Laundromats are one aspect of life that has not been affected by germification, but that is about to change: The Whiterock Marketplace at 11255 Garland Road in East Dallas now has a new “smart” laundromat using Tide brand detergent.
The Tide Laundromat is a franchise concept of Tide Services, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, and this is the first location in Dallas.
According to the Chicago Sun Timesthe concept was founded in 2020. Beyond the Tide brand, it is a high-tech venture where the device automatically spits a dose of detergent, fabric softener or dryer sheets into your laundry, included in the price of the wash. You can choose between Tide or Gain detergent, Downy or Gain fabric softener and Bounce dryer sheets, scented or unscented.
If you’re a fan of Tru Earth’s eco-friendly laundry towels, you’re out of luck.
The washers have touchscreens and come in small, medium, large and jumbo sizes. Prices are accordingly – starting at around $5 for a small and ending at $12.50 for a jumbo. For comparison, at my local laundromat, the smallest load starts at $2.25 and a single dose of detergent from the machine costs $1.
A quarter will dry clothes for six minutes on Tide dryers, but my local laundromat will dry them for 20 minutes.
However, the press release states that the wash and dry cycles at the Tide Laundromat are designed to ensure maximum cleanliness and time savings, allowing customers to enter and exit the laundromat in as little as 35 minutes.
Maybe these dryers dry quickly. You know what they say: time is money.
There’s also free Wi-Fi. And if you don’t want to do the laundry yourself, you can drop off laundry for wash and fold service ($1.49/pound for next-day service or $1.99/pound for same-day service).
Festive Tide Laundromat in East Dallastide
Local franchisee Patrick Elverum says in a statement: “We are redefining laundry as a pleasant and convenient experience. Visit us and see how we turn a routine task into something you actually look forward to.”
Tide Laundromat has a cute logo where the “o” in “Laundromat” is a small caricature of a front-loading washing machine. But it’s not the only Tide-branded laundry business: In 2008, Procter & Gamble launched Tide Cleaners, a dry cleaners chain with four locations in the Dallas area.
Festive opening events
Tide Laundromat in White Rock is hosting a “Free Wash Weekend” August 10-11. Customers can receive a free wash on their first visit through the Tide Laundromat app, which offers rewards, special offers and the ability to check washer and dryer availability before arrival.
There will be prizes, food and family-friendly entertainment from Zona MX 99.1 FM, and as if that wasn’t enough, Tide Services CEO Andrew Gibson and the Tide corporate team will be on hand.
The laundromat’s hours are from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and there’s even a “last call” style wash at 9 p.m. – some restaurants don’t even do that!
