Thinking About Laundry With the Essefficist
First things first:
Hurray! John Ashcroft is stepping down.
Second things second:
Big ups to Jackson and Eve for coming up with the new Essefficist mascot over there on stage left. What says "classy" louder than a French sculpture with a photoshopped Giants hat? It's like SpongeBob in a beret.
Third things third:
It's been a week since the election and everyone around here at Club Essefficist is still feeling kinda dirty, and since we think you might be too, we're pleased to offer a hastily conceived answer to longtime SFcst reader Bill's poignant question:
Hey there,
Do you have any recommendations for a good laundromat in SF? I'd like to find a place that has plenty of parking, a healthy number of laundry carts, and a good mix of single-, double-, and triple-load washers & dryers.
Thanks,
Bill
Laundromats! Those were the good old days! The Essefficist has lived in a house in Bernal Heights for almost eight years and about six months ago, after a grueling weeks-long search on Craig's List, we bought a used Energy Star stacking washer and dryer, got the electrician to install some plugs, ran the water and gas lines ourselves, and voila, no more laundromats! We're still not used to not having to haul three gigantic bags of laundry out to the local wash house every couple of months and we still haven't gotten rid of all of the extra socks, boxers, and t-shirts that were necessitated by not being free to do laundry whenever we chose. But we ain't complaining, no way.
Bill, on the other hand, still has to trudge out into the cold cruel world with all his stinkies whenever he's got a date coming up, so we're here for him. The last place we were going right before the 
Energy Star action here at Club 124 was a newly-opened place called the Fiesta Laundromat at 898 South Van Ness and 20th that used to be a glass shop. Off the top of our head, this seems like the place for you, Bill. As for your specified criteria, it's got its own parking lot, tons of carts, and plenty of machines. As for other criteria, it's clean and well lit, it's got free (or cheap) coffee and cookies (if we remember correctly), it's got vending machines, it's got benches inside and out, it's got dry cleaning, and it's got TVs. It's a couple of blocks away from Atlas Cafe, our favorite coffee joint, and a block away from Cancun (not our favorite taqueria, but maybe yours). It's got a BART ticket style payment system called Easy Card where you put money in a machine and get a plastic card with a magnetic strip
that you use in all the laundry machines, so you don't need to lug around twenty or thirty quarters in your pocket.
In case Fiesta doesn't work for you, Bill, we checked in with our SFist colleagues as to where they do their laundry.
From Matt:
i think the hollywood-themed one in the east castro (next to the orbit room) is spozed to be good. i've never actually cleaned my clothes there... but what could be better than having a bar next door to lounge in while you wait for your clothes?
:) matt.
From Isaac
Certainly Brainwash, non?
From Jackson:
There's that place with the bar in SOMA [Brainwash?] which everyone thinks is so original, but they totally ripped off the Sit and Spin in Seattle. Still, food, beer, laundry = awesome.
I go to the Giant Wash on 24th and York - good mix of machines, clean, never had anything stolen (once left my cellphone on top of a machine for an hour while I went and got drunk at Pops and it was right where I left it - important at a Laundromat, which you'd know if you ever saw Seinfeld). And again, food and drink but this time right across the street.
I know nothing of parking, can't help on that front.
And from Eve, who doesn't believe in doing her own laundry and makes a good case for paying a bit more to get someone else to do it for her:
I just recommend that the guy go to the wash and fold. [She even wrote about it.]
I mean, do the cost/benefit analysis! How much is your time worth? Is it worth it to save a couple of bucks (and that's all it is - 75 cents per pound or the 2-3 bucks per load just to wash) to have to deal with the hassles of the laundromat, when you can get those gorgeous blue packages with little-to-no effort? I'd be happy to recommend one in his area, because I've used several good ones as I lived in different areas in the city.
My all-time favorite is Aki's Cleaners at 5901 California at 23rd. 751-0479. I used to drive out of my way to go there, using them when I lived in the Richmond and in the Western Addition.
I presently go to Mercury French Cleaners in the Sunset, on Irving between 42nd and 43rd 415-566-5811.
When I was in the Mission (which was 7 years ago, so this might no longer be valid), I went to Star Wash on 392 Dolores (at 17th) 431-2443. Sometimes I'd do laundry there, too, if it was a weekday --like, blankets are super-expensive to do at the W&F. I liked this place because they would show movies, like Video Cafe with laundry.
When I lived in the Haight I'd take it to Wash Club on Frederick at Stanyan.
If none of those work for you, Bill, check here.
Well, that's it for this week, kids. For even more info on the everyday things going on around you all the time, e-mail your questions about San Francisco or your own exciting life to the Essefficist (or just post 'em in the comments). And if you voted for Bush last week, we want you to seriously consider ceasing and desisting reading this column.
And remember, no good questions from readers equals crappy Essefficist columns.