The Wishy Wash Laundromat
635 East University
Blvd, Silver Spring, Maryland 20901
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
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Do
you pickup and deliver in my area?
- In northwest Washington
DC our routes cover the Connecticut Ave corridor as far
south as Porter Street NW; the Wisconsin Ave
corridor as far south as Calvert Street NW; and the Mass Ave corridor south to
Garfield Street NW.
- We also have service
along the Georgia Ave, 3rd Street, and 16th Street corridors
in Maryland and upper northwest DC approximately as far south as Missouri
Ave/Military Rd.
- In Montgomery County
our routes cover Silver Spring and Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, Kensington,
Wheaton, Aspen Hill, Olney, Laytonsville, Montgomery Village,
the Kentlands, part of Germantown, and most of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Bethesda.
We are starting to expand into Potomac, so residents there
can call 301-928-1965 to see if we can provide service.
- We sometimes adjust
our routes, expand them, and do pickups outside our normal
areas, especially for very large orders. Please call 301-928-1965
or send e-mail to
see if we can service your address.
- For
residents in hotels/motels: Sorry, we don't provide pickup/delivery
service to residents in hotels/motels, because our pickup/delivery
service is based on routes and fixed schedules. Guests in
motels/hotels typically need same-day or next-day service,
so we recommend that you drop off your clothes at The Wishy
Wash for fast service.
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Jessica
: "I love dirty clothes."
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What is the turnaround time from
pickup to delivery?
- We have one delivery
vehicle and run two main routes: one in upper northwest D.C.
on Tuesday and Friday; and one in Montgomery County on Monday-Thursday.
| Schedule |
If
we pickup on:
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Mon
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Tue
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Wed*
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Thu
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Fri
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Sat
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We
deliver on:
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Thu
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Fri
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Fri*
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Mon
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Tue
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Wed
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- Depending on your location,
we can often pickup and deliver your laundry "off schedule"
a little quicker than shown, and usually we can provide speedier
service for first-time callers who have a large laundry backup
to get caught up.
- You also have the option
of dropping off and picking up your laundry at The Wishy Wash
if you need faster turnaround (same day or next day service,
for example).
* Currently limited to
a few large commercial accounts
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Yesenia, Silmyt, Daisy
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How do I set up a Pick-up
& Delivery account?
- Call 301-928-1965 between
8:30am - 5:00pm, or leave a message anytime, and we'll return
your call as soon as possible to answer your questions, set
up an account, and determine a pick-up/delivery schedule.
- If you leave a voice
mail, please include your address or a simple description
of your location (e.g., "... near the intersection of
Connecticut Ave NW and Jocelyn St").
- You can also e-mail
info@wishywash.com
to ask questions or leave information. We check e-mail once
a day, early in the morning, so please use the telephone if
you need a quicker response.
NOTE: Our delivery service
is based on routes, so if you need same day or next day service,
it's usually faster if you drop off your clothes at the Wishy
Wash.
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Do I have to be at home
when you pickup and deliver?
- No. In fact, we usually
don't take new customers who have to be home when we pickup/deliver.
To become a regular pickup/delivery customer, you usually
need to provide us with access to your clothes without your
being there. We make exceptions for commercial accounts, customers
with very large orders, or customers who are "always
home."
- These are the most common
options that our customers provide:
- An easily accessible
area, like a porch, front stoop, carport, back yard, etc.
- Access to the lobby
of apartment buildings with front desk attendants, where
customers can leave and retrieve laundry orders. [The
management staff at some buildings do not accept laundry,
so please check before choosing this option.]
- A key or alarm code
to access apartment buildings that don't have an attended
front desk, in which case customers leave their laundry
in the lobby or outside their apartment door.
- A key to access customers'
apartments, so we can pickup and deliver inside the apartments.
We understand that providing
access to your apartment might make you uncomfortable, but over
the last 10 years
we have accessed dozens of apartments and homes hundreds of
times without incident.
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Lupita
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How do you calculate the
charges?
- We remove items from
your bag that are not priced by the pound (e.g., comforters,
rugs, bathroom sets, some duvets, etc.), then we weigh your
remaining clothes on a legal scale checked annually for accuracy
by a serious looking guy from Maryland's Dept of Agriculture.
We calculate the
per-pound charges and add them to the charges for items priced
separately.
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Anita's daughter, Angelina,
is checking out the washers.
| "Thank
you so much for being so flexible. Your service has been
invaluable. " (Email from SR, commericial
account). |
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| How
does invoicing and payment work?
