By Steve Mosco
Queens residents are getting loads of love as a city-based laundry company announced it is providing two days of self-serve free wash and dry services in February.
In what began as a response to the difficulties Rockaway residents were having in doing their laundry in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Queens Village-based Clean Rite Center is launching a free event Feb. 13 and 20, when residents from across the borough are invited to wash and dry their clothes for free.
“Sandy took place and really devastated parts of Queens,” said Julio Morales, marketing manager of Clean Rite. “We just felt like the borough has treated us so well that we wanted to give something back.”
So on those two days, Queens residents can go to Clean Rite Center, at 214-50 Jamaica Ave., from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. and wash as many loads as they need to for free. Soap will also be available free of charge, as will light snacks and refreshments.
The Queens Village Laundromat usually has only two people working in the store at a time, but Morales said no less than seven employees will be manning the location’s more than 70 dryers and 65 washing machines.
When Superstorm Sandy blew through the city more than three months ago, many residents lost their laundry equipment, while some Laundromats were closed due to storm damage.
Soon after the storm, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) had tried to bring a Tide Loads of Hope mobile laundry truck to the hurricane-affected areas, reaching out to Tide and the Red Cross, Loads of Hope’s partner organization.
In December, a spokeswoman for Tide, Erin Serrano, said there were no plans to bring Loads of Hope to southern Queens and the decision where to mobilize the truck is based on need, the number of families displaced, access to water, whether there is an area of central access and other factors.
She said mobilizing the truck is often a joint decision between the Red Cross and Tide, but a spokesman for the Red Cross, Michael de Vulpillieres, said the aid organization is not involved in the decision-making process and only provides information to Tide about conditions on the ground.
But Laundry Capital is not waiting for Tide or the Red Cross — the company wants to provide a sense of normalcy for residents still reeling from the storm surge.
“We want them to come here and take care of their clothes in a big, clean environment,” said Morales. “It is two days for everyone to feel normal again.”
Morales stressed that hurricane damage is not necessary to receive this free services, since it is open to all residents.
Reach reporter Steve Mosco by e-mail at smosco@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
