Getting laundry done in Thailand is easy and cheap. You can hand a bag to a wash-and-fold shop that weighs it and charges by the kilo, wash it yourself in a coin or app-operated laundromat, or use the hotel's laundry service, which charges per item and costs the most.
Wash-and-fold laundries charging by the kilo are easy to find in tourist areas, near universities and in condo districts, and 24-hour self-service laundromats, including chains such as Otteri, are common in cities and tourist areas. That means you can travel with far fewer clothes than you think and wash every few days.
We do not print prices on this page. We could not find a published price list from an operator that we could verify in October 2026, and prices differ by town, by shop and between the mainland and small islands. Instead, this page explains how each option charges, so you can compare quotes on the spot.
Three ways to wash clothes in Thailand
- Wash-and-fold shop
- Weighed and charged per kilo; ironing extra; usually ready the next day
- Self-service laundromat
- Pay per machine cycle, washer and dryer separately; coins or QR payment
- Hotel laundry
- Charged per item from a printed list; the most expensive option
- Pay with
- Cash everywhere; Thai QR at many shops and machines
- If something goes missing
- Show your item list to the shop first; Tourist Police 1155 for disputes
Wash-and-fold shops: weighed, washed, folded
The classic Thai laundry is a small shopfront with a scale on the counter and bags of folded clothes on shelves. You hand over your bag, the owner weighs it and writes the weight, the price and your name or room number on a slip. You come back to collect a neat, folded pile, usually wrapped in plastic.
The price is per kilo of dry clothes. A typical traveler's load of shirts, shorts and underwear for four or five days weighs a few kilos, so the bill is small. Ironing is charged on top, often per kilo or per piece, and some shops charge separately for items that need special care, such as heavy jeans, towels, bedding or anything marked "dry clean". Ask three questions before you leave the bag: the price per kilo, whether there is a minimum charge, and when it will be ready.
Same-day service is often possible if you drop off in the morning, sometimes for a surcharge. In the rainy season, or on small islands where clothes are dried outdoors, allow an extra day. Our guide to traveling in the rainy season explains how the weather behaves from May to October.
Write your own list before the scale. Count your items and take a photo of the pile on the counter. Wash-and-fold shops weigh, they do not count, so your list is the only record of what went into the bag.
Self-service laundromats: wash it yourself
Self-service laundromats look much like those in Europe or Singapore: a row of front-loading washers and tumble dryers, a change machine or a QR code on each machine, and sometimes a vending machine with single-use detergent. Many in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket are open around the clock.
You pay per cycle, not per kilo. Washers come in sizes, and a larger drum or hot water costs more; drying is a separate payment, usually per block of minutes. If you have one small load, a compact washer is cheaper than a drop-off shop; if you have a big bag and little time, the shop often wins because you do not wait around.
Bring your own detergent if you want to save a little, or buy it from a 7-Eleven, which sells small sachets and bottles; our article on what makes 7-Eleven in Thailand special covers what else it stocks. Check the dryer before you leave: one cycle is often not enough for thick towels or jeans in humid weather.
Payment varies by machine. Older ones take coins, which is why many laundromats have a change machine. Newer ones show a Thai QR code that you scan with a banking app. Visitors without a Thai bank account can use TAGTHAi Easy Pay, a Tourism Authority of Thailand-backed e-wallet for international visitors that pays Thai QR codes nationwide. Our guide to paying by card in Thailand covers the other options; whether Alipay or WeChat Pay works depends on the machine, so keep some coins.
Hotel laundry: convenient, priced per piece
Most hotels, and many guesthouses, offer a laundry service. A list in the room gives a price for each item, such as a shirt, a pair of trousers or a pair of socks, plus express charges for same-day return. Because you pay per piece instead of per kilo, a bag of everyday clothes can cost several times what the shop around the corner charges.
Hotel laundry makes sense for a few items before a business meeting, for anything that needs careful pressing, or when you arrive late and leave early. For a week of travel clothes, walk to the nearest wash-and-fold shop. Some guesthouses also take laundry by the kilo at reception, which is worth asking about when you check in.
Long stays: condo machines and your own washer
If you rent an apartment for a month or longer, laundry becomes part of daily life. Many condo buildings have coin-operated washers on the ground floor or on each floor, and some rental units include a small washing machine on the balcony. Drying is done on a rack, which works well in the dry season and slowly in the rainy months. Our guides to renting a condo or house and spending a winter in Thailand cover what to look for in a long-stay base.
How to avoid lost, shrunk or stained clothes
Most loads come back complete and clean. The problems that do happen are predictable: a sock goes missing, a white shirt turns pink, or a wool or cotton item shrinks in a hot dryer. A few habits prevent almost all of it.
- Keep delicate and expensive items out of the bag. Wash silk, wool, sports technical wear and anything you would hate to lose by hand in the sink, or use the laundromat yourself.
- Separate new colored clothes. Cheap new T-shirts, including those bought at Thai markets, can bleed in the first wash. Put them in a separate bag or ask for them to be washed alone.
- Empty your pockets. Banknotes, earplugs and receipts do not survive a wash, and some shops will not take responsibility for anything found later.
- Say "no dryer" if you need to. Ask for air-drying for items that might shrink, and accept that it can take longer.
- Check the pile when you collect it. Count against your list before you walk away; it is much easier to solve a missing item at the counter than the next day.
Rinse swimwear and beach clothes before the bag. Sand and salt water add weight on the scale, and you pay for that weight. A quick rinse in the shower and a shake on the balcony cost nothing.
If something is lost or damaged, talk to the owner calmly first, with your list and photo. If you cannot agree and feel you are being treated unfairly, the Tourist Police (1155) help visitors with disputes; our page on emergency numbers in Thailand lists the others. A complaint can also be filed online with the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, though its system is in Thai.
Packing for a trip with laundry stops
Because laundry is so easy to arrange, the best packing advice for Thailand is to bring clothes for five to seven days and wash on the way. Our article on how to pack for Thailand explains what to bring and what to buy locally, and the packing list generator builds a list for your own trip. Plan a laundry day before a long bus or ferry journey, not on the morning you leave, so the clothes have time to dry.
Frequently asked questions
How does laundry pricing work in Thailand?
Wash-and-fold shops weigh your dry clothes and charge per kilo, with ironing and special items extra. Self-service laundromats charge per washer or dryer cycle. Hotels charge per item from a price list, which is usually the most expensive way to wash everyday clothes.
How long does a laundry service take in Thailand?
Most wash-and-fold shops return clothes the next day, and many offer same-day service if you drop off in the morning, sometimes for an extra charge. In the rainy season or on small islands, where clothes may be dried outdoors, allow an extra day.
Are there 24-hour laundromats in Thailand?
Yes. Self-service laundromats, including chains such as Otteri, are common in Bangkok and other cities and tourist areas, and many are open around the clock. Machines are paid with coins or by scanning a Thai QR code.
Is it safe to give my clothes to a Thai laundry shop?
Generally yes, and losses are rare. Keep valuable or delicate items out of the bag, count your items before handing them over, take a photo, and check the pile when you collect it so any problem can be solved at the counter.
Sources
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – TAGTHAi expands tourist spending through Easy Pay partnerships (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand: getting help (checked October 2026)
- Tourist Police Bureau – Thailand Tourist Police (checked October 2026)
- Office of the Consumer Protection Board – Consumer complaint system (Thai) (checked October 2026)