How to do laundry in Italy: laundromats, dryers, detergent and what it costs

The short version

Yes, you can do your own laundry in Italy, and it is simple. Look for a "lavanderia self-service" or "lavanderia a gettoni" (a coin-operated laundromat). You put your clothes in a machine, pay, add detergent and press start. A dryer, if there is one, is paid separately.

What changes from place to place is the small stuff: how you pay, whether detergent is sold on site, and whether there are dryers at all. This guide covers each of these, so you do not get stuck at the machine with a bag of wet clothes.

• Bring cash, in coins and small notes. Many laundromats run on tokens.
• Check for detergent. Some places sell it, some do not.
• Check for dryers. Many homes in Italy dry clothes on a rack, so a dryer is not a given everywhere.
• Read the label. The symbols are the same across Europe.

How a self-service laundromat works

A "lavanderia a gettoni" is a room of washers and dryers that you run yourself. In many of them, the machines take tokens (gettoni) that you buy from a change machine. Some now take cards or an app, but do not count on it: check the sign at the door.

The steps are almost always the same, in Turin or anywhere else.

1. Get tokens or coins. Change machines usually give no change, so use small notes and do not buy more than you need.
2. Load the washer. Fill the drum without packing it tight, and close the door firmly.
3. Add detergent. Your own, or a sachet from a dispenser if there is one.
4. Choose a programme and start. Pay, press start and wait.
5. Move to the dryer, if you want one, and pay for the minutes.

Some laundromats are unattended, some have staff at certain hours. If something goes wrong, look for a phone number on the machines or on the door. For a real example of the steps, see the how it works section of the SWOSH page for its Turin laundromat.

Detergent and dryers: what to expect

Detergent. Many laundromats have a vending machine with single-dose sachets: detergent, softener, stain remover. You type a number and the sachet drops. Others expect you to bring your own, which you can buy at any supermarket or drugstore ("detersivo" for detergent, "ammorbidente" for fabric softener). If you are travelling light, the sachets are the easy option. At SWOSH, if you bring your own, it has to be powder, poured straight into the drum: liquid supermarket detergent stays in the pipes.

Dryers. Many Italian households own a washing machine but dry on a rack or a line. So holiday flats often have a washer and no dryer. Self-service laundromats usually have dryers, but it is worth checking before you carry your bag across town. At most places you pay by the minute or by the token.

A tip for the dryer: not every garment can go in. Wool, delicate fabrics and anything marked with a crossed-out dryer symbol should be hung up. When in doubt, take it out a few minutes early and check.

One more thing: laundromats usually ask you not to put in clothes stained with oil or solvents, or anything with foam rubber or flammable material. Check the signs on the wall.

The symbols on the label

Clothes sold in Italy, like in the rest of Europe, use the same care symbols (the international ISO 3758 system). You will not need Italian to read them.

• A tub with water. Washing. The number inside is the maximum temperature in degrees Celsius. A hand in the tub means hand wash only, and a cross through it means do not wash.
• A triangle. Bleaching. If it is crossed out, no bleach.
• A square with a circle inside. Tumble drying. Dots inside the circle show the heat: one dot is low, two are medium. A cross means no tumble dryer.
• An iron. Ironing, with dots for the temperature.
• A plain circle. Professional cleaning, for items that go to a dry cleaner ("tintoria").

On the machine, the programmes are often written in Italian. Useful words: "cotone" is cotton, "sintetici" is synthetics, "delicati" is delicates, "lana" is wool, "centrifuga" is spin and "risciacquo" is rinse. Start with a cold or 30 degrees wash for coloured clothes if you are unsure.

What it costs

Prices change from city to city and from shop to shop. As a rough idea in Turin, an 8 kg wash often costs about €5 to €5.50, a 15-16 kg wash about €8 to €8.50, and drying about €0.20 per minute. These are indicative ranges, not a price list: read the one posted in the laundromat.

To make it concrete, here is the price list at SWOSH, a self-service laundromat in Turin (updated 19 October 2026). Washers: 7 kg €6, 12 kg €7, 16 kg €9, 23 kg €10. A wash takes 27-29 minutes. Dryers: €1 for 8 minutes. Detergent sachets from the dispenser are €1 each. Tokens are €1.

You can see the current prices and a small calculator in the prices section of the laundromat page.

An example: doing your laundry in Turin

If you are in Turin, SWOSH - Urban Laundry is at Via Cernaia 25, about 400 metres from Porta Susa station and 250 metres from the XVIII Dicembre metro stop. It is open every day from 6:30 am to 10 pm, public holidays included.

It is downstairs, so you cannot see it from the street: come in through the sliding door at number 25/E. There are about fifteen steps, or a lift shared with the bar upstairs that fits wheelchairs and pushchairs.

• Tokens. Two change machines: the big one takes coins and notes, the small one only €5, €10 and €20 notes. Neither gives change. If staff are around, you can buy tokens from them and pay with Satispay.
• Detergent. Bring your own, or use the dispenser: type the number and the sachet drops, €1 each.
• While you wait. Free Wi-Fi and a lounge with sockets for your phone and laptop. You can order a coffee from the bar upstairs with the intercom.
• Help. Call or message on WhatsApp from 8 am to 9 pm.

Find directions, hours and the full price list on the Turin laundromat page, or start from the home page.

Frequently asked questions