Soap and Suds Laundry Mat at 122 W. Bowen Ave. has opened its doors to the rig workers though. Owner Louis Baltrusch thinks he is the only self-service laundromat to allow oil field clothes in Bismarck. “Why shouldn't I work with them?” Baltrusch said.When I was last in Williston, the heart of the Bakken, two things regarding laundromats. First, there was a new laundromat going up on the north side of town, and the builders were living in their pickup "RV." By the time I left, the laundromat targeting roughnecks was completed; I think they got it completed in about two months.
Meanwhile, an existing laundromat was one of the busiest places I saw in Williston after dark. The parking lot was filled with pickup trucks and roughnecks, laughing, joking, sharing stories, meeting friends, while waiting for their laundry. It was quite remarkable.
My hunch is that the oil patch is still in great need of laundromats.
