I have a communal laundry room in my building. What’s the best etiquette?

Some buildings have started sending out instructions on how to navigate using the machines. If your building doesn’t have a system in place, Angelique Corthals, a biomedical researcher and professor of pathology at John Jay College, recommended establishing a laundry schedule among residents so that no more than two people (or one person, depending on the size of the room) are using the machines at a time and can maintain a six-foot distance between each other.

Sort your dirty laundry at home before heading to the laundry room, and fold clean laundry at home to minimize your contact with the laundry room’s surfaces.

Finally, be aware of what you and your clothing touch, and don’t bring your hand near your face until you’ve washed your hands after you’re done.

Is it safe for me to go to a laundromat?

Yes. If you are healthy and have run out of clean clothing, it is OK to leave the house and do laundry. The same general rules apply: Wash your hands frequently, practice social distancing and don’t touch your face.

What about dry cleaning? Or using wash-and-fold services?

When it comes to wash-and-fold services, experts said it was up to the person.

“If you feel you don’t want to venture out because you need to self-quarantine, then I can understand a laundry service,” said Nellie Brown, the director of workplace health and safety programs at Cornell University. “But if you’re basically healthy and not experiencing any odd symptoms, go on doing what you’ve been doing.”

For people who are part of a more vulnerable population and want to minimize their outside contact, wash-and-fold may be the best option next to washing clothes the old-fashioned way: by hand.