Laundry and dry cleaning in Spanish: the shop, the stain and the washing machine in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
At some point on a trip the clothes have to be washed, and the shop on the corner has a different name in every country. Some wash by the kilo, some only dry clean, and what happens to the garment depends on the words you use for a stain and a fabric. This page has the shop, the stain, the ironing, the ticket and the pick-up, then the washing machine and the detergent at home, with the version for Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
What the shop is called
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laundry shop | la lavandería | la lavandería | la lavandería, el lavaseco | el lavadero, la lavandería |
| Self-service | la lavandería de autoservicio | la lavandería autoservicio | la lavandería de autoservicio | el lavadero de autoservicio |
| Dry cleaner | la tintorería | la tintorería | el lavaseco | la tintorería |
| Washed by weight | lavado por kilo | lavado por kilos | lavado por kilo | lavado por kilo |
| Wash and iron | lavado y planchado | lavar y planchar | lavado y planchado | lavado y planchado |
Colombia’s word is lavaseco. It is on a corner in every neighbourhood, it does washing and dry cleaning under the same sign, and lavandería is understood but less used for the small shop.
Argentina’s word is lavadero. Careful with it: el lavadero de autos is a car wash, and el lavadero de ropa is the one you want. Say ¿Hay un lavadero de ropa por acá?
In Mexico laundries wash by the kilo, and it is cheap. You hand over a bag, they weigh it, and it comes back washed, dried and folded the next day. The same service exists in Colombia and Argentina and is rarer in Spain, where a tintorería prices by the garment and a self-service laundrette prices by the machine.
Dropping it off
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning, is this washed by the kilo? | Buenos días, ¿aquí lavan por kilo? | |
| I want to have this washed | Quiero lavar esto. | Or ¿Me lavan esto, por favor? |
| Washed and folded | Lavado y doblado. | |
| Washed and ironed | Lavado y planchado. | |
| Only ironed | Solo planchado. | |
| Dry cleaning | Lavado en seco. | Also limpieza en seco |
| Is there a minimum? | ¿Hay un mínimo? | Three kilos is a common one |
| How much is a kilo? | ¿Cuánto cuesta el kilo? | |
| How much for a shirt? | ¿Cuánto cuesta una camisa? | |
| It is three shirts and two pairs of trousers | Son tres camisas y dos pantalones. | |
| Can you wash them separately? | ¿Los puede lavar por separado? | Whites and colours |
| Cold water, please | Con agua fría, por favor. | |
| Do not put it in the dryer | No lo meta a la secadora. | Spain, Colombia and Argentina: meter en la secadora |
| On hangers, please | En ganchos, por favor. | Spain and Argentina: en perchas |
| Can I pay when I collect it? | ¿Puedo pagar cuando lo recoja? | Argentina: cuando lo retire |
Stains and delicate things
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| There is a stain here | Aquí hay una mancha. | Point at it |
| A wine stain | una mancha de vino | |
| A grease stain | una mancha de grasa | |
| Coffee, blood, ink, sweat | café, sangre, tinta, sudor | Una mancha de… with each |
| Will it come out? | ¿Se quita? | Spain and Argentina also say ¿sale? |
| It is from yesterday | Es de ayer. | Age of the stain is the first thing they ask |
| Please do not bleach it | Por favor, sin cloro. | Spain: sin lejía. Colombia: sin blanqueador. Argentina: sin lavandina |
| It is delicate | Es una prenda delicada. | La prenda is the word for a garment |
| It is silk / wool / linen | Es de seda / de lana / de lino. | |
| Wash it by hand | Lávelo a mano. | |
| I do not want it to shrink | No quiero que encoja. | |
| It runs | Destiñe. | The colour comes out and stains the rest |
| The label says dry clean only | La etiqueta dice solo lavado en seco. | |
| Can you sew this button on? | ¿Me puede pegar este botón? | Many shops do small repairs |
| The zip is broken | Se rompió el cierre. | Spain: la cremallera. Colombia: la cremallera |
| Can you take up the hem? | ¿Me puede subir el ruedo? | Mexico and Colombia. Spain: el bajo. Argentina: el ruedo |
Say what the stain is. A shop treats wine, grease and blood with different products, and if you only say una mancha, you get the default wash. If the garment matters, say the fabric as well, because they treat it differently when they hear de seda.
The ticket and the pick-up
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| When will it be ready? | ¿Para cuándo está? | The everyday form |
| When can I collect it? | ¿Cuándo lo puedo recoger? | Argentina: retirar |
| Is it ready today? | ¿Está para hoy? | |
| Do you have a same-day service? | ¿Tienen servicio express? | Understood in all four |
| I need it for Friday | Lo necesito para el viernes. | |
| I am coming for a bag | Vengo por una bolsa de ropa. | Argentina: vengo a retirar ropa |
| Under the name Clark | A nombre de Clark. | |
| I lost the ticket | Perdí el ticket. | Spain: el resguardo. Mexico and Colombia also el recibo |
| Is this everything? | ¿Está todo aquí? | Count it at the counter |
| A shirt is missing | Falta una camisa. | |
| This is not mine | Esto no es mío. | |
| The stain is still there | La mancha sigue ahí. | |
| It came back damaged | Me lo devolvieron dañado. | Spain: estropeado |
Keep the slip. In Spain a tintorería gives you el resguardo and will not hand the clothes over without it or without the name and the date. Shops in all four countries post a limit on how long they keep unclaimed clothes, usually thirty or sixty days.
