Moving to the Triangle? A renter's guide to laundry without buying appliances

People move to the Triangle constantly, for jobs at RTP, for school at NC State, Duke, UNC, and NCCU, or just for more house than the big cities offer. If you're renting or you're not sure how long you'll stay, laundry is one of those move-in details that's easy to overlook until the hamper fills up. Here's the simple version.

Don't buy appliances for a temporary stay

If you might move again in a year or two, buying a washer and dryer rarely pays off. You front $1,000 or more, then when you leave you either pay to move heavy appliances or sell them at a loss. For a one-year lease or a nine-month school year, that math doesn't work.

Your three realistic options

• Laundromat: fine for a short stint, but it runs $60 to $180+ a month with time and gas once you're settled.
• Buy a set: only worth it if you're planting roots and staying for years.
• Rent a set: a matched washer and dryer delivered to your new place for a flat $70 a month, installed and repaired, and picked up when you leave. Built for people who move.

Perfect for students on nine-month leases

If you're heading to Raleigh for NC State, Durham for Duke or NCCU, or Chapel Hill for UNC, an off-campus place with a hookup but no machines is common. Renting a set means you're not buying appliances in August that you'll be trying to sell in May. When the lease ends, we pick it up, no hauling it down a stairwell. We put together a full guide for this: washer & dryer rental for college students.

We deliver across the whole Triangle

Wherever you're landing, Cary, Apex, Morrisville near RTP, Clayton, or any of the towns on our service-area map, we can usually have a set delivered and running the same week you reserve. If your new place is more than 15 miles from Raleigh, we may still deliver for a one-time $50 fee.

Timing your move

The easiest path is to reserve a set as your move-in date firms up, so it's ready soon after you get the keys. You just need a standard laundry hookup; not sure what you've got? See how to check your hookups, or text us a photo.

Welcome to the Triangle. When you're ready, you can reserve your set in a couple of minutes.

What it actually costs to move a set you already own

If you own a washer and dryer and you are weighing whether to bring them, price the move honestly first. In the Triangle the numbers usually look like this:

• Movers charge extra for appliances. Most local companies treat a washer and dryer as two oversized items and add a surcharge on top of the hourly rate, commonly $75 to $150 for the pair.
• Disconnect and reconnect. Movers will generally not touch water lines or a gas dryer. That is a separate plumber or handyman visit at each end.
• You need the right equipment. An appliance dolly and straps are a rental of their own if you are doing it yourself, and a dryer that gets tipped can end up with a bent drum.
• Risk sits with you. A set damaged in a move is rarely covered the way furniture is, and a ten year old washer that arrives leaking is not worth repairing.

Against a set worth maybe $300 used, spending $200 or more to relocate it is a hard case to make. That goes double if you are not sure how long you are staying.

Coming from out of state

Long distance is worse. Interstate movers price by weight, and a washer and dryer together run roughly 350 to 400 pounds. On a typical per pound rate that is a few hundred dollars of freight to bring appliances you can replace on arrival. Most people moving to Raleigh or RTP for a job are better off selling the set and sorting laundry out once they know the new place.

It also removes a scheduling problem. Your household goods may take a week or more to arrive. A rental set can be in the house the day after you get keys, so you are not hunting for a laundromat during the one week you are least able to spare the time.