At the laundromat:
We accept cash, credit cards, and debit cards for orders you
drop-off and pick-up yourself at the laundromat. We do not accept
checks.
For pick-up & delivery
service: We set up a payment method when you start your
account with us. We accept credit and debit cards for personal
and commercial accounts, and we accept checks from commercial
accounts.
- Pick-up & Delivery
customers set up an account at The Wishy Wash that includes
a credit card or debit card number that we charge after processing
laundry and drycleaning.
- We e-mail invoices in
PDF format that itemize charges and payments. Invoicing by
e-mail is free.
- We limit access to credit
card information to the Wishy Wash owners, we do not share
any customer information, and there is no credit card information
in the invoice we send via e-mail.
- Pricing
for pickup/delivery is higher than pricing
for dropoff and pickup at the laundromat.
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Do I call each time I need
laundry service?
- You can, or you can
go onto a schedule. Probably 90% of customers use a once weekly
pickup/delivery, 5% get a pickup/delivery every other week,
and about 5% call or e-mail whenever they need service.
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Silmyt "La
Fantastica"
logging in the day's laundry pickups.
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What time should I put
out my clothes for pickup?
- Please have your
clothes ready for pickup not later than 8:00am, especially
if you live close to the laundromat (which places you earlier
on the schedule). We have only one delivery vehicle, and we
are the most popular pickup/delivery service for laundry in
the DC Metro area ... which means we have to start our routes
early.
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Do I have to label my bags
with my name and address?
- No, we use a color-coded
numbering system to identify each of your bags, whether you
get pickup/delivery service or drop off your clothes at the
laundromat. Your numbers track your order while it's in the
bags, in the washers, dryers, and laundry carts, and in the
clean bags that contain your finished order.
Do I have to attach an
inventory form to my laundry?
- No. We track your clothes
by weight, not by the item. We weigh your clothes before we
process your order and again after we finish it to be sure
we're returning the same volume of clothes that you gave us
- so you don't have to fill out an inventory form.
- But ... you can add
an inventory form if it makes you more comfortable, or if
you just want to draw our attention to a few items in your
laundry. If you do decide to inventory your entire order
and want us to do likewise, we can add a 10 cents per pound
surcharge.
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Ice
cream is very important when you're doing laundry.
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What happens if I go on
a trip, just don't need a pickup, or forget to put out my clothes
on my scheduled pickup day?
- You can cancel pickups
by sending e-mail to info@wishywash.com
up to the evening before the scheduled pickup day, or you
can call or text to the delivery number (301-928-1965) up to the time
our vehicle starts for your neighborhood.
- If we come to your residence
on a scheduled pickup/delivery day and there are no clothes,
or we can't access your clothes, or we can't deliver your
clothes, then we charge a $10 'Empty Run' fee to help cover
the costs incurred. If you miss a pickup, we will come to
your house again on the next scheduled pickup day, unless
you reschedule with us.
- If you have two consecutive
empty runs, we remove you from the fixed schedule, but you
can still call or e-mail whenever you need laundry service.

Back Row: Luz and Helyn
Middle Row: Silmyt, Daisy,
Yesenia, Anita and Angie, Jessie (Daisy's daughter), Vicky
Front Row: Amparo, Valerie
(Daisy's)
Just as I was taking
this picture, our very pregnant Daisy said, "Oh! The
baby is moving!" Yesenia reached back to touch Daisy's
stomach while trying to smile at the same time. SNAP!
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Do you mix my clothes with
other peoples' clothes?
- No. Unlike some laundromats
that offer wash-dry-fold service, we always put your clothes
in your own washers and dryers, just as you would do. We label
each washer, dryer, and laundry cart with your identifying
information.
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Ana retrieving
a WDF order.
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What kind of soap, bleaches, and
softeners do you use?
- Soap: We use
two premium quality detergents that are made for commercial
laundries; one contains oxygenated bleach and the other doesn't.
We use the first detergent almost exclusively, and the second
detergent when we can't use oxygenated bleach. Compare these
detergents (which cost $40 - $50 for 50 pounds) with soaps
that many laundromats use for wash-dry-fold that cost about
$14.95 for a 50-lb bucket. We never use cheap soap at The
Wishy Wash.
- Bleach: We use
oxygenated bleaches (e.g., Oxyclean, Clorox 2) almost exclusively
in order to avoid "accidents" from chlorine bleach.
