Laundry in Hawai'i

Laundry

Introduction

This page discusses doing laundry while in Hawai'i.

It seems a bit out of place for paradise, as it were, to have to deal with wet and/or dirty clothes. Unless you travel with a steamer trunk full of tropical and beach clothes or use one of the local laundry service companies, this is one reality that has to be dealt with in Hawai'i. This page is intended to give you a few ideas to make the process more orderly if not necessarily any easier or enjoyable. Sorry.

First: A Slight Bit of Bragging

We equip all Sheeler Shelter condominiums with an assortment of items that allow you to tailor (so to speak) the way you handle clothes to the need. These items include a clothes drying rack, fans, and the common laundry products (hypo-allergenic detergent, bleach, and dryer sheets). Most of our units have a full-sized washer and a full-sized, outside-vented dryer.

Other vacation rentals that we've seen often have a number of short-comings that are not apparent until one attempts to do laundry. Items may be missing (no clothes drying rack, no bleach, ...), there may be plastic tubs or plastic bags with mystery laundry chemicals, and/or there's an "apartment sized" (i.e., tiny capacity) stacked washer/dryer. Many units in Kihei vent the dryer into the unit itself injecting heat and humidity into the living space!

Before Entering the Unit

Sand, which is very enjoyable in its place on the beach, is the bane of modern laundry equipment. To the greatest extent feasible, beach towels, beach clothing, and beach equipment should be shaken and/or rinsed off before entering the unit. (There are shower poles at most public beaches and rinse areas on the resort grounds: shower areas by the pool, hoses for larger equipment in the parking lot.) Everything is easier and more comfortable when a moment is taken to rinse off sand.

Drying only?

In many cases, swim wear, beach clothes, and beach towels - once the sand is removed - need only be dried before the next day's use. Resorts prohibit using the lanai as a drying area; you risk a knock on the door if you hang towels or swim suits on the lanai railing or on lanai furniture.

The clothes drying rack (stored in a bedroom closet in the unit) sets up quickly and provides loads of drying capacity. If drying time is at a premium, a fan can be used to accelerate 'natural' drying (setting the fan on 'low' with careful aim is all that's needed). Of course, wringing out as much water as feasible is a key contributor to quick drying.

The dryer is available when there isn't enough time for air drying. It is crucial that nothing with sand in it or on it be put in the dryer.

Washing

Both the top loading washer's tub and the front loading washer's drum can be filled to capacity with fluffed laundry. Do not stuff laundry into the washers; overfilling a washing machine reduces cleaning effectiveness, may harm the clothes, and can damage the machine. Reduce the amount of laundry put into the washer if the laundry is already wet since wet laundry tends to be compressed.

Towels should generally be washed in a load of towels - mixing in clothing or sheets may not give the best results. Of course, bath towel and beach towels (with sand removed!) can be washed together.

You should find all of the basic laundry supplies needed next to the washer and dryer. This includes the laundry detergent, bleach, and dryer softener sheets. (If you are particular about brands or scents, there are several large stores in Kihei and Kahalui that likely carry what you want.) The detergent is the so-called "HE" type (high efficiency) which works with both the traditional (top loading) and the everything-old-is-new-again front loading machines. Carefully follow the recommendations for the amount of detergent to use that is found on the laundry detergent bottle; it may be considerably less than you expect. The same is true for bleach (which now seems to be available only in "concentrated" form).

If you run out of detergent or bleach of dryer sheets, please let us know and we will provide more. Please do not discard the empty containers - they are a convenient size for the condo and we refill them.

The front loading washing machine uses a drawer for the detergent, bleach, and liquid softener. The "cups" within that drawer have markings to indicate what is to be poured into them and the recommended amounts.

Select the various washer options. The front loader has to be powered on before options can be selected. Top loader requires you to set the size of the load; the front loader will perform a short sequence to detect the load size just after the wash cycle is stared.

If this is new to you, we can go through the operation of these machines when you arrive.

It is important that you do not leave wet laundry in the washer. Wet laundry mildews quickly in Hawai’i's warm climate. When you start a load of laundry, be sure that you will be there for an hour or set your phone to remind you in an hour to return to shift the laundry.

Please do not start a load of laundry just before you check out. Again: only start a load when you will be there to promptly transfer it to the dryer. We don't want towels or sheets to mildew if the unit isn't cleaned for a day or two after you depart.

After finishing with the washing machine, wipe the washing machine’s drum and (for front loaders) the vinyl door gasket with a dry towel (there should be one nearby) or a paper towel. Leave the washing machine’s door open. This keeps the interior of the washing machine dry – discouraging mildew and bacteria growth. You might also want to do a bleach load as the last of a series of loads.

Drying

Drying remains a simple operation. It is important, however, to clean the dryer's lint screen every time. It doesn't hurt to check before starting a load and to clean it after every load.

If you use dryer softener sheets, there should be some next to the dryer.

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