By Timothy Oommen, Owner — Laundini Laundromat | laundinilaundromat.com
This is an unusual post for a business owner to write.
I’m going to recommend laundromats that are not mine. Some of them are in neighborhoods we serve. Some of them may be closer to you than our locations. Some of them might be a better fit for your specific situation than Laundini is.
I’m writing it anyway. For a few reasons.
First, because I believe in being genuinely useful rather than strategically useful. A guide to Chicago laundromats that only lists my own locations is not a guide — it’s an advertisement wearing a guide’s clothes. You can tell the difference and so can Google.
Second, because I have been to a lot of laundromats in this city. Building Laundini required understanding what already existed, what worked, and what didn’t. I paid attention.
Third, because a business confident enough to recommend its competition earns a different kind of trust than one that pretends competitors don’t exist. I’d rather earn that kind.
Here is what I know.
What Makes a Good Laundromat
Before the list, the criteria. Because “best” means different things to different people and I’d rather be transparent about what I’m evaluating.
Machine quality and maintenance. Clean, well-maintained machines that actually work. Front loaders that seal properly. Dryers that dry in one cycle. Equipment that doesn’t eat your money and give nothing back.
Cleanliness of the facility. The floors, the machines, the folding tables, the bathrooms if there are any. A laundromat that smells right and looks maintained is one where someone cares about the operation.
Payment options. Card and NFC payment alongside coins. In 2025 a laundromat that only takes quarters is asking its customers to plan ahead in a way that creates unnecessary friction.
Hours. Accessible early morning, late evening, or 24 hours for people whose schedules don’t fit a standard window.
Size and capacity. Enough machines that you’re not waiting for a washer on a busy Saturday.
Location. Close to transit, easy parking, or simply in the neighborhood where people actually live.
With that framework — here is the list.
North Side & Evanston
Laundini Laundromat — 1620 Emerson St, Evanston
Yes, I’m including us. It would be strange not to. We have commercial-grade Dexter, Speed Queen, and Huebsch machines, card and NFC payment, and the same facility that handles our pickup and delivery orders. Clean, well-maintained, and staffed by people who take the operation seriously. If you’re in Evanston or close to it and you want to walk in — this is where we are.
Best for: Evanston residents, Northwestern students, anyone who wants to see the facility behind the delivery service.
Quick Clean Coin Laundromat — 4650 Church St, Skokie
Another one of our locations, included here because Skokie is genuinely underserved for quality laundromat options and Quick Clean fills that gap. Good machine capacity, clean facility, accessible hours.
Best for: Skokie residents, anyone on the North Shore who wants a reliable walk-in option.
Bucktown / Wicker Park / Logan Square
Bucktown Laundry — 2422 W North Ave, Chicago
Our Bucktown location sits in one of the denser rental corridors in the city — the stretch of North Avenue running through Bucktown and into Wicker Park is packed with apartment buildings, many without in-building laundry. We put a location here specifically because the need is real and consistent.
Best for: Bucktown and Wicker Park renters, young professionals, anyone in the North Avenue corridor.
Village Coin Laundry — Logan Square area
Logan Square has a solid walk-in laundromat culture built around the neighborhood’s dense apartment stock. Village Coin has been a consistent presence in the area — adequate machines, reasonable hours, the kind of no-frills operation that does what it needs to do without drama.
Best for: Logan Square residents who want a nearby, reliable option.
Wheeling & Northwest Suburbs
Wheeling Coin Laundry — 49 N Wolf Rd, Wheeling
Our Wheeling location serves a part of Cook County that doesn’t get talked about as much as the city neighborhoods but has real laundry needs. Families, working adults, people who live in suburban rental housing without in-unit machines. Good capacity, clean facility.
Best for: Wheeling residents, anyone in the northwest suburbs looking for a quality walk-in option.
Laundry World — 1201 W Dundee Rd, Wheeling
Laundry World is consistently reviewed as one of the nicest laundromats in the northwest suburbs — and the reviews back it up. Customers describe it as clean, well-maintained, and staffed by people who actually help rather than just being present. The bathrooms are clean, which sounds like a low bar and is actually a meaningful signal about how the whole operation is run. Compatible with the PayRange app for cashless payment. A solid option for anyone in the Dundee Road corridor who wants a quality walk-in experience.
Best for: Wheeling and Buffalo Grove residents, families, anyone who wants a staffed, well-maintained suburban laundromat with app-based payment.
