The basket is full again, the machine is already running, and the thought arrives uninvited: what would it cost to just pay someone to do this. It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that laundry-only help is more affordable than most people expect, but the pricing is not quite as simple as one number. Here is what it actually costs in Australia, and how to work out whether it is worth it for your household.
In short. Hiring someone for laundry only in Australia usually costs around $30 per standard 5kg load for wash, dry and fold, or roughly $5.50 to $7 per kilo, plus a pickup and delivery fee of around $15 and a minimum charge of about $60 to $70 per booking. Ironing is charged separately per item. A regular family load two or three times a week works out to a predictable weekly cost you can plan around.
Paying for laundry used to feel like a luxury reserved for people with a lot of spare money. It is not that any more. Mobile wash, dry and fold services now operate across most of the country, and the way they price is designed to be readable, so you can work out your own cost before you book. The trick is knowing what the headline rate does and does not include.
The three ways laundry services charge
Almost every laundry-only service prices in one of three ways, and many combine them. Understanding the structure is what stops the final bill from surprising you.
Per kilogram
The most common model is a per-kilo rate for wash, dry and fold, weighed dry before washing. In Australia this typically sits somewhere around $5.50 to $7 per kilo. In Queensland, for example, one service lists wash and fold from $5.50 per kilo (Source: Fresh Folds, laundry service cost in Queensland). A standard basket of washing is roughly five kilos, so a single load lands around $30.
Per load
Some services price by the load instead, which is easier to picture. A national mobile service charges $30.25 for a standard 5kg wash, dry and fold load, and prices blankets and doonas by volume rather than weight because they are bulkier (Source: The Laundry Lady, pricing). Whites and darks are usually treated as separate loads, so a mixed basket can count as two.
Add-ons and minimums
This is the part people miss. On top of the wash rate there is usually a pickup and delivery fee, often around $14.50 per service, and a minimum charge per booking of roughly $60 to $70 including GST. Ironing is almost always separate and priced per item, from around $3 for a t-shirt or kids' item up to $12 or more for king bedding. Those extras are why a single small load rarely makes sense on its own, and why a fuller, less frequent booking is usually better value.
What a real week might cost
Numbers in the abstract are hard to judge, so here is a realistic example. A family running two 5kg loads a fortnight, wash, dry and fold, with pickup and delivery, would look at roughly $60 for the two loads plus a delivery fee, landing near or at the minimum charge for the booking. Add a small pile of ironing and you are close to $75 to $90 a fortnight. Set as a recurring booking, some services reduce the service fee, which brings the ongoing cost down a little further.
Whether that is worth it depends on what your time is worth to you and how much you dislike the job. For some households it is the single best hour a fortnight they buy back. For others, the cost adds up faster than expected once it becomes a habit, and the honest maths tips back toward doing it at home with better tools and a tighter routine.
Laundry-only versus a full cleaner
One reason laundry-only help has grown is that it is far cheaper than a general house cleaner, and you can use it for the one job you most want gone. A cleaner charges by the hour for a broad scope. A laundry service charges for a defined output, a certain number of loads, folded and returned. If laundry is your specific pain point, paying only for laundry keeps the cost tightly attached to the thing that actually bothers you, rather than a broad service you use partly.
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When paying makes sense, and when it does not
Hiring out the laundry earns its cost in specific situations more than others. It is worth weighing honestly rather than deciding on a tired Sunday.
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You are time-poor at a predictable, high rate. If the hours you free up are worth more than the fee, the trade is easy. This is the clearest case for a regular booking.
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You are in a season, not forever. A newborn, an injury, a demanding work stretch, or aged-care needs are exactly when a temporary service is worth every dollar. You can stop when the season passes.
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The volume genuinely justifies it. A large or sporty household generates enough washing that the per-load cost is reasonable against the time saved. A single person with a light load rarely clears the minimum charge sensibly.
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You would otherwise let it pile up. If the alternative is a growing backlog and the stress that comes with it, the service is buying calm, not just clean clothes.
If none of those fit, the cost usually points back home. The good news is that most of what makes laundry feel relentless is a missing system and a couple of missing tools, not a lack of hired help.
The cheaper alternative: do it well at home
Before you commit to an ongoing fee, it is worth asking whether the real problem is the washing itself or the friction around it. A clear folding surface, sorting baskets, enough hanging space, and a short daily routine remove most of the dread for a fraction of the annual cost of a service. The jobs that feel worst, the ones you put off, are usually the specialised ones: the muddy sport shoes, the delicates, the tough stains. Solve those with the right tool and the whole load feels lighter.
