensville Laundromat Opening Hour, Price and some Tips !!!

Self-Service
Open Seven Days
From 8am To 8 pm

Price for Washing and Drying

Washing:
Small Washer (8Kg): Cold Wash $3, Warm Wash $4
Medium Washer (17Kg) : Cold Wash $6, Warm Wash $7
Large Washer (27Kg): Cold Wash $8, Warm Wash $9

If your clothes are heavily soiled you can select 'heavy soil' for longer washing time for extra $1.

Once the door of washer is shut you cannot stop or open during the course of washing.

Drying: it usually requires about 30 minutes for standard washings, but if your clothes are thick or wet by rain, then drying time should be longer. Also you can choose or change while drying temperatures such as high temperature, medium or low temperature depending on the materials of your clothes with no extra charge.
Small Drier : 32 minutes for $4
Medium Drier: 30 minutes for $5, 36 minutes for $6
Large Drier: 32 minutes for $8

For efficient and effective washings, it is recommended to load the washers up to 2/3 of drums of washers.
For driers, it is important to load up to 1/2 of drums of driers and so let hot airs freely flow between clothes.

It is recommended not to open the drier once it is started, but if you open it during the course of drying, you should press the start botton again otherwise it won't start and time is still ticking but no drying.

We wish you happy washings and dryings!!!

09/05/2017

10 Tips for Washing Clothes at the Laundromat

Living without a washer and dryer sucks big time, let me tell you. First, it stinks to have to “sit with your laundry.” I have distracted myself with a couple of trips to the Dollar Store in between loads, but honestly, the appeal is wearing off quickly. Also, for the record, I am pretty sure all of the slasher movies ever made from here on out should be made at Laundromats.

“Surviving” the laundromat is pretty much the only way to describe it. Am I being dramatic? Maybe a little, I totally get that there ARE normal people that go to the laundromat–they do not, however, seem to be going to my personal laundromat.

So, if you ever find yourself regularly using the laundromat, here’s a couple of tips to make it less painful:
1. Sort BEFORE you go. The key is to get in and get out. Remember what I said about the slasher movies? Well, you don’t want to be an unwilling character in one, so the key is speed.

2. Strive for simplicity. For the same reasons above, do all stain pre-treatments before you go. Also, this just means you have to carry less in with you. Lugging in the laundry is bad enough. Keep things simple by only bringing laundry, detergent and dryer sheets. Bare bones, my friends, bare bones.

3. Choose an off-ish hour. Now, I am not suggesting going in at 1 a.m. In fact, I would caution you against that, but being able to go in and do every load at one time {using 3-4 washers} is a real time saver. Middle of the day seems to be best…evenings after work or Saturday and Sundays are busy, though, so getting enough washers and dryers to do all the work at once is trickier.

4. Take the time to wipe out the washers and dryers before you use them. Listen, I am not really a germaphobe, but you can’t be sure that that washer didn’t get used to wash a puke-stained comforter from the Frat house down the street. It’s a basic precaution.

5. Smell the machine before you use it. Smell to see if someone used bleach in it the cycle before you. If so, avoid putting your darks in it. Sometimes, people go buck nuts with the bleach, and boom, next think you know, your jeans are acid washed. Not good.

6. Bring a large black garbage bag. The weather here in New Zealand can turn on you fast, and quite frankly, after spending $6.00 into a dryer, the last thing you want to do is take your freshly dried laundry out into the rain. Plus, even if it is sunny, you can always wear the garbage bag–trust me, you will fit right in.

7. Keep gold coins and have them at the ready. Sure, you can usually coins at the change machine in the laundromat, but it’s just easier to have them ready to go. Remember, we want in and out. Fast, fast, fast.

8. Remember to check all of the settings. Whoever did laundry before you might have turned the settings to a small load on scorching hot. Check all of the settings such as cold, warm or hot wash with heavy cycle or light cycle etc, each and every time you wash to make sure

9. I know it is hard to just sit there while your laundry is washing, but remember leave your churning clothes unattended at your own risk. If you don’t get back in time, someone may just take the liberty of piling your clothes on top of one of the tables in order to use the machine. No one needs their unmentionables on display for all of the laundromat patrons to see.

10. Remember to bring a basket to bring all of your laundry home in. The bags you hauled them in will work, but you may have a wrinkled mess by the time you get home. I like to stash a basket in the back of the car, and then, when it is time, quickly fold the laundry and drape the hang-up clothing over the top.

Hope every body enjoy your washings in your local laundromat.

05/05/2017

What size of washer would suit your load of washings?

When you go to wash your washings in the laundromat, you can see the washing machines in different sizes, so it’s important to choose one that perfectly suits the size or volume of your washings.

If you choose a washer that’s too small, you’ll have to waste time and effort running multiple cycles. But if you pick an oversized appliance, you’ll lose money on that you’re not really using.

Figuring out the right size washing machine for your load of washings can be tricky, but if you overload your washings into smaller washers than required, your laundry come out probably not properly washed.

What does a washer’s capacity in kilograms mean?

In our laundromat, there are 3 sizes of washers, 8kg, 18kg and 27kg which does not refer to the weight of the machines itself. Instead, this figure describes the weight of the laundry load that the machine can comfortably and efficiently clean, without using excess power, or taking up too much time.

Does a washing machine’s capacity in kilograms measured in WET or DRY clothes?

