How to do laundry at an Airbnb in LA or SF

A week into a trip, the suitcase needs a reset. At a rental in Los Angeles or San Francisco you have four ways to do it, and the right one depends mostly on how many days you have left before checkout.

Option 1: the washer in the unit

Check the listing's amenities for a washer and dryer before you schedule, and check whether they are in the unit or shared with the building. In-unit machines are free and fine for a small load. The cost is time: a wash and dry cycle keeps someone at the rental for about two hours, and a compact stacked unit takes several loads to get through a family's week. Ask the host where the detergent is before you buy any.

Option 2: a laundromat

The cheapest option in cash. Plan on two hours plus the trip there and back, which in Los Angeles usually means a drive and in San Francisco can mean a hill with a full bag. Our laundromat vs. delivery comparison has the cost math.

Option 3: pickup and delivery to the rental

You leave a bag at the door and it comes back folded. Fold's service for rental guests works at any address in our Los Angeles or San Francisco service area: wash & fold is $2.65 a pound with a $39.99 order minimum, pickup and delivery are free, and it returns the next day. Put the bag out before 9 AM and add same-day rush ($9.99) and it is back that evening. You don't need to be at the rental for either leg.

Option 4: laundry inside the Airbnb app

In fall 2026 Airbnb added laundry pickup to its in-app services in select US cities, run by a partner company rather than by Airbnb or your host. If it shows up for your stay, compare two things against the other options: the return time relative to your checkout, and the total price for your load. Fold is a separate, independent service and is not part of that program.

Time it to your checkout

• Two or more days left: any option works. Standard pickup returns the next day.
• Last full day: same-day rush with the bag out before 9 AM, or the washer in the unit.
• Dry cleaning: send it at least two days before you leave. It comes back the next evening.
• Early flight: count the evening before as your deadline, since deliveries arrive in the evening.

Tips for pickup at a rental

• Save the gate code, buzzer or lockbox note on the address when you schedule, so the driver isn't waiting on you.
• Any bag works. Keep dry cleaning in a separate bag from wash & fold.
• Tell your host if the bag will sit in a shared entry or lobby.
• Use the address exactly as it appears in your order confirmation, including the unit number.

Which to pick

One small load and a free evening: the washer in the unit. A week of clothes for a family, or a trip you'd rather not spend watching a dryer: pickup. A tight budget and time to spare: the laundromat.