We rarely use chlorine bleach because the oxygenated bleaches
do such a superior job without danger of damaging clothes.
- Softener: We
use Downy softener or vinegar (safe, natural) in washers and
Bounce softener sheets in dryers.
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Julie, Jenny,
Massiel (front)
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What
constitutes "normal" processing for Wash-Dry-Fold
orders?
Washers
- In the washers we use
a premium quality detergent, and Clorox bleach for whites.
- We use cold water on
colored clothes and hot water on whites.
Dryers
- We use Bounce softener
sheets
- We use the 'high' temperature
setting for most loads, medium or low heat for fabrics with
self-esteem issues.
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Can I elect other than
"normal" processing?
- Yes, we make cards for
pickup/delivery customers that list their preferences. Some
people prefer non-allergenic laundering products, some prefer
Downy liquid softener instead of Bounce softener, etcetera.
You can describe your preferences when you sign up for service
or adjust them at any time by calling 301-928-1965 or e-mailing
info@wishywash.com.
- Customers who drop-off
orders at the store just need to describe their preferences
to the attendant taking the order .
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Can you "drip dry"
or "flat dry" delicate clothes, such as sweaters?
- No, we don't have any
capacity in the laundromat to drip dry or flat dry items.
When we find items in customers' WDF bags with instructions
to drip dry or flat dry, we wash them in cold water and air-dry
them on no heat. If you decide to send these items in your
laundry, it's always best to separate them in a plastic bag
with a note directing our attention to the special handling.
- For best results, we
recommend that you dryclean items that need to be drip dried
or flat dried.
What if I need non-allergenic
soap or softeners?
- Starting in May 2009,
we contracted to have a premium quality hypoallergenic soap
made specifically to satisfy The Wishy Wash's requirements.
The new soap has a natural citrus aroma, contains no added
perfumes or dyes, and does a great job of cleaning. We also
use Downy and Bounce products that are free of perfumes and
dyes. We might change brands without notice, but we will always
use premium quality products.
- You also have the option
of providing your own preferred brand.
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Getting ready to work? ... Finishing
work? ... Goofing off?
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Do you pre-spot stains?
- We treat stains
if we think our stain treatments can be effective.
It is almost impossible to remove some stains without special
chemicals or repeated treatments (ink and severe grass stains
are examples).
- Unless you agree to
added charges, we do not pre-soak or rewash clothes containing
difficult stains.
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How do I know how many
pounds of clothing I have? Is there a minimum?
- The minimum pickup/delivery
charge is for about 14 pounds ($19.00). We can pick up fewer
than 14 pounds, but we're still going to charge $19.00.
- For reference, white
13-gallon kitchen trash bags generally hold about 12-14 pounds
of clothes. Jeans
are heavier than t-shirts; t-shirts are heavier than lingerie,
so the poundage can vary. The white bag Jenny is holding (at
right) weighed 17.4 pounds. The big red bag that Yesenia is
holding at the front of this picture
held about 60 pounds.
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Jenny
Palma finishes a Wash-Dry-Fold order. We typically wash
10,000 - 12,000 pounds of laundry every month.
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What if I send Wash-Dry-Fold
and drycleaning that together exceed $19.00?
- Dry cleaning does not
count towards the Wash-Dry-Fold minimum of $19, because the
two are processed separately. When you meet the Wash-Dry-Fold
minimum, there is no minimum for accompanying dry cleaning
or shirt laundry. If you send only dry cleaning and/or shirt
laundry with no Wash-Dry-Fold, the minimum is $25.
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What IS covered by the
basic "per pound" price?
- Our basic "per
pound" price covers items that can be sorted into light-colored
loads, dark-colored loads, and loads of white clothes. The
basic price includes premium detergents & softeners; washing,
drying, folding (matching as many socks as possible); and
packaging in shrink-wrapped plastic bundles.
- For pickup/delivery
customers, the pickup/delivery prices already include the
cost of pickup/delivery (there is no additonal charge except
the fuel surcharge).
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What is NOT covered by
the basic "per pound" price?
- We charge separately
for items that can't be included in our sort of dark/light/white
items (comforters, mattress covers, most duvets, sleeping
bags, rugs, and cleaning rags, for example). These items are
the ones we see most commonly, but there may be others that
require separate handling and extra attention, and
we price them by the item. Please
tell us if you have these or similar items in your bag.
- We charge 'Cost + $3.50'
for bathroom sets (rugs and toilet seat covers) accompanying
a WDF order, which means you pay the price that our self-service
customers pay to use the same washers and dryers - plus $3.50.
