How to do your laundry on holiday in the south of Tenerife

A holiday in the south of Tenerife has a rhythm all of its own: the beach in the morning, the pool in the afternoon and, before you know it, a mountain of sandy towels, damp swimwear and T-shirts covered in suncream. If you're staying in an apartment or a holiday home, chances are you don't have a washing machine… or you've got a tiny one that takes three hours to do a small load.

The good news is that you don't have to waste a day of your holiday waiting for your clothes to dry. In the south of the island you'll find self-service launderettes where you can wash and dry the whole lot in under an hour and head back to the beach with your suitcase sorted.

Why a self-service launderette is your best friend on holiday

When you're travelling, every hour counts. Here's why using a self-service launderette beats wrestling with the apartment's washing machine:

• Genuinely fast: you wash and dry in under an hour, not spend a whole day pegging things out on the balcony.
• Plenty of capacity: up to 22 kg per machine, so the whole family's beach towels go in all at once.
• Nothing to carry: the detergent and softener are included, so there's no need to buy them or pack them in your suitcase.
• Easy on the wallet: a family load costs a good deal less than a hotel laundry service.
• No relying on the apartment: no toy-sized washers, no impossible drying racks.

Where to do your laundry in the south of Tenerife

We have launderettes dotted around the main tourist areas of the south, nearly always inside shopping centres with parking, so you can park up, put on a wash and run an errand while you wait:

• Costa Adeje: in the Centro Comercial Siam Mall and in the CC X-Sur, a stone's throw from Playa de las Américas.
• Adeje: right in the town centre, really handy if you're staying up in the higher part.
• El Fraile (Arona): perfect if you're near Los Cristianos or Guaza.

We're right where you're staying: Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos and the surrounding area. And very soon we'll be opening one more launderette.

How it works: wash and dry in under an hour

Even if you've never done it before, using a self-service launderette couldn't be easier:

1. Choose your machine size depending on how much you've got (12, 17 or 22 kg). A couple's load usually fits in the medium one; for towels and the whole family's clothes, go for the large.
2. Load your clothes and close the door. The detergent and softener are already included: there's nothing to add.
3. Pay by card or cash at the payment terminal and choose your programme. The wash takes around 27 minutes.
4. Move it to the dryer for a few minutes and it'll come out ready to fold. All in, under an hour.

If you're going to be on the island for several weeks, ask about the loyalty card: it brings the cost of each wash down and really pays off if you're coming back.

The holiday wash: sand, salt, chlorine and suncream

Laundry from a beach holiday is no ordinary load. A few tips to get it spotless:

• Beach towels: give them a good shake before loading to knock off the sand, so it doesn't end up inside the drum.
• Swimsuits and bikinis: rinse out the salt and chlorine as soon as you can and avoid a very hot dryer, which ruins the elastic and stretchy fabrics.
• Suncream stains: the sooner you treat them the better; they're greasy and stubborn once they've dried in the sun.
• Sweaty clothes from the heat: a good wash with softener brings T-shirts and sportswear back to life.

Enjoy more, wash less

You're on holiday to switch off, not to battle with a tiny washing machine. Leave the laundry to us — well, to our machines — grab a coffee while you wait and head back to the beach with clean, dry clothes in under an hour.