Gold Star Laundry

What’s not to like? Nothing fancy, but this place is good at what it does. And there aren’t meters to feed out front, which is convenient. Just 2-​hour parking spots. How about the 75 cent soda machine? How about the coin-​op supplies vending thing if you need detergent, etc. Lot’s of places don’t even have those stocked. The only other thing you could ask for is machines that work. And the machines are good to go.

A tidy, spare laundry mat that does it’s job. The machines work, mostly, and the building is kept reasonably warm.
It doesn’t feel creepy. The magazines are pleasant to read and include old issues of the New Yorker. It’s been empty most times I’ve gone.

This place is great, tons of washers and dryers, XL to reg. high efficiency to just the good ol top load. Clean, quiet, close to home. 3.00 $ for a regular load, cheap.

i love that this laundromat is so close to my house, that def makes life easier for this non-​driver. It’s not fancy by any means, but it is convenient and quiet. It differs from typical laundromats in that there is no office– i think the owners lives in one of the nearby houses– so there is no fluff and fold option or anyone to see if you have an issue. Also no bathroom. but there is a nice number of washers and dryers and i like the extra large ones best, i pack em full and all my clothes come out clean for less money. often the change machine is broken with an attached note to either change singles in the soda machine or go a few doors down to another store for change– kind of inconvenient. when the owner does stop in, he is usually friendly and helpful, but like i said, usually you are on your own. i dont know what id do if they ever went out of business though, it is a blessing to have them so close by!

A high end laundromat this is not, but if you’ve got one (or five) loads of laundry to get done it’s a great place.
There were only 2 machines out of order, which was impressive considering how many machines there were. There are a variety of washers that vary in price based on their capacity: $ 2/​load, $ 2.25, $ 3, $ 4, $ 4.50. I like that there are different machines to choose from based on your needs and you don’t have to spend extra money for capacity you’re not using.
For the dryers (which are all the same) the prices aren’t posted, but they are as follows: $ 1.00 for the first 20 minutes, $ 0.25 for every additional 7 minutes. That seems a little pricey to me, but I’ve been out of the laundromat loop for a few years now so perhaps that’s average these days.
As for the place itself, it was very clean and well lit. There were tons of magazines to read, a pop machine to quench your thirst with Pepsi products, and lots of counter space for folding. The change machine was broken when I was there, but there was a sign instructing you to visit the liquor store a few doors down for change. The guy in the liquor store was very nice and didn’t bat an eye at my asking for $ 3 in quarters. The broken change machine was maybe a little inconvenient, but it was a nice day so I didn’t care.
The guy who runs the place is a funny, friendly Greek man. He was very helpful with one of my washers, which turned out to be a little fussy. But everything worked in the end, and I walked out with 3 sets of clean sheets and 2 clean blankets.
The best part of all of this is that Gold Star is a 30 second walk from my apartment. Hurray convenience!
Summer Hours: 7am-10:30pm
Winter Hours: 8am-​10pm
Last Wash: 9pm
Door Locks @ 9:30pm
$ 0.50 off computer (digital display) washers Tues-​Sat from 7am-​5pm!

Bless the Gold Star.
Without it, I’d have to walk really really far up hills that are intensely annoying, on paths likely unshovelled, to pay with «credits» instead of coins. Only to have my rolling cart go topsy turvy and my skivvies slide down the ice through a pile of Somerville Sludge. Things do slide down Spring Hill this way… ask me about the time the bottom dropped out of a full box of pornography and it created a veritable waterfall of T+A down Porter St…
But as i was saying, bless the Gold Star… Unfortunately, well, half the machines don’t work.
But they have some trashpicked exercise equipment… think about it… Get fit on the squeaky ROWING MACHINE! while you dry your clothes! Also present, bicycle, and stairmaster.
So I will, continue to patronize the Blessed Gold Star, because, my landlord is a cheap bastard, and the basement is not a place where you’d make things «clean.»
At least the unworking machines are labeled, and if you need it, there’s usually a cache of spare «doesn’t work/​doesn’t heat» notes stuck to the side of the last dryer. And the lady who closes up at night has let me finish up, instead of kicking me out with a pile of damp clothes… which always seemed like a worthwhile gesture of good will. Amen.
(Update: Down from 3 stars… They just raised their prices and still haven’t fixed their machines… so I can take a taxi down the hill to the laudromax or whatever and have someone DO my laundry for what it would cost me at Gold-​star — Ok. a little more, but my time IS worth something! and it comes back folded! –I’ve resolved to only use it in emergencies.)

Top 10 reasons I use Gold Star Laundry
10) Can’t get Guided By Voices’ «Gold Star For Robot Boy» out of my head.
9) Sketchy Somerville Singles Scene.
8) The possibility of hidden treasure – I once found a $ 20 bill in a washer.
7) Nostalgia factor: all those early 90’s copies of Entertainment Weekly bring me back to the time «X-​Files» was king and, sadly, letter after long, passionate letter to Gillian Anderson went unanswered.
6) Technology factor: there’s a machine on-​site that changes paper currency into coins.
5) 50 cents off numerous computer washers 7am to 5pm Tuesday through Saturday.
4) Best laundromat sign ever. I want to marry the woman on the sign.
3) Reaping the spoils of previous launderer’s leavings – my best find so far is a pair of SpongeBob SquarePants boxers.
2) Finally found a setting where my Dewar’s flask is socially acceptable.
1) In the event of equipment malfunction and subsequent gruesome injuries, Gold Star is conveniently located across from Somerville Hospital.