But staying bundled up in the same clothes for too long can mean the unpleasant temperature is accompanied by unpleasant smells.

That's why many Tulsans without power decided to pass the time this week at commercial laundries, only to find long lines and machines running nonstop.

Shirley McWilliams said she embarked on a long search for a laundry with power early Thursday, since none in her home town of Sand Springs had power. Neither did any where she drove to -- near Harvard Avenue in midtown Tulsa.

"We just had to keep driving until we found one," McWilliams said.

She finally found Brookside Laundromat at 33rd Place and Peoria Avenue, which had power since midday Tuesday. Nicki Baxter, an employee there, said customers came from all over.

"It's been full ever since we reopened," she said. "We've had people coming in from Skiatook, Owasso and Broken Arrow."

Gwen Williams, an attendant at Blue Monday Coin Laundry and Dry Cleaners at 6702 S. Lewis Ave., said her business had plenty of customers as well.

"We're busy, but we have room for more," she said.

Coin laundries with power weren't the only option. Managers of The Maytag Store at 41st Street and Yale Avenue turned part of the display floor into a free laundry.

James Nylander, a sales associate at the store, said he and his co-workers just

"Laundry is one thing people can get off their minds so you can focus on the other essentials in this time of crisis," he said.

Dozens of people took up the opportunity to give floor models a true test, even though the wait for a machine eventually grew to four hours.

One of them was Debbie Naifeh, a resident of west Tulsa.

"It took a while, but it was worth it," she said. "We all traded power outage stories."

Nylander said his location, which offered free laundry for veterans on Veterans Day, will continue to offer the service as long as people are without power. Visitors will need to do their own laundry, bring their own detergent and limit their session to two loads.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. More information is available at 828-0304.

Brookside Laundromat had to turn away many customers seeking drop-off laundry service because the business was overwhelmed, Baxter said.

"We can't take drop-offs after the pile of clothes hits the floor," she said.

Julie O'Brien, a Brookside resident who said she's a regular customer, recalled that there was never a wait at Brookside Laundromat before. But she didn't complain.

"There's nothing you can do but develop a sense of humor," she said.

Though many coin laundries were busy, dry cleaning-only businesses were unusually quiet.

Todd Sanders, owner of Comet Cleaners at 3807 S. Peoria Ave., said business Thursday was down 75 percent from normal.

"Everyone's wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants rather than nicer clothes you have to dry clean," he said.

Robert Evatt 581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com