Where the Shoe Wash Kit fits
Shoes are the job most people would happily pay someone else to handle, because washing them badly ruins them and washing them by hand is a chore. The Shoe Wash Kit makes that one job something you can do at home without worry. It is a three-compartment bag plus a pair of adjustable shoe trees: one outer compartment per shoe so the pair never touches, a centre compartment for laces and insoles, more than 3,000 soft chenille fingers inside to hold each shoe off the drum, and a 3D mesh panel at each end for the water. On the Chalk Kit there is no dye in the bag, so nothing transfers onto white runners. It is tested to ISO 105-C06 grade 4 colour fastness and stress tested to 50 cycles at 60°C and 1400rpm, the durability test, not a usage instruction. Recommended use is a cold wash, delicate or gentle cycle, spin 600 to 800rpm, air dry only. For canvas, mesh and synthetic shoes, not leather or suede.
Laundry service versus doing it at home, at a glance
| Factor | Hiring a laundry service | Doing it at home |
| Typical cost | ~$30 a load plus delivery and minimum | Detergent, power and water per load |
| Time saved | Most of the job, folded and returned | Your own time, faster with a system |
| Best for | Busy seasons, high volume, time-poor | Steady routine, ongoing value |
| Control | Someone else's products and process | Your detergents, your standards |
| Specialist jobs | Often extra or excluded | Handled with the right tool |
| Ongoing cost | Recurring, adds up over a year | One-off tools, then low running cost |
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About Mudroom Co
Mudroom Co is a small Australian premium brand making home care tools for active families. We build for the way people actually use their homes, not the way the catalogue says they do. We launch in July 2026 with one product, the Shoe Wash Kit: a three-compartment bag plus a pair of adjustable shoe trees, built chalk cream inside and out, with a eucalyptus zip, piping and tag the only colour you see. It is tested to ISO 105-C06 grade 4 colour fastness and stress tested to 50 cycles at 60°C and 1400rpm. We are based in Melbourne and we sell direct. The machine washes the shoes. The bag protects them. That is the whole brand in one line.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire someone for laundry only?
In Australia, laundry-only help usually costs around $30 for a standard 5kg wash, dry and fold load, or roughly $5.50 to $7 per kilo, plus a pickup and delivery fee near $15 and a minimum booking charge of about $60 to $70. Ironing is charged separately per item.
Is it cheaper to use a laundry service or a cleaner?
For laundry specifically, a laundry-only service is usually cheaper, because you pay for a defined output rather than a cleaner's hourly rate across a broad scope. If washing is your main pain point, laundry-only keeps the cost attached to the job you actually want gone.
Do laundry services charge by weight or by load?
Both models exist. Many charge per kilo, weighed dry, at around $5.50 to $7. Others charge a flat rate per 5kg load, around $30. Bulky items like blankets and doonas are usually priced by volume instead of weight.
Are there extra fees on top of the wash price?
Usually yes. Expect a pickup and delivery fee of around $15 and a minimum charge per booking of roughly $60 to $70 including GST. Ironing is separate and priced per item. Setting up a recurring booking can reduce the service fee with some providers.
Is hiring a laundry service worth it?
It is worth it when your time is worth more than the fee, when you are in a demanding season, or when the volume is high enough to justify the per-load cost. For a light, single-person load it rarely clears the minimum charge sensibly, and doing it at home with a good routine is better value.
Can I hire someone for laundry as a one-off?
Yes. Most mobile services take one-off bookings as well as recurring ones, which makes them ideal for a busy stretch, a new baby, an injury, or a backlog you want cleared. You only pay when you use it.
How can I cut my laundry costs without a service?
Wash on cold to save on power, run full but not overloaded machines, and set up a simple system with sorting baskets and a folding surface so the job moves faster. Handle the specialist jobs, shoes, delicates and stains, with the right tool so you do not put them off or pay someone else for them.
Related reading
Going deeper on the topics above. Each of these is on the Mudroom Co hub.
In short. Laundry-only help in Australia runs about $30 a standard load, or $5.50 to $7 a kilo, plus a delivery fee and a minimum charge, with ironing extra. It is worth it in busy seasons and high-volume homes. For steady, ongoing washing, a tight routine and the right tools at home usually cost less over a year.
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About the author
Catherine Spiteri is the founder of Mudroom Co. With two teenage kids, an overflowing mudroom and a washing machine running twice a day, she noticed how few quality tools existed to make busy home life easier, and to protect the things we use every day so they last.
She started Mudroom Co because, while the tools existed, she could not find any made properly for the lives people actually lead. She has thirty years in development and construction, working with global corporates on projects of every scale and complexity, and now applies that skillset to household products with proper manufacturing and quality control behind them. Mudroom Co is based in Melbourne, Australia.
References
External sources cited in this article.
Fresh Folds, laundry service cost in Queensland