TL;DR
- The Wear’Em & Wash’Em laundromat is in Central, near East Park Station, slightly south of Field Office Station.
- The entrance is blocked by Hiss. Follow three red tendrils outside and destroy the three growths to clear the barrier.
- Inside, read the “While You Wait” note on the board — it is a binary code where 1 = machine ON and 0 = machine OFF.
- The code is: 0001000 / 001100 / 100001 / 000000 / 000000 / 000000 / 100000
- Six machines total need to be switched on across seven rows.
- Once done correctly, a hidden wall in the break room slides open revealing a staircase.
- Rewards: Health Upgrade Point, plus two lore files — Visitation And Stay Protocol and Do Not Leave The Shelter.
- This is one of six Secret Hideouts. Clearing all six unlocks the Backroom Espionage trophy/achievement.
The Wear’Em & Wash’Em laundromat in the Central district of Control Resonant hides one of the game’s six Secret Hideouts. Behind an ordinary-looking wall of washing machines sits a binary puzzle that trips up a lot of players. It looks harder than it is. Once you understand what the note is telling you, the whole thing takes about two minutes to solve. This guide covers exactly where to find the laundromat, how to get inside, and the full washing machine sequence to open the secret room.
Wear’Em & Wash’Em Location in Control Resonant
The laundromat is in the Central zone, right next to East Park Station and slightly south of Field Office Station. Fast travel to either station and you will find it within a short walk. Look for a bright blue storefront sign reading WEAR’EM & WASH’EM on the city square. A purple keyhole symbol on the exterior wall marks it as a Secret Hideout location.
You reach Central naturally through early story progression, so the laundromat becomes accessible in the first few hours of the game. There is no special traversal ability needed to get here.
How to Get Into the Wear’Em & Wash’Em Laundromat
When you first arrive, the entrance is blocked by floating debris pulled in by red Hiss tendrils. You cannot enter until the barrier is removed.
Here is what to do:
- Look up and follow the three red tendrils extending from the doorway.
- Each tendril leads to a pulsating Hiss growth. Track each one and destroy it.
- Two of the three growths are guarded by Hiss enemies. Clear them first, then destroy the growths.
- Once all three growths are gone, the barrier drops and the laundromat entrance opens.
Being at Aberrant Strength 30–35 or higher makes the enemy waves around the growths much more manageable. If you are struggling with the fights, check our Control Resonant Assist Mode settings to tune the difficulty without missing any rewards.
How to Read the Washing Machine Puzzle Note
Once inside, do not touch any machines yet. Walk to the bulletin board near the open doors at the back of the store. There are two notes pinned here:
- Customer Note – A complaint about broken machines. This is flavour text and not needed for the puzzle.
- “While You Wait” note – This is the puzzle. It shows seven lines of binary numbers. This is your solution.
The binary code works like this:
- 1 = switch the machine ON
- 0 = leave the machine OFF
Each line in the note matches one row of washing machines in the room. The first line is the first row of machines on the left wall as you face inward from the entrance. Work your way through the room left to right, row by row. “Out of Order” machines still count as a position in the row even though they cannot be switched on.
Wear’Em & Wash’Em Puzzle Solution – Full Code
The complete binary code from the note is:
- Row 1: 0001000
- Row 2: 001100
- Row 3: 100001
- Row 4: 000000
- Row 5: 000000
- Row 6: 000000
- Row 7: 100000
In total, six machines need to be switched on. Here is every machine to activate, row by row.
Row 1 – Left Wall (0001000)
This is the long row of seven washing machines running along the left exterior wall as you enter. Turn on machine 4 only — the exact middle unit. Leave all others off.
Row 2 – Front Face of Center Island (001100)
This row faces back toward you from the central island. Turn on machines 3 and 4 — the two machines in the middle of the row. Leave machines 1, 2, 5, and 6 off.
Row 3 – Back Face of Center Island (100001)
This row sits back-to-back with Row 2 on the other side of the center island. Turn on machines 1 and 6 — the two machines on either end. Leave all middle machines off.
Rows 4, 5, and 6 – Right Island (000000 / 000000 / 000000)
All three of these rows must be completely off. Do not touch any machine in these rows. If any machine here is humming, switch it off before moving on — even a single active machine in rows 4, 5, or 6 will prevent the hidden wall from opening.
Row 7 – Back Wall Near Front of Store (100000)
This is the row of machines against the back wall toward the front of the store. Turn on machine 1 only — the leftmost machine, the one next to the pillar. Leave the machine near the front door switched off.
What to Do If the Hidden Wall Does Not Open
If you set all the machines and nothing happens, run through this checklist before starting over:
- Make sure rows 4, 5, and 6 are completely silent. Any active machine on the right island will block the trigger.
- Count “Out of Order” machines as positions in the row even though they cannot be switched on. Your numbering must include them or your position count will be off.
- On Row 7, the machine to turn on is the one next to the pillar, not the one near the front door.
- Check each machine’s own power indicator light rather than trusting the room’s ambient lighting — the room is dim and it can be hard to tell at a glance which machines are actually running.
- Make sure you are reading the rows from left to right as you face inward from the entrance. If your back is to the entrance, the pattern is mirrored and the combination will not work.
What Happens When You Solve the Puzzle
Once all six machines are running in the correct rows and everything else is off, the hidden wall at the back of the break room slides open automatically. You will see a doorway appear beneath the purple keyhole emblem. Head through it and take the stairs down into the basement.
Wear’Em & Wash’Em Rewards – What You Get
The basement contains a storage room filled with beds and a corridor leading to a side room. Here is everything to collect:
- Health Upgrade Point – Found in a chest in the basement storage room. Collecting three Health Upgrade Points across the game permanently increases Dylan’s maximum health. This is the main reason to do the puzzle.
- Visitation And Stay Protocol – A lore document explaining the shelter’s entry rules.
- Do Not Leave The Shelter – A second lore document outlining the rules of the bunker. Both files add backstory about the secret organization operating under the Federal Bureau of Control’s radar.
There is nothing else hidden in the basement, so once you have grabbed the chest and both documents, head back up the stairs.
Backroom Espionage Trophy and Achievement
The Wear’Em & Wash’Em hideout is one of six Secret Hideouts hidden across Manhattan. There is one in every zone except the Underpass. Solving all six unlocks the Backroom Espionage trophy or achievement. Each one follows the same basic structure — find the note inside a store, solve the environmental puzzle, and descend to the basement to claim the Health Upgrade Point.
For more on the other hideout puzzles and how to find them all, these guides will help:
- Atlantis Cafe Appliance Puzzle Solution (Downtown)
- Atlantis Cafe Cash Register Code
- Konstig Painting Puzzle Solution (Evacuation Zone)
- Pulse Fitness Workout Puzzle (Unknown Zone)
Health Upgrades and Other Upgrades in Central
The Health Upgrade Point from this puzzle is one of the more accessible permanent upgrades in the game. For a full map of every upgrade chest and power pickup in Central and beyond, check out our guide to all power upgrade chest locations in Control Resonant.
If you are working through the Central zone and want to clear it fully, these guides cover the rest of the key content:
- Central Checkpoint Power Puzzle
- Panopticon Service Request Quest
- Urban Survival Quest Walkthrough
- Level 2 Keycard Location
- How to Respec in Control Resonant – Useful if you want to swap abilities before the Central boss
New to Control Resonant?
If you are still getting your bearings in the game, our Control Resonant beginner tips covers the systems and early decisions worth knowing before you go deep into puzzles and exploration. You can also read our full Control Resonant review if you are still deciding whether to pick it up.
The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. PC players should check out our best PC settings guide to get the game running smoothly from the start.
