I might get in trouble for saying this, but one of the rites of passage for budget travelers in places like KL is getting "camel washed" (or maybe Muslim- or Arab-washed), which is what happens when you use a hotel laundry or laundry place that mixes laundry and yours gets mixed with those from people from places with, er....different hygiene concepts or availabilities.

If it happens you'll know it instantly, and good luck getting the smell out even with subsequent washings. You might find one of those places that does laundry by the separate load and charges more, but those are still very much the minority.

I still resist the coin ops in places where letting someone else do it is affordable, though. But I'm more wary of the camel-wash possibility in KL than, say, Thailand.