The Evolving Life of a Road Warrior: Laundry

Laundry is a task that can, and hopefully will, be improved upon from now until the end of time. Certainly I've evolved since starting 12 hours of weekly travel in October.

Yesteryear

It wasn't long ago now that I'd pack up my duffle bag in frantic frenzy Thursday morning before checking out of the Kimpton and skipping down the road to the week's last on-site day at the client. Ten billable hours later we'd head to the Corner Bakery, partially lured by free WiFi, to wane the hours down until our 11:00PM flight back to Chicago.

There are two large problems with this scenario.

1. I'm carrying the same clothes back and forth
2. I'm spending 3 hours and $1.50 washing them on a shortened weekend

Courtyard to the Rescue

A transition to the local (8 miles farther) Marriott was in order for other reasons, but it also had the very important perk of coin laundry. There are more pro tips than one might expect in the game of hotel-based laundry, so let's take this journey together!

Step 1: Locate Laundry

The folks at the front desk will be more than happy to help you out. After all, they've handed you a SpongeBob & Dora key. When's the last time you saw someone frown and hand you a Nick Jr key?

Jackpot. This place has a SpeedQueen Commercial Washer and Dryer. Wisconsin's finest laundry equipment will have your work clothes clean in no time...or, as the sign says, one hour and 15 minutes.

Step 2: Locate Detergent

And what's this signage smiling back at me? It looks like we're headed back to the front desk, friend. Free Tide and Bounce await. I certainly don't have Bounce at home!

Step 3: Locate 7 Quarters

That's right, we'll be out an additional $0.25 after this expedition. A small price to pay for not having to carry clothes 3,490 miles. It also opens up the intriguing first-row exit seats. With nothing to stow overhead, the exit row is our oyster. Shown here are three quarters, because I wrote this blogpost after starting the washer.

Step 4: Transfer Suitcase to Washer

Looks like we're winning again. This luxurious Samsonite suitcase is the perfect size for one week's worth of clothes. It's also the perfect size for one SpeedQueen Commercial Washer.

Step 5: 4 Quarters into Washer

This step is on easy mode. Fill up the right-most slots with quarters, and away you go. Push the Greenwald Vertical 5 in, pull it out, and start your stare at the beige walls. These clothes can't be left unattended. One might say now is the time to start said blog post.

Step 6: 3 Quarters into the Dryer

We've been standing in a tiny laundry room for half an hour by now, crafting our next Blogger entry. Hopefully it's Wednesday night, so we're all prepared for the next week to be laundry-free. Of course it's actually 34 minutes past California midnight on Monday because we've been trying to get the lone washer in the building since arriving at 9 with no success.

All right. Clothes in washer. Good to go.

Step 7: Hang Up Clothes

The dryer certainly didn't get them entirely dry! We'll be using these apparatuses, which science has yet to come up with a name for*:

Hangers by Andrew Morrell Photography, on Flickr

Step 8: Check Bag Over Weekend

All you need is a luggage claim check and a friendly employee. Fortunately, the Courtyard has both =)

Fun Fact SG Hill is in no way affiliated with SpeedQueen or any of its competitors.

* That's a nod to the extremely dry British comedy series, Look Around You