I dropped my laundry off in Shanghai and it came back folded like origami. ¥40 for 5kg.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend from Canada lived in Shanghai for 6 months. She hated doing laundry. Her apartment had a washing machine but no dryer.

In Shanghai's humidity, clothes took 2 days to air dry. And they smelled slightly musty.

Then she found a laundry service on Meituan.

The process:

1. Open Meituan
2. Search "洗衣" (laundry)
3. Select a shop with 4.9+ stars
4. Schedule pickup (usually same day)
5. Delivery driver collects your dirty laundry
6. 24-48 hours later, it returns: washed, dried, folded, and wrapped in plastic

Cost: ¥8-12 per kg. Her 5kg load: ¥40 ($5.50).

What she got back:

• T-shirts: Folded into perfect rectangles
• Socks: Paired and rolled
• Underwear: Folded (slightly awkward but appreciated)
• Jeans: Stacked neatly
• Sheets: Folded into impossibly flat squares

It looked like a department store display.

Other services available:

Dry cleaning:
• Suits, coats, delicate items
• ¥30-80 per piece
• Usually 3-5 day turnaround

Shoe cleaning:
• Sneaker restoration service
• ¥25-50 per pair
• They come back looking new

Home cleaning (保洁):
• ¥40-60/hour
• Professional cleaner comes to your apartment
• Bring their own supplies

Carpet/upholstery cleaning:
• Book through Meituan or 58.com
• ¥200-400 for a full apartment

Tips:

• Sort your clothes before pickup. Label anything delicate.
• Check reviews. Some cheap services use harsh chemicals.
• Premium services (e.g., 福奈特 Fornet) use better detergent and handle delicates properly.
• Always count your items before and after.
• Most services don't speak English. Use photo notes or WeChat translate.

My Canadian friend's take:

"I paid $5.50 and got back a suitcase full of perfectly folded clothes. In Canada, a laundromat costs $10 and you do it yourself. In China, laundry is a service, not a chore."

Anyone else used laundry delivery in China? Was your underwear folded too?