A mountain of laundry!

With six children, at home, every day my mother had to deal with countless terry nappies, shirts, school uniforms, towels…. as well as endless  socks, vests and pants. 

For her, laundry was a constant worry, and a lot of work.

Clean clothes do not appear in a wardrobe by magic.

 Inevitably it falls to ‘some one’ in the household (with a sense of responsibility and organisation) to keep it all coming through.  

Coming home from school, I would see my mother standing over the twin-tub. 

The kitchen was filled with the heavy smell of detergent ( Tide, Persil, Daz, Omo), the air was steamy and humid.  And it was noisy, with the constant chugging, of water draining from the tub, and  the loud whirring of the spin dryer. 

This was intensive, heavy work, which took up most of her day. And it didn’t stop there.

Wet washing still has to be dried – on the washing line in the garden.

My mother taught all of us how to first clean the line, then to peg out the clothes so they kept their shape, didn’t sag, or snag or blow away. But also, to peg larger items to the front and underwear to the back, so the neighbours wouldn’t see.  

It gave her immense pleasure to see a washing line full of clothes neatly pegged out: a job well done.

What I know about laundry comes directly from my mother.

Whenever I am hanging out washing on the line it is a little moment to remember her by. 

I still use some of her old wooden pegs which infinitely more robust  and durable than plastic ones. And they feel nice in your hand.

In Ireland a good drying day is a rare gift. 

But, line drying puts you that much closer to the elements and nature. 

It’s a really great day when you can get 2-3 loads of  washing out and dried

But, when there is washing on the line you can never totally relax and it’s a scramble to get everything back inside if it starts to rain.

You care constantly look out for signs of change in the weather also much so that you  develop a sixth sense of when the clouds will clear, the sun will shine and the wind blow. 

Air drying is by far the most sustainable way of drying clothes.

And it costs nothing. 

Air drying In older public housing estates of Hong Kong is a lively and colourful display.

Residents hang their washing either in the kitchen/verandah or outside on poles, inserted perpendicularly to the exterior. Fluttering in the breeze, the daily wash catches the wind and sun. 

It is a delicate process involving leaning out the window with the clothing pre-attached to the pole and then quickly inserting the heavy pole into the slot outside. 

Most US apartment buildings are designed without individual laundry facilities. 

Residents are obliged to use communal laundry rooms with huge washing machines and dryers. Sharing the facilities with others on the same floor, or the rest of the building.

Many US homeowner associations ban outdoor washing lines. People must therefore use dryers, or hang out their laundry in their basement.  

Somehow a washing line has come to reflect a rural population, working class and tenements. The sight of wet clothes is seen to  detract from the look and status of a building – the people who live there and the quality of the environment.

In the UK, up-market housing developments have also introduced rigid rules against any ‘display’ of washing on balconies or communal areas. 

People still have to do laundry. But it must be hidden away and out of sight.

Air-drying has somehow become associated with poverty. 

Where a washing line was once an everyday sight it is now considered  unsuitable for the public gaze.  

The humble washing line has become taboo. 

Removed from our everyday life Culturally  generations are growing up without ever having used a washing line. And so they don’t miss what they have never had. 

Design, and social conformity, have contributed to  the demise of the washing line. With that, we have lost the sense of using the wind and the sun, to dry our laundry – for free. 

And yet, brands are now playing up the value of air drying introducing a fabric softener that claims to be: ‘ Outdoorable: fresh! – as if dried outside’.  And yet, not.

Laundry is a task and a chore. It is a Largely thankless occupation on repeat.

Clean clothes will get dirty again.  

Through different seasons, the content and workload of our laundry changes.

We shift from heavy fabrics and knits to lighter clothing. With certain items have different washing/drying requirements. And we still have to separate our coloured items from whites, remove tissues, check for banknotes and leaky pens.

Some items appear on a very regular basis- towels, school uniforms, sheets, sportswear, baby clothes, overalls, work clothes.

There are small items- socks, underwear- which can separate and get lost. And larger items; sheets, curtains, duvet covers, mattress protectors,that take up more space, time and effort.

Laundry takes up space, both mentally and physically. 

Right now, in every home, every day there is  dirty laundry set aside to  be washed. 

There  will be clean clothes  piled up waiting to be sorted, ironed, or returned to a  designated  place – a wardrobe, clothes rail, drawers, hot press.

This is a cycle never stops.

Washed, dried, ironed, put away, and worn. And again.  

Eventually, my mother acquired an ‘automatic washing machine’. 

A dream come true. 

Now, she could put everything to wash without having to stand over it all day. She could reclaim that time and use it to get on with other things. 

Modern washing machines create a more equal division of labour. As an appliance it is designed to be used by anyone. In theory.

I never, ever, saw my father using the washing machine. .

The workings and processes of doing the laundry was something he never wanted to – or had to – get to grips with.

I vividly remember wet days when every part of the house laundry would be bedecked and draped with wet washing; the banister, backs of chairs, between chairs, shirts on hangers in the bathroom. 

Then… my mother got a tumble dryer. 

For my mother,  having a tumble dryer meant  laundry was not time-dependent. The whole process could be speeded up, which gave her more control. Being less less dependent on the vagaries of the weather, also meant could do the laundry at any time – not just during the day.

