How Much Does a Laundry Service Cost in Queensland?

One of the first questions people ask when they start thinking about using a laundry service is: how much is this actually going to cost me? Fair enough. Nobody wants to hand over their washing and get stung with a bill they were not expecting. The good news is that professional laundry in Queensland is more affordable than most people assume, especially once you factor in what doing it yourself really costs.

In this guide, we break down the typical pricing models used by laundry services in Queensland, walk through our own pricing at Fresh Folds, and help you figure out whether the numbers stack up for your household or business.

How Laundry Services Price Their Work

Not every laundry service charges the same way. Across Queensland, you will come across a few different pricing models, and understanding them helps you compare services properly.

Per Kilogram Pricing

This is the most common model for wash and fold services, and it is the one we use at Fresh Folds. Your laundry is weighed when it arrives, and you pay a set rate per kilogram. This is straightforward and fair because you only pay for what you send. A light week costs less, a heavy week costs more. No guessing.

In Queensland, per-kilogram rates typically range from $4.00 to $7.00 per kg for a standard wash and fold. The rate depends on the provider, your location, and the level of service included. Some providers on the lower end of that range may not include drying or folding in the base price, so always check what is actually covered.

Per Item Pricing

Some services, particularly those focused on dry cleaning or garment care, charge per item. You might see prices like $8 for a business shirt, $15 for a suit jacket, or $25 for a doona. Per-item pricing makes sense for specialist garments where each piece requires individual attention, but it gets expensive quickly if you are sending everyday clothing.

For regular household laundry, per-kilogram pricing almost always works out cheaper than per-item.

Per Load or Flat Rate Pricing

A few laundry services charge a flat fee per load, usually defined as a standard domestic machine load (around 7 to 8 kilograms). This can be convenient, but it tends to penalise smaller loads. If you only have 4 kg of washing, you still pay the full load price. It also makes it harder to predict costs if your laundry volume varies from week to week.

Fresh Folds Pricing Breakdown

We keep our pricing simple and transparent. No tiers, no confusing bundles, no surprise fees at the end. Here is exactly what you pay:

Wash and Fold

Our core wash and fold service is priced at $5.50 per kilogram. This includes sorting by colour and fabric, washing with quality detergents, drying (tumble or line dry to your preference), and neat folding. Your clothes come back ready to go straight into the drawer.

Wash and Iron

If you want your laundry washed and professionally pressed, our wash and iron service is priced at $11 per kilogram. That is $5.50/kg for the washing and $5.50/kg for the ironing. Work shirts, school uniforms, table linen and anything else that benefits from a crisp finish. Shirts come back on hangers and trousers are pressed with a clean crease.

Ironing Only

Already done the washing yourself but cannot face the ironing pile? We offer ironing only at $5.50 per kilogram. Just send us your clean, dry clothes and we will press them and return them ready to wear.

Delivery

Pick up and delivery is a flat $12.50 fee per trip. This covers both the collection and the return of your laundry. There are no distance-based surcharges. The fee is the same whether you are in Greenbank or Springfield.

Minimum Order

We have a $60 minimum order per pickup. This ensures each trip is worthwhile for both you and us. For most families, a weekly wash easily hits that minimum. A 10 kg load at $5.50/kg comes to $55, which rounds up to the $60 minimum. Add the delivery fee and your total is $72.50 for the week.

DIY Laundry vs Professional Service: The Real Cost Comparison

Here is where things get interesting. Most people assume doing laundry at home is basically free because they already own a machine. But the actual running costs add up to more than you might think.

Water

A standard washing machine uses around 50 to 80 litres per cycle. In South East Queensland, water prices (including usage and access charges) mean each wash cycle costs roughly $0.10 to $0.20 in water alone. If you run five loads a week, that is $0.50 to $1.00 per week in water. Not huge on its own, but it adds up over the year to around $26 to $52.

Electricity

Running the washing machine costs around $0.30 to $0.60 per cycle in electricity, depending on whether you use cold or warm water. The dryer is where the real cost hits. A standard tumble dryer uses about 2 to 5 kWh per cycle, costing $0.60 to $1.50 each time. Five loads a week with dryer use could add $4.50 to $10.50 per week in electricity, which is $234 to $546 per year.

Detergent and Products

A decent laundry detergent costs around $10 to $20 per bottle, and most bottles last about 20 to 30 washes. Add fabric softener, stain remover, and the occasional specialty product, and you are looking at roughly $1 to $2 per load. That is $5 to $10 per week, or $260 to $520 per year.