At home
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washing machine | la lavadora | la lavadora | la lavadora | el lavarropas |
| Tumble dryer | la secadora | la secadora | la secadora | el secarropas |
| Detergent | el detergente, el jabón para ropa | el detergente | el detergente | el jabón en polvo, el jabón líquido |
| Fabric softener | el suavizante | el suavizante | el suavizante | el suavizante |
| Bleach | el cloro | la lejía | el blanqueador | la lavandina |
| Clothes line | el tendedero | el tendedero | el tendedero | la soga |
| Pegs | las pinzas | las pinzas | los ganchos de ropa | los broches |
| Hanger | el gancho | la percha | el gancho | la percha |
| Laundry, the pile of it | la ropa sucia | la ropa sucia | la ropa sucia | la ropa sucia |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I have to do a wash | Tengo que lavar ropa. | Spain: tengo que poner una lavadora |
| Where is the washing machine? | ¿Dónde está la lavadora? | Argentina: el lavarropas |
| How does it work? | ¿Cómo funciona? | |
| Which programme? | ¿Qué programa pongo? | |
| The delicate cycle | el ciclo delicado | |
| The spin | el centrifugado | |
| Cold wash | lavado en frío | |
| Is there a dryer? | ¿Hay secadora? | Often not. Ask before you plan |
| Where can I hang it out? | ¿Dónde puedo tender la ropa? | Argentina and Colombia also colgar la ropa |
| The machine is not working | La lavadora no sirve. | Spain: no funciona. Argentina: no anda |
| It is flooding | Se está saliendo el agua. | |
| Do you have change for the machine? | ¿Tiene cambio para la máquina? | Self-service. Tokens are las fichas |
In Argentina, ask for jabón para el lavarropas. Detergente there usually means washing-up liquid.
Dryers are not standard. Flats in Spain, Argentina and much of Colombia have a washing machine and no dryer, and clothes go on a line on the balcony, the roof terrace or the internal light well. Colombian flats have la zona de ropas, a small service area off the kitchen with the sink and the line. Ask a landlord ¿Tiene secadora? before you assume, and plan two days for jeans.
What the shop will say
¿Es lavado o lavado y planchado? Washing, or washing and ironing.
¿A nombre de quién? What name is it under.
Son cuatro kilos, le cobro ochenta. Four kilos, that comes to eighty.
El mínimo son tres kilos. The minimum is three kilos.
¿Lo quiere doblado o en gancho? Folded or on hangers. In Spain and Argentina, ¿doblado o en percha?
Esa mancha es vieja, no le prometo nada. That stain is old, I cannot promise anything.
Esa prenda es solo lavado en seco. That garment is dry clean only.
Está para el jueves después de las cinco. It will be ready Thursday after five.
Tráigame el ticket cuando venga. Bring the ticket when you come.
No respondemos por prendas después de treinta días. We are not responsible for clothes left more than thirty days.
¿Le pongo suavizante? Shall I put fabric softener in.
Está lloviendo, mejor no le pongo secadora. It is raining, better not to use the dryer. Shops that dry on a line say this.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Buenos días, ¿aquí lavan por kilo? Good morning, do you wash by the kilo?
- Quiero lavado y planchado, por favor. Washing and ironing, please.
- ¿Cuánto cuesta el kilo? ¿Hay un mínimo? How much is a kilo? Is there a minimum?
- Aquí hay una mancha de vino. ¿Se quita? There is a wine stain here. Will it come out?
- Es de seda, lávelo a mano y sin cloro. It is silk, wash it by hand and no bleach. (Mexico, Colombia)
- No lo meta a la secadora, no quiero que encoja. Do not put it in the dryer, I do not want it to shrink.
- ¿Para cuándo está? Lo necesito para el viernes. When will it be ready? I need it for Friday.
- Vengo a retirar ropa, a nombre de Clark. I am collecting clothes, under the name Clark. (Argentina)
- Falta una camisa. A shirt is missing.
- ¿Dónde puedo tender la ropa? Where can I hang the washing?
Questions people ask
What is a “lavaseco”? The Colombian word for the neighbourhood laundry and dry cleaner. It does washing, ironing and dry cleaning, and lavandería is usually the bigger or self-service kind. In the other three countries the sign says lavandería or tintorería.
Lavandería or lavadero? Lavandería is understood everywhere. Lavadero is the normal word for the shop in Argentina, where it also means the sink or the laundry room at home, and a lavadero de autos is a car wash.
How do I say “dry clean only”? Solo lavado en seco, or solo limpieza en seco. The label often says no lavar en agua, do not wash in water.
Is it lavadora or lavarropas? Lavadora in Mexico, Spain and Colombia. Lavarropas in Argentina and Uruguay, where the dryer is el secarropas. Both are understood across the region.
What is bleach called? El cloro in Mexico, la lejía in Spain, el blanqueador in Colombia, la lavandina in Argentina. If you want to be sure none goes in, say sin blanqueador and add the local word.
How do I ask for my clothes back without the ticket? Give the name, the day you left them and what was in the bag. Perdí el ticket. Lo dejé el martes a nombre de Clark, eran cuatro camisas. Bring a passport; some shops ask.
How much does it cost? It changes by city and by year, so ask at the counter: ¿Cuánto cuesta el kilo? Washing by the kilo in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina is a fraction of what a Spanish tintorería charges per garment.
What do I say when something comes back ruined? State it plainly and ask what they will do. Me lo devolvieron manchado. ¿Qué podemos hacer? Most shops offer to wash it again first.
Practise these words
lavar, planchar, mancha, ropa, camisa, secar, doblar, recoger, prenda, jabón, seco, encoger, tender. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.