Also, just to counteract the negative here.

I have no problems with the laundry, with only a few residential apartments in my block, I'm pretty much free to use the machines whenever I like. There's still a little book to set your time slots, so I set myself a laundry day every week where I know for sure I'll get my washing done. If I need another day, I can just go down and see if any of the slots have been used (usualy not).

You will be lucky to wash once a week, normally it is once every two weeks. Yes, it is a pain in the rear, it is a different world in CH when it comes to laundry. Dryers without heat, how energy saving could it be if it takes 5 or 6 hours to dry, my goodness, who will go through that trouble? Does the Swiss ladies have all that time on their hands? Just wondering.

How big is your sample ?

Smalls.

dave

why not buy your own washing maschine?

What are you on about? Driers in Switzerland do not take 5-6 hours to dry clothes and do have heat.

Because in apartments where there are shared facilities

1 there usually isn't space for one and
2 it isn't allowed.

However, all is not doom and gloom. Plenty of apartments have private washing machines and driers so just shop around until you find one. It still doesn't mean you can use it at any time though - that will be stipulated (or not) in the house rules.

To be sure of having no wash day issues, don't rent an apartment, pay the extra and rent a house.

I have one in my 1.5 room apartment, and I feel guilty to the intent that I have pasted a booking list to my wall with spaces for only one booking per week when I will permit myself to wash clothes.

For additional realism I randomly delete my bookings and change them to another day or occasionally scribble unsigned handwritten notes and attach them to the machine for that extra touch of washroom bliss.

Oh how I yearn for a shared washroom again !

dave

Ours is officially once a week and but sooo relaxed. Basically if no-one's using it, it's yours. We also have a normal tumble dryer with heat. In our place a dryer with no heat is called a washing line...

reading this i'm quite grateful that there are no real rules in our set of apartments, anything goes and first come, first served, any time of day

(but I do remember when I was here years ago, a neighbour had a right go at me for not cleaning the washing machine, but I never actually used it, somebody pinched my slot and my german wasn't up to scratch enough then to argue)

for the record we have to pay by loading up the cash chip on bank cards

That is good to know, but most of what I have heard, is that the dryers take many hours to dry the clothing. We just had visitors from CH to visit us in the US. They could not believe that I did their laundry in little more than a hour, (wash and dry), they said it takes many hours to do the same amount of laundry in CH. Also what I have read from other people on this forum, tells me a similar story. I do not have first hand experience yet, we will learn for ourselves when we move to CH in June, then I will come back to this topic, I am pretty sure it will be under the "complaints"

You may have to find something else to complain about , though I am sure you will find something.

As I have the button-scorch-scars to prove, some of the dryers here run so hot that they can dry up faster than a swiss party.

dave

Maybe you could add it to your criteria of "Things to watch out for when searching for a flat"?

If you view somewhere which has got antiquated laundry facilities, disregard it and find somewhere else more modern to look at.

Nah , thats just all hot air.

dave

The washing line sounds good, (environmentally friendly also) if one has the time. Now I would like to know the tumble dryer you are mentioning, the one with "heat", approx. how long does it take to dry one load?

Depends on your load: socks, knicks and t-shirts take 20 mins. Towels take about 40. Put simply, before I had my son, I could do washing and drying for two people for about a week or longer if I'd been lazy and it would take about 3-4 hours depending on how quick I was at changing loads over.

With the little fella; I seem to be constantly washing and drying AND we went and bought our own washing machine for the flat, too!

Communication is probably the most important thing here. When I moved to our apartment block and realised to my horror that we have to share a laundry room, I didn’t know how I’d do it with two kids. I used to have a wash every other day. Now I have an allotted day a week. It’s something I appreciate at the moment, not having to do a wash every other day or everyday even.

Also because we are only six apartment blocks, its easy to see who’s doing what. They’ve put me straight at the beginning when I left my stuff hanging for too long or forgot to clean the dryer. and I did the same if they nipped down stairs and washed on my day. Soon afterwards my neighbours (all Swiss and non with kids) started telling me if they’re not going to wash on their allotted day and if I would like to also wash then considering I have two kids and maybe more washing.

I complained politely and they actually turned helpful at the end

I remember when "a friend of mine" used to live in the same apartment block as this mad French woman, who didnt work; had just one small child; yet used to do laundry every day. The conclusion reached was that she was entertaining different people each night. Bang goes the neighbourhood.

dave

There you have just captured one of the most intriguing aspects of the Swiss character. Prove them wrong and they will be your friend for ever.

Thanks for the reply. I think I will buy my own too. But the issue on WHEN I will be allowed to use the washing machine, is still there. I am use to wash whenever I have time, so that will be a little difficult, especially if you work all day. I have heard that when women gets married in CH and have children they are "stay at home moms" is that true? They have then more than enough time to do the "laundry thing", but what about the working moms?