Machine Wear and Depreciation

A washing machine costs anywhere from $600 to $1,500. A dryer is another $400 to $1,200. Most machines last about 8 to 10 years with regular use. That means you are paying roughly $100 to $270 per year just in machine depreciation, before you even account for repairs. And when a machine breaks down mid-cycle on a Tuesday night, the repair callout alone can cost $150 to $300.

Your Time

This is the big one that most people undervalue. The average household spends five to seven hours per week on laundry-related tasks: sorting, loading, unloading, hanging, folding, ironing, and putting away. Even if you value your time conservatively at $25 per hour, that is $125 to $175 per week in labour. Over a year, that is $6,500 to $9,100 worth of your time.

The Total DIY Cost

When you add the hard costs together (water, electricity, detergent, machine wear), doing laundry at home costs a typical Queensland family somewhere between $620 and $1,388 per year. When you add even a modest value for your time, the true cost jumps dramatically.

By comparison, using Fresh Folds once a week at roughly $72.50 per pickup (wash, fold and delivery) comes to about $3,770 per year. That is more than the raw DIY costs, no question. But when you factor in 300+ hours of your time per year, the equation shifts. You are essentially paying around $9 to $10 per hour for someone else to handle all of it. For most working Queenslanders, that is well below what their time is actually worth.

What Affects the Cost of a Laundry Service

Several factors influence what you will pay. Understanding them helps you budget and get the best value.

Service Type

A basic wash and fold is the most affordable option. Adding ironing doubles the per-kilogram rate. Specialist services like delicates and special care cost more again because of the extra time and technique involved. Choose the service level that matches what you actually need rather than paying for extras you do not use.

Volume

Because most services (including ours) charge per kilogram, the more you send, the more you pay. But there is an efficiency advantage to sending larger loads. The delivery fee is fixed at $12.50 regardless of weight, so a 15 kg load costs $12.50 for delivery just like a 10 kg load. Bigger orders spread that fixed cost over more kilograms, bringing your effective per-kilogram rate down.

Fabric Type and Special Requirements

Standard cotton, polyester and blended fabrics are straightforward to wash and cost the standard rate. Delicate items like silk, wool, or heavily embellished garments require gentler handling and may fall under a specialist service with a higher price point. If most of your laundry is everyday clothing, you will stick to the standard rates.

Frequency

Sending laundry once a week is the most common schedule. But if you let it build up and send a huge load every two weeks, you still only pay one delivery fee instead of two. On the flip side, more frequent smaller pickups mean you are paying the delivery fee more often. Find the balance that works for your household.

How to Get the Best Value From a Laundry Service

A few practical tips to keep your costs down while using a service:

• Batch your laundry. Wait until you have a decent-sized load before booking a pickup. This maximises the value per delivery trip.
• Stick to wash and fold for everyday items. Only add ironing for the things that genuinely need it, like work shirts and school uniforms. T-shirts and casual wear look fine folded.
• Set up a regular schedule. Consistent weekly pickups prevent laundry from piling up into expensive mega-loads and keep your spending predictable.
• Check the minimum order. Make sure you are close to or above the $60 minimum before booking. If you are under, hold off a day or two and add more to the bag.
• Combine household items. Throw in towels, sheets and tea towels alongside your clothing to bulk up the load and get everything done in one go.

Commercial Pricing for Businesses

If you run a small business in Queensland, you know how quickly laundry adds up. Cafes with aprons and tablecloths, salons with towels, gyms with branded towels, childcare centres with bibs and bedding, trades businesses with work uniforms. The volume is constant and it has to be done properly.

Our commercial laundry service is priced at the same $5.50/kg base rate, with the $60 minimum per pickup. For businesses with higher volumes, we offer tailored pricing and scheduled pickups to suit your operations. Most of our small business clients spend between $50 and $200 per week depending on their volume and service frequency.

The advantage for businesses is consistency and reliability. Your towels, uniforms and linen are always clean, always on time, and always professionally handled. That matters when your customers are the ones using them.

Is a Laundry Service Worth the Money?

That depends entirely on how you value your time and energy. If you genuinely enjoy doing laundry and have plenty of time for it, doing it at home will be cheaper in raw dollar terms. But for the majority of busy Queenslanders, spending $60 to $75 a week to get back five or more hours is a trade most people are happy to make once they try it.

We hear the same thing from new customers all the time: they tried it once thinking it was a temporary solution during a busy period, and now they cannot imagine going back. The convenience, the quality, and the sheer relief of not having a laundry pile hanging over your head is hard to put a price on.

Get a Quote for Your Laundry

Want to know exactly what your weekly laundry would cost with Fresh Folds? Head over to our get a quote page and tell us about your household or business. We will give you a clear, no-obligation estimate so you can see the numbers for yourself. No hidden fees, no lock-in contracts. Just honest pricing for a service that genuinely makes life easier.