As an example, the typical 'Cost + $3.50' price to do a set
of bathroom rugs with seat cover is about $7.00.
- If an attendant determines
that a separate washer/dryer needs to be used to process one
or two items - an amount that falls far short of a full load
in our smallest machines - then we will charge 'Cost + $3.50'
for the extra processing.
- This is a good place
to remind you that you are responsible for isolating items
(in a plastic bag, for example) that could cause damage to
other items in your laundry bag. When we see wet dishcloths
or cleaning towels in a plastic bag, we don't know if they're
just wet or contaminated with household cleaning products
(in which case you should also include a note to let us know
about the need for separate processing). Without a note from
you, we might process something separately that doesn't need
separate processing (more expense for you), or not separate
something that should have been (possible damage to your clothes).
If you don't leave us a note with instructions, then you agree
to accept the results of our decision.
- Please remember to
pack your clothes into a laundry bag. A
$5.00 charge can apply if our driver has to pack your
clothes into a bag because you left them unpacked on the
floor or in a laundry basket.
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Gaby:
" You want your order WHEN??"
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Is there a pickup/delivery charge
in addition to the charge per pound?
- The charge per pound
covers pickup/delivery and the cost of premium detergents,
bleaches, and softeners.
- When fuel prices are
$2.00 or more, we add a small fuel
surcharge to help cover the increased costs while avoiding
across the board increases in 'per pound' laundry prices.
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Yesenia and Jenny
How do I
prepare my clothes for the first pickup?
- For the first pickup
just put your clothes into plastic trash bags and leave them
where we can access them. We will lend you nylon laundry bags
if you elect a weekly or twice-monthly schedule, otherwise,
continue to use plastic trash bags.
- You don't need to sort
your clothes (but you do need to prevent wet dark-colored
clothes from touching light-colored clothes - put the wet
dark-colored clothes in a plastic bag). The attendants at
the laundromat sort your clothes into whites, lights, and
darks. They also separate other items that need to be handled
(and charged) separately (e.g., rugs, comforters. blankets,
cleaning rags).
- Do not put clothes that
need to be line-dried or air-dried in your wash-dry-fold orders;
put clothes that can't go into our dryers into drycleaning
bags, instead.
- Be sure to put items
that need to be drycleaned or washed-and-pressed into a different
bag from your wash-dry-fold items.

Vicky showing
a customer how to use our simple smart card system (no more
quarters!)
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Prevent Color Bleed-over
-
We
commonly see damage to customers' clothes that is caused
when customers toss a wet, dark-colored item (e.g., a
facecloth, towel, dishtowel) with light-colored items
in a pile of laundry or mix them in the laundry bag. The
wet dark-colored item bleeds onto the light-colored item
when they rub together (especially if the wet item is
new).
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Bleed-over
problems that occur in laundry bags or in piles of laundry
at your house typically appear as blotches or smears (as
opposed to light-colored items that completely change
color by being washed with a dark-colored item that bled).
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We
automatically separate clothes into lights, darks, and
whites - even if there's only one item for a particular
category, we wash it separately - expressly to prevent
bleed-over damage. Our attendants also use a product called
"Color Catcher" to trap potential transient
dyes, if necessary, but the product can't repair damage
that has already occurred in your laundry bag.
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Put
wet items that you think might cause a problem into a
plastic bag to keep them separated from other clothes.
Prevent
Discoloration, Rust and Bleach
Spots
- Household cleaners
contain ingredients that can cause spotting or discoloration
that many people mistake to be damage from clorine bleach.
Cleaning sprays, liquids, and foams that come in contact
with nearby clothing, towels, and linens can cause residual
discoloration in the fabric if you are not careful when
you are cleaning bathrooms, makeup areas, and kitchens.
- Items that have
been contaminated in this way often lose color in spots
or appear as brown 'rust spots' when they are washed and
dried (which is why you often don't see the damage before
laundering the items). Another symptom is that the spots
do not appear on most items of clothing in the washload,
but only on the small number of items that were contaminated
by the household cleaner.
- Discoloration caused
by household cleaning products is permanent.
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What happens if clothes
in my Wash-Dry-Fold order are damaged?
Before you contact us about
damage. please consider that many factors affecting your clothes
are outside of our control.
- We do our best to find
and remove items from pockets, but we can not be responsible
for items that you leave in your pockets or put into your
laundry bag which damage clothes or become damaged themselves.
