How much should I charge to do laundry?

You could probably get away with charging more than $5. $5 seems like a steal for all the packing, washing, drying and folding that goes into a load of laundry. I'd think about $10 would be good.

Your price has got to cover all of your expenses including taxes and time spent doing paper work and other business chores associated with the business. There are many expenses that can be easily over looked like a budget for advertising and time spent talking to current or potential customers. Calculate all out-pocket-expenses, add 50%. Assume that you will need at least 25% of your work week for activities for which you cannot bill you clients. Determine what amount of money you need to earn after taxes, add 100%. Determine how many hours a week you are able and willing to work. Divide the final out-of-pocket figure by 50 weeks (this will allow for two weeks off each year). Add the final figure for weekly income. Divide the sum by the number of hours you can work less 25%. This is your minimum hourly rate. To charge by the pound or other fee system calculate the rate per hour at which you can complete the unit work and divide the hourly rate by the rate per hour of your alternative fee system. Many jobs can not be performed profitably in a given area because the cost of doing the work is greater than the market will bear. On the other hand, if your minimum hourly rate is significantly lower than other rates for succesful competitors, carefully check your figures. If you are satisfied that you have not overlooked anything significant, then raise your price to approximately 80% of the average of your competitors.

I agree, $5 is too little. Go for $10 an hour at least. Someone might have a million loads and you need to be paid for your time too.