And yet, her first choice for drying  clothes, was always the washing line.

We see how the deeper reach of politics, economics and marketing shapes, influences and nudges our behaviour. 

In a cost-of-living and climate crisis, how people are weighing up what everything costs.

We are advised to do bigger wash loads… less frequently… on a lower temperature and to use line drying whenever we can. 

Line drying is now eco-fashionable. Though, perhaps only for people who have environmental  concerns, and people with less money. 

We see  innovative initiatives emerging for people who want to line dry, but do not have access to outdoor space, as something that can bring communities together.

Where joined up thinking and like-minded people can share an outdoor space for drying clothes, that is not otherwise in use.

In every household, when the washing machine breaks down, it becomes a ‘crisis’.

Eventually, we will come to an end of all our available clean clothing.

While reduced hygiene standards might be acceptable for a camping holiday, clothing with stains, odours and creases won’t work well in the office. Polite society, and modern social norms, set the expectation for clean clothing.

But, do we need to wash our clothes quite so much?

There is a ‘trend’ of non-washing. That is: people who have decided that we could/should re-think the ‘need’ for washing – on the edges of what is necessary, and what is just a convention. Trust your nose!

In a world of fast fashion, before we buy any garment we all have ethical questions to answer. 

How many times will I actually wear this garment?

Will it stain easily and need to be washed often? 

How long will it be fashionable?  

Is it designed to last?

There is something very wrong if we see it as more convenient to buy something brand new, than to wash or dry clean what we already have.

In the UK, a home with a utility room is still a relatively rare thing. But, it is something that people  value and desire. 

In terms of design, we need homes that can accommodate the entire end-to-end laundry process.

With the trend towards more open-plan living our homes activities are more exposed that before. There is nowhere to hide anything. 

With a utility room all the noise and the mess of laundry (at every stage) can be hidden away out of sight.

A utility room may seem like a luxury space. Specifically designed for laundry, it is an essential space that acknowledges the time, process, effort and physicality of laundry.

TV’s Kirsty Allsopp recently pronounced  the presence of a washing machine  in a kitchen as ‘disgusting’. People responded angrily. Because, in the UK, most people do not have that choice.

In small homes we are limited as to where we can place a washing machine. The design layout dictates what goes where. The kitchen – or bathroom – may be the only available place for a washing machine.

Older homes were not designed for bulky appliances.

Perhaps because the original architect didn’t imagine occupants would ever be able to afford such luxuries – as a washing machine, dish washer, dryer. 

Perhaps the architects didn’t recognise that laundry was such a big deal?

Laundry means big business, big brands,  and big profits.

So, what’s next?

Where once there was just soap, supermarket aisles are now filled with  a vast array of detergents,  softeners, starches, stain removers,  fresheners, fragrances.

Super-appliances come with multi-functions that make washing clothes faster, cleaner, brighter, noiseless, more efficient, easier to use, eco-efficient and a more ‘designed’ experience.

However, we are now more aware of the relationship between detergents, water and energy. We look forward to smarter technology, shorter wash times, improved capabilities, efficiencies and water-less technology. 

If our homes continue to be ( badly) designed things could go the other way.

Perhaps we will become dependent on a centralised ‘Deliveroo’ system for a quick-fix laundry. Or, a wash, dry, iron, return service, so that no-one is required to do laundry at home. That is: an efficient service for everyone to use, not just for the rich.

There should be greater connectivity in the laundry cycle.

It is clearly a   design problem: from where it originates in (textiles, fashion, design ) to  where it is used and processed ( in the home) and where it ends up ( in landfill) as a  circular economy.  

Washing machines  may be ‘ intelligent’ but they can become obsolete. When they break down it may not be worthwhile – or impossible – to get them repaired. Because of their poor design, we are forced to buy a new one.  

In my mother’s lifetime new and improved appliances certainly made her work at home – and her life – easier.

Time-saving appliances have disrupted the ‘old ways’ of doing things. This acknowledged that my mother was important and her time was valuable. 

She was not a servant living a  life ‘downstairs’. But, given all the work she had to do, it was not far off.

With more women in the workforce, why does laundry still take up such a big part of women’s time?

Clean laundry still needs to be sorted and stored away in the right place to ensure the cycle keeps moving. 

There’s no shortage of hacks and advice around. 

People who see the problem of laundry differently (because they are the ones doing it)are taking the time to think through what needs to be done.

A radical re-think can creates an ingenious solution – that works.

Re-designing the whole laundry system looks at who does what – and where. It considers how the workload can be re-distributed more evenly, and where the pain points lie.

This approach to a re-engineered domestic laundry starts at the end by questioning the conventional idea that all clothing MUST be stored in a wardrobe or a chest of drawers.

It doesn’t!

Interior design and furniture may be adding more of a headache to the laundry process. Just because a ‘wardrobe’ is what we expect to see ( in a bedroom) we don’t question it’s actual usability, and function.

A solution that challenges the design norm of where and how we store our clothes (wardrobe, clothes rail, dressing room, chest of drawers) has the potential to introduce a more efficient system. Something perhaps, more like what you might see in a warehouse than a conventional home.

When clothing items are easy to locate and easy to store and where the ‘users’ all know what goes where, it is an efficient solution. A modern lifestyle requires things to change. Perhaps drastically.