Is a Washing Machine Worth It?

If you have access to in-unit laundry and you're asking whether to buy a machine versus hauling baskets to a laundromat, this is one of the most lopsided decisions in your home. The only real reason to hesitate is the upfront cost and the install — never the long-run value.

Who it's actually for

Anyone who currently uses a laundromat or a shared building machine and does laundry weekly. The time you get back isn't just the wash cycle — it's the trip, the waiting, the hoarding of quarters, and the dead hour you can't spend anywhere else. A household generating several loads a week recoups that time immediately.

The honest exception: if your building includes free or cheap in-unit laundry already, or you move often and can't take an appliance with you, renting that hassle may beat owning it.

Where it falls short

• Upfront cost and install. A machine plus delivery, hookup, and possibly a dryer is real money and a real afternoon.
• Space and hookups. No water line and drain means no machine, full stop — the limiter for many apartments.
• Maintenance creep. Seals, hoses, and the occasional repair show up over a decade; budget for one or two service calls across its life.
• It doesn't fold itself. You're buying back the trip and the wait, not the entire chore.

The math

About $700 for a solid machine, lasting ~10 years — call it $700 all-in before the dryer. Against that, owning instead of schlepping to a laundromat saves roughly 5 hours a week — 260 hours a year, around 2,600 over its life.

That's about 27 cents per hour returned, one of the lowest break-even numbers anywhere, and it ignores the money side: laundromats run $3–$5 a load, so a few loads a week is its own few-hundred-dollars-a-year saving on top. If your time is worth more than a quarter an hour, the machine has already won.

Verdict

For anyone with hookups who currently pays to launder elsewhere, this isn't a close call — it's among the highest dollar-per-hour-returned purchases in a home. Skip it only if you genuinely lack space and hookups, or already have free in-unit laundry. Everyone else: buy the machine, and a dryer if you can swing it.

FAQ

Is buying a washing machine cheaper than using a laundromat? Over time, decisively. At $3–$5 a load several times a week, the laundromat quietly costs hundreds a year, and a $700 machine that lasts a decade undercuts that within the first couple of years — before counting the time saved.

Do I need hookups to install one? Yes — a water supply line and a drain are non-negotiable. If your space lacks them, a portable machine that connects to a sink faucet is the only workaround, with smaller loads.

How long does a washing machine last? Roughly a decade with normal use. Expect a seal or hose replacement somewhere in there; a single repair is far cheaper than going back to paying per load.