Laundry

洗衣服 xǐ yīfu

Almost all hotels in China have a laundry and dry-cleaning services, although in cheaper hostels this may just mean that the staff take laundry home and charge you what they think you’ll pay — don’t expect whiter-than-white results. Familiar Western brands of washing powder, although rarely in ‘green’ versions, are available throughout the country sometimes in smaller sachets, although the free shampoo in your bathroom may work just as well, and you are better off doing it yourself. Take a universal bath plug and an elastic washing line. Between these two options you may choose swish launderettes such as Fornet (福奈特, Fúnàitè) with 280 locations in Běijīng (ask your hotel reception to call t 400 110 1030 to find the nearest), and hútòng operations that wash by weight. Unfortunately the staff may sit under the hanging clothes to smoke while playing cards.

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