travel
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Laundry may seem like one of the most ordinary routines in modern life, but in some corners of the world, the act of washing and drying clothes is tangled up in a web of legal oddities. From aesthetic concerns and religious customs to noise ordinances and gender roles, lawmakers across countries have passed regulations that…
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You check into a luxury hotel. The sheets are crisp, the towels fluffy, and your robe smells faintly of jasmine. Everything seems pristine. But what if I told you the story behind that softness might be… well, horrifying? Welcome to The Dirty Truth About Hotel Laundry — a global, steamy, sometimes stomach-turning deep dive into…
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In old times, people used to wash their clothes in rivers, but in Maramures villages, they had their own way of doing the laundry. Before washing machines were invented, the people from Maramureș took their clothing to nearby rivers and used purpose-built primitive whirlpools. Traditional Washing Machines (Vâltori) in Maramures Villages – Northern Romania. They are known as vâltori…
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Radioactive Laundry: The Strange Reality of Nuclear Stains Well, buckle up, folks, because this is one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” scenarios. Picture this: you’re tossing a load of laundry in the wash, and the next thing you know, you’re dealing with a nuclear disaster—because, believe it or not, radioactive laundry is…
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If, you think that the words ‘Outdoor Laundry’ suggest an al-fresco group of giant washing machines that swirl foaming suds to get that ‘bluey white-ness’, then you’d be wrong. The Dhobi Ghat is, in fact, a large area comprised of hundreds of concrete troughs in which men (young and old) stand up to their knees…
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Yes, medieval people washed their clothes — and for once, the historical myths are real medieval facts. I love historical myth busting, and medieval myths are rarely true. But when it comes to laundry, the past really was as backbreaking, blister-inducing, and sudsy as you imagine. The history of doing laundry will make you deeply…
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There was a time when a firefighter’s soot-stained jacket told a story. A badge of honor. Proof you’d been there—inside the smoke, inside the chaos, inside the heart of what it means to save someone else’s world. For generations, blackened gear meant experience, toughness, and pride. But as science caught up with tradition, that image…
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In big cities, people could do their laundry in self-service laundromats, while on rivers and ponds in small villages you can still come across wooden platforms where people would wash their clothes. If you have ever been to a Russian village, you probably noticed wooden planks on rivers and lakes stretching out from the shore.…
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Wash-a-teria, the first laundromat, (although it was not called by this name at the time of its invention), opened its doors in Fort Worth Texas, in 1934 by J.F. Cantrell. Four washing machines lined his store, with Cantrell charging by the hour for use of these precious devices. Quickly catching on, these laundry stores gained…
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From streaked boxers to blood-stained linens, you never know what — and whose — clothes you’ll get back. Prisoners do not have the luxury of going to a laundromat and handling our own clothes. Instead, we have a clothes exchange. We hand in our dirty clothes to be laundered and, in return, we receive clean…
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Echoes of the Forgotten When most people think of haunted locations, they imagine abandoned asylums, crumbling mansions, or battlefields where history left its scars. Rarely do people consider a laundry room—a place of routine, industry, and cleanliness—as a setting for paranormal activity. But at Indiana State Sanatorium, the laundry facilities have long been the site…
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Sometimes, I miss going to the laundromat. It provided a much-needed third space in an area that offers few of them. It also provided a place to think. Well, sometimes, anyway. Afternoon talk shows and sometimes the evening news played on the TV, and children often skidded around the washer and dryer banks, their screams…
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Some days feel like crisis laundry management even without a big emergency. Every time our family experiences the flu or returns from a camping trip, my appreciation for a working washing machine is renewed. What would you do if you did not have enough water to use your washing machine? What if water was available,…
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Uncovered near the Vatican in Italy, 1,700-year-old laundry tubs and tiled floors were discovered by construction workers Construction workers in Italy recently came across the site of an ancient laundry near the Vatican, officials say. Italy’s Ministry of Culture announced the surprising findings in a press release on June 14. The discovery was made during…
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Doing laundry is a boring chore, especially if you’re stuck doing it at a laundromat. Thankfully, to help pass the time, some laundromats now offer unique features and attractions that keep customers entertained — and coming back! LAUNDRETTE | HAMBURG, GERMANY A cafe and laundromat by day and a bar by night, Laundrette has two different…
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Ching Lee Laundry, the oldest Chinese-owned laundry in the United States, closed its doors Saturday after 140 years of continuous operations by the same family. On its final day of operations, a steady stream of the shop’s longtime customers, some who’ve been coming to Ching Lee (which translates to “victory” in Cantonese) for generations themselves,…
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Most people have had the unfortunate experience of not having a washer and dryer at some point. Apartments in my area tend to charge at least one hundred dollars extra for the units with washer and dryer hookups, and even more if you want a unit with an actual washer and dryer installed already. If…
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Laundry and bedding may not feel glamorous, but in a healthcare facility they form a vital part of keeping patients and staff safe. According to the CDC’s guidelines, textiles in health-care settings include everything from bed sheets and blankets to patient gowns, uniforms, surgical drapes and more. CDC+1 Here’s the good news: while contaminated fabrics…
The Laundry Club Blog 