Items such as pens, lipstick, crayons, oil, and many others
can cause extensive damage to clothes in washers and dryers.
- We can not guarantee
against color loss and shrinkage or against damage to weak
and tender fabrics; nor can we guarantee against color bleed-over
from new clothes or clothes with poorly set dyes. Bleed-over
often occurs when wet items rub against other items inside
a customer's laundry bag (see 'prevent bleed-over' above).
- We do our best to identify
and remove dryclean-only items, but we can not be responsible
for damage to dryclean-only items that you put into your laundry
bag and we don't identify and remove.
- We can't be held responsible
if your clothing is damaged by items you put in your laundry
bag that were used with harsh cleaning products and should
be processed separately (dishcloths and cleaning towels, for
example). Be sure to isolate such items from the rest of your
laundry (in a plastic bag, for example).
- We can not be responsible
for normal wear and tear, pre-existing damage, severe soiling
that requires special treatment, or "lost socks" and similar
mismatches.
- We do not accept claims
for allegedly damaged items that we can not verify, so you
must notify us while our digital camera recordings are still
accessible in order for us to confirm your claim (normally
within 10 days of delivery).
- Our company's liability
with respect to any damaged article shall not exceed 10 times
our charge for processing it.
Bottom line: You
are responsible for what you put into your laundry bag.
Please tell us if
there are items in your laundry that require special handling
or that you want to account for specifically on the invoice;
otherwise, we accept your bulk laundry "as is" and you
agree to accept it from The Wishy Wash "as is."
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Jenny doing some painting
to keep the place looking nice.
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What happens if clothes
in my Wash-Dry-Fold order are lost?
- Our processing is so
tightly controlled that it is unlikely that we would lose
or misplace items of your clothing. Regardless, if you think
that you are missing clothes from an order, please contact
us within a week of your order being delivered. We will check
your work ticket for the weigh-in and weigh-out numbers, look
through our lost and found, check with the attendant who did
your order, and review our system of 16 surveillance cameras
to confirm the presence or absence of items during the processing
of your order.
- We do not accept claims
for allegedly missing items that we can not verify, so you
must notify us while our digital camera recordings are still
accessible in order for us to confirm your claim.
- Our company's liability
with respect to any lost article shall not exceed 10 times
our charge for processing it.
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Are pickup/delivery prices more
expensive than if I drop off and pick up my clothes at the laundromat
myself?
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Jenny: "Thank
God it's Friday!"
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Can I get my clothes returned on
hangers?
- Yes, we can put clothes
on hangers for .10/hanger.
Do you match up pairs of socks?
- Attendants spend up
to 15 minutes per order matching socks, which is enough to
match all pairs in most orders.
- As you know, matching
socks can be very time-consuming, so rather than increase
prices to match every pair in very large orders, we include
up to 15 minutes of sock matching in our basic price.
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How does your drycleaning service
work?
- We take your drycleaning
and laundering that requires pressing to Sassy Cleaners in
Rockville, MD. Consumer Checkbook magazine consistently rates
Sassy as best in quality in the Metro DC area, and
our experience with Sassy over the last three years bears
that out. The quality of their work is exceptional.
- Our pricing for drycleaning
is the same price or less than you would pay if you took your clothes
directly to Sassy Cleaners.
Drycleaning for Pickup and Delivery
Customers:
- Our pickup and delivery
prices for drycleaning are the same or less than Sassy's store
prices, so for this great quality you pay about the same price
you would if you dropped off and picked up the clothes
there yourself - it's the best drycleaning delivery deal in
the Metro DC area.
- We can pickup and deliver
your drycleaning at the same time we pickup/deliver your wash-dry-fold
order.
- Do not put your drycleaning
or laundering that requires pressing into the same bag as
your wash-dry-fold; if you do, we won't know you have drycleaning
until our attendants open your wash-dry-fold bag, which will
probably be too late to ensure on-time delivery of your drycleaning.
Our goal is to get your drycleaning to Sassy on the same day
we pick it up.
- The minimum order for
pickup/delivery for drycleaning only is $25. There is no drycleaning
minimum if you also have a wash-dry-fold order.
- NOTE: We do not accept
pickup/delivery customers who only want to do 'shirt laundry.
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The Wishy Wash processes
10,000 -12,000 lbs of clothes each month for customers like
you, and we seldom hear a complaint. We work hard to do a good
job for you, and we think you'll be very pleased with the results.
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"Hey,
ladies, look! Another wash-dry-fold customer just walked in!"
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