South Side
Spin Dry Laundromat — 2410 E 75th St, South Shore
Our South Side location. I’ve been honest elsewhere on this blog about the fact that South Shore is a project I’m still working through — the challenges are real and I’m not done solving them. What I can say is that the facility exists, it’s operational, and it serves a neighborhood that is genuinely underserved for quality laundry options. We’re committed to making it right.
Best for: South Shore residents, anyone in the 75th Street corridor.
Worth the Drive — The World’s Largest Laundromat
World’s Largest Laundromat — 6246 Cermak Rd, Berwyn
I would be doing this guide a disservice if I left this one out.
The World’s Largest Laundromat in Berwyn is exactly what it sounds like — the actual, officially certified world record holder for largest laundromat. 13,500 square feet. 140 washers and 170 dryers. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. No exceptions.
But the size is almost beside the point. What Tom Benson and his sons Eric and Mark have built in Berwyn is something genuinely rare in this industry — a laundromat that functions as a community institution. Solar panels heat the water across all 150+ washing machines. There is a bird aviary inside the building. A kids’ play area. A snack bar. Wednesday is pizza night. They run a summer reading program that gives away bicycles to children who participate, partnering with local libraries to support kids learning English in Berwyn’s growing Hispanic community. They sponsor the town’s Fourth of July fireworks.
The machines are state of the art. The facility is spotless. The staff — many of whom live within two miles of the location — are part of the community they serve.
I visited for research purposes and came away genuinely impressed. Tom Benson rebuilt this laundromat from scratch after a fire destroyed it in 2004 and came back with something better than what existed before. That story resonates with me for reasons I don’t need to explain to anyone who has read this blog.
If you’re in the southwest suburbs or willing to make a trip, this place is worth seeing. It is the most ambitious walk-in laundromat operation in the country and it happens to be in our backyard.
Best for: Anyone within reasonable distance of Berwyn, families with kids, people who want to do laundry and genuinely enjoy the experience, the laundry-curious.
What to Look For When You’re Evaluating Any Laundromat
Since this guide can’t cover every neighborhood in a city as large and spread out as Chicago, here is the framework for evaluating any laundromat you’re considering:
Walk in before you commit to a full load. Spend two minutes looking around. Are the machines clean? Is the floor mopped? Does the place smell right? Are the machines modern enough to have card payment? Are there enough of them that you’re not going to be waiting? Two minutes of observation tells you more than any review.
Check the dryers specifically. Walk to a few and look inside the drum. Lint buildup, residue from previous loads, or machines that feel like they haven’t been serviced recently are warning signs. A laundromat that maintains its dryers maintains everything else.
Ask about the water. In the Chicago area, water hardness varies by location and affects how well detergent performs and how your clothes come out. A laundromat operator who knows their water situation is one who’s paying attention.
Notice the folding tables. Clean, dry folding tables are a sign of a well-run operation. Sticky, stained, or wet folding tables tell you something about how the facility is managed overall.
When a Laundromat Isn’t the Right Answer
I’ll say this plainly: for some people in some situations, a laundromat — ours or anyone else’s — is not the right solution.
If you don’t have reliable transportation to get laundry there and back, a laundromat trip is a genuine logistical challenge. If your schedule doesn’t leave you with two to three free hours in proximity to a laundromat’s operating hours, the trip may never happen. If you’re managing a volume of laundry — a family, a household with multiple people — that makes the laundromat trip a significant physical undertaking, the calculus changes.
For those situations, pickup and delivery exists. Our service covers all of Cook County at $1.50/lb with free delivery and 24-hour turnaround. The van comes to you. The laundry goes away dirty and comes back clean. You were never there.
Both options exist. Both are useful. The right one depends on your life.
The Point of This Post
A rising tide lifts all boats. A Chicago where people know where to find good laundry options — walk-in or delivery, our locations or someone else’s — is a Chicago where more people have access to something basic that matters.
I built Laundini in this city. I want it to be a city where the infrastructure of daily life works for everyone who lives here, not just the people who can afford the premium version of everything.
That’s a bigger goal than any single laundromat can accomplish. But it’s the direction I want to move in. And writing an honest guide to the options that exist — including our competition, including our own shortcomings — feels like a step in that right direction.
Our locations: Laundini Laundromat (Evanston), Bucktown Laundry (Chicago), Quick Clean Coin Laundromat (Skokie), Wheeling Coin Laundry (Wheeling), Spin Dry Laundromat (South Shore). Pickup and delivery across all of Cook County at laundinilaundromat.com. $1.50/lb, free delivery, 24-hour turnaround.
Timothy Oommen is the founder and owner of Laundini Laundromat, with locations in Evanston, Bucktown, Skokie, Wheeling, and South Shore, Chicago.