The economist Ha-Joon Chang says that the innovation of the washing machine was more important than the internet because it liberated women from household work. This revolutionized the structure of society since it effectively doubled the workforce [0]. When half the population can spend their time doing something other than spending 8 hours a day washing clothes it makes sense a country will be more productive.

I never really thought about it like that as someone born into just owning a washing machine. If anything, I thought it was annoying how my parents' home had it in the garage and how I had to bundle up to do laundry. When I moved out and became a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, I started paying to do laundry in the communal laundry machine section on the top floor of Holland Hall. It was fine. Halfway through freshman year, my friends Eion, James, Jason, and I decided to rent an apartment off-campus in a sketchy alleyway called St James Place for $1500 a month (total). I remember touring the place with our landlord and at the end asking him what about laundry? "Laundromat is your best bet." Unfortunately, that is how most apartments in South Oakland were. St James Place became our home. It had its quirks and challenges as most college apartments that cost you less than $400 a month do, but we learned to love that through the beauty of nostalgia, alcohol, and friendship.

The laundromat we went to down the street, Dana's Dunkin Duds, did not receive this romanticization. I look back on college days with so much nostalgia and great memories. But fuck that laundromat. Lugging your laundry down the trash ridden alley in the freezing Pittsburgh cold only to realize the machines were all taken was a terrible activity while you were busy studying all week and partying all weekend. Not to mention, to even do laundry you have to obtain quarters from PNC Bank a 15 minute walk away. And you have to get extra, because James would rarely have his own so he "borrowed" some (a few dollars of laundry for a lifetime of friendship was a good trade though).

I wish I could say that the weekly trips to Dana's Dunkin Duds were a meditative ritual that allowed us to reset for the week as we enjoyed the economy-transformative laundry machines for a mere $2. Nope. It just sucked (sorry Ha-Joon Chang). When I moved to San Francisco, I had the joy of having in-unit laundry next to my bedroom door. Although the dryer was so loud it sounded like it was going to destroy the apartment, I still was so appreciative of the convenience. When I moved to New York, I was back to not having in-unit laundry. I was ready to suck it up and go to the laundromat like I once did, but our broker mentioned there is a new wash and fold that opened up literally right next door before we signed. That felt like a scam and that I was going to be too frugal to fall for. But, I tried it and I was amazed by how surprisingly delightful the experience was. College me would be aghast that I spend ~$10-15/load to do my laundry. But, picking up my laundry is for some reason one of my favorite parts of the week. The clothes are not only folded, but they are sorted. My socks are rolled up and next to my undershirts and underwear, the pants are all together, and so on. It is a great experience and to top it all off, the lady that owns it, Tina, is one of the nicest people I have met in New York. I love walking to the gym in the mornings and getting to wave to each other through the window.

So yes, Dana's Dunkin Duds does suck. But, without my distaste and all those bad past memories of walking to that laundromat, would I appreciate the laundry machines and wash and fold moments that I have now? They say comparison is the thief of joy, but it depends on what you compare. Maybe comparison can be a merchant of gratitude.

Of course. laundry machines are great innovations, graduating to in-unit is great, and gratitude is great . That doesn't change the fact that at the end of the day it's a chore and laundromats suck. Dana's Dunkin Duds gets one star.