As anyone who’s tried to walk through a thunderstorm in a thick pair of denim jeans knows, clothes get heavier when wet.
For example, five dripping wet towels would perhaps weigh twice as much as five dry towels. And as a washing machine is in the business of taking dry clothes and making them wet, this measurment can indeed be a bit confusing. But the answer for you is, its’ dry cloths not wet clothes.

So when you see an appliance described as a 8 kg washing machine, you’ll know that it can efficiently clean 8kg of dry clothes. Obviously these clothes will get heavier once they become wet, but don’t worry – the machine’s been made to handle it.

How many items of clothing make up each kilogram of laundry?
While washing machine capacity is measured in kilograms, we don’t always think of our laundry loads in terms of weight (unless we’re carrying them!).

One way to work out what size washing machine will suit your load is to find the weight of your average laundry load and select the washer with a matching capacity. You could do this either by weighing each individual item on a kitchen scale and adding up their total mass, or by standing on a set of bathroom scales while carrying a full wash load in a basket, and subtracting your own weight.

But for a quick and simple alternative that doesn’t involve scales, use the following guidelines to estimate your load size:
1kg of laundry = 5 shirts OR 1 shirt + 1 pair of denim jeans OR 2 bath towels
So by following this guideline, a 8kg washing machine should be able to efficiently clean a load of around 40 shirts, or 16 bath towels.

Obviously, these measurements can only be used as general guidelines. After all, clothes come in all manner of shapes, sizes and styles, and it’s pretty rare for anyone’s laundry load to consist of just one type of garment.

But if you can work out the approximate size of your household’s average laundry load, and compare it to these guidelines, you can get a better idea of what size washing machine will best suit your needs. For example, if your growing family’s dirty washing basket holds the equivalent of 50 shirts, then the 8kg washing machine is not big enough to get the lot washed properly.

Now, we’re referring to large and bulky pieces of laundry, and what size of machine will best be able to wash them.
Bulky items like blankets, curtains and doonas need a lot of room to wash properly. A washing machine with a smaller capacity, may not only give your bulky items a bad clean as the water won’t be able to free flow around them, but it could also damage your items if they were to catch, tangle, stretch or tear.
source: wikipedia

According to the folks, as a general guideline, you’ll want a washer with a capacity of at least 6kg to efficiently wash the blanket from a single-sized bed. Doubles will need 7kg, Queens 8kg, and Kings 9kg. And for a full-sized set of floor-to-ceiling curtains, you’ll want a washer with a capacity of at least 10kg to clean them well. Remember though, if you want to wash bulkier items without wear and tear, try to choose a washer with a bigger capacity and read the washing instructions of your items for the best possible result.

Pictured – approximately 6 or 7 kilograms of laundry

23/11/2016

YOUNG PARK, HELENSVILLE LAUNDROMAT
(Article on Helensville Community News, Jan 2016)

By Helen Martin

When Jin Choi and Young Park established Helensville Automotive near the town’s southern entrance last year they also converted the existing house into a home for themselves and a laundromat, which is now up and running.
While Jin gets on with panelbeating and restoring cars Young runs the laundromat. She has been in New Zealand for 25 years, has a Masters degree in language teaching and is a licensed immigration advisor and interpreter. As well as working with fellow Koreans, her immigration company helps people from places like Vanuatu, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and many other countries. She also has experience interpreting in court, hospitals, police stations and community organisations. Young likes the flexibility of being able to run her immigration and laundromat businesses while also helping Jin out with the panelbeating business.
People are very grateful that Helensville now has a laundromat, Young says. The self-service operation has seven washers and 11 driers of three different sizes to suit the size of the load. The washing and drying cycles take about 30 minutes each. There is a television for customers who choose to wait on the premises. Young asks customers who leave to respect each other by returning promptly to collect their washing when it is ready to allow waiting customers to use the machines.
An aspect of the business Young really enjoys is that after people have put their washing in the machines they relax. Some like to share their personal stories, telling her about their families and sometimes sharing their worries. It reminds her of when, as a girl back in Korea, she used to follow her mother to the communal washing place in the village and listen to the stories the women shared.
After the laundromat was opened Young and Jin responded to requests to install a coffee machine with drinks and snacks. It hadn’t been there long when a man tried to steal it, dragging it outside and prizing it open. The machine was empty, so he went away with nothing, but the blood he left behind led to his arrest a few months later down country, a good outcome, everyone agreed, given that these people are providing a much-needed service for the whole community.
Young and Jin are enjoying settling in here and getting to know people. They’re proud that their work is being so warmly received and the community is very pleased to have them here.

19/11/2016

Recently, I found 'Paper Laundry Detergent' which makes your laundry washing chore easier, healthier, more economical, and much kinder to our planet. I bought two different brands available in the market. Today I would like to introduce one of the two, Disolve.

As you see on the photos it looks like a sheet or strip of paper but this is a biodegradable detergent. The good things are:
Readily biodegradable
Safe for septics
Hypoallergenic
Phosphate-free
Free of added dyes
Free of chlorine bleach
Free of 1,4-dioxane
Paraben-free
Vegan ingredients, no animal testing

It is light, easy to use and massy free. I believe that our laundromat can be managed better and cleaner. It turns out a strip of detergent can and does get your laundry clean, leaves no residue, and results in no waste. It would make my laundromat mess-free, no too much detergent, no heavy bottle to carry with your already heavy load of washings.

You load your clothes and put the paper in detergent dispenser of washing machines in the laundromat and start washers. For small loads, 1 strip is enough, for bigger loading 2 strips would work well and for Xtra Large load or heavy soiled washigs 3 strips might me better.

You can buy the product in the laundromat or contact the office behind the house next to the laundromat.