A perfect day at Newport or Huntington has one downside: everything you brought home is now full of sand, stiff with salt, or streaked with sunscreen. Here's how to rescue all of it — towels, swimsuits, wetsuits, and that blanket that somehow collected half the beach.
Sand is the enemy of washing machines and clean laundry alike. If you wash sandy stuff straight away, the sand doesn't disappear — it redeposits into pockets, seams, and the machine itself.
Salt left in fabric weakens fibers, fades color, and leaves that stiff, crunchy feel.
That yellow-orange streak on your shirt collar? That's sunscreen — specifically avobenzone reacting with minerals in water. It sets with heat, so:
A wetsuit is an investment — treat it like one.
This is where a laundromat honestly beats your home machine. A family beach day produces a mountain of oversized, sand-heavy towels and blankets that overwhelm a home washer — and trap sand in it for weeks. Our 60 lb and 80 lb machines swallow the whole pile in one load, the sand rinses out properly, and our high-heat dryers get thick towels actually dry instead of damp-rolled. The whole mountain, washed and dried, in under an hour — check our self-service prices. And if you'd rather rinse off and relax after a beach day, drop it all off and we'll wash, dry, and fold it for you.
We're on College Ave in Costa Mesa — about ten minutes from Newport Beach and an easy stop on the way home from Huntington. Open every day 4 AM to 11 PM, with free parking right out front for the sandy-trunk unload. More care know-how in our laundry guides, and if you're new to the area, here's what's around us.
Bags and most fabric covers, yes — shake the sand out first and use a gentle cycle in a big machine. Anything with rigid frames or foam, spot-clean instead.
Wash hot (towels can take it) with detergent plus a cup of white vinegar, and dry fully on high heat. The smell is mildew from being left damp — fully dry is the cure and the prevention.
Minutes from Newport Beach. Open daily 4 AM–11 PM.