List of laundry topics explained

This is a list of laundry topics. Laundry is the washing of clothing and linens (e.g. sheets and towels).^[1] Laundry processes are often done in a business, room or area in a home or apartment building, reserved for that purpose; this is referred to as a laundry room. The material that is being washed, or has been laundered, is also generally referred to as laundry.

Laundry topics

Chemicals

• Biological detergent – laundry detergent that contains enzymes harvested from micro-organisms such as bacteria adapted to live in hot springs.^[2] The description is commonly used in the United Kingdom.
• Bleach
• Fabric softener
• Laundry detergent

Washing

• Combo washer dryer
• Dry cleaning
• Posser or washing dolly, a tool for agitating the wet fabric
• Washboard and washing paddle, also known under many other names
• Wash copper, a portable or built-in boiler
• Washing machine
• Wet cleaning, a retronym meaning "not dry cleaning"

Drying

• Airing cupboard
• Clothes dryer
• Clothes horse or drying rack or many other names
• Clothes line
• Drying cabinet
• Hills Hoist
• Kitchen maid (pulley airer)
• Mangle (machine)
• Sheila Maid
• Winter Dyke

Finishing

• Box mangle
• Fluff and Fold, a service provided by commercial laundrettes
• Ironing
• Tunnel finisher

Industrial

• Industrial laundry
  • Tunnel washer

Concepts

Some of these relate more to textile manufacturing than laundry, but there is overlap in how wet cloth is processed.

• Color fastness, the degree to which a textile retains its color without fading or bleeding
• Fulling – a step in making woollen cloth - cleaning the fleece to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker.
• Posting, trampling or treading wet clothing
• Shrinkage
• Stain

Organizations

• Dry Cleaning and Laundry International
• Dry Cleaning Institute of Australia
• Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance
• Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union
• Laundry Workers Industrial Union
• Magdalene asylum
• Project Laundry List – a New Hampshire group that encourages the outdoor drying of clothes
• Worshipful Company of Launderers – a livery company in the City of London that promotes the profession of the launderers by awarding scholarships to laundry students.

Companies

• 5àsec - a French franchise network
• Washio (company) - defunct laundry delivery service
• SudShare - an American app-based laundry cleaning and delivery company

Culture

• Dadeumi, the traditional Korean practice of rhythmically beating cloth, associated with the hardships of a woman's life
• Dhobiwallah, or dhobi, the washermen in South Central Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc.), and their caste group, historically associated with washing clothes^[3]
• Fullo, the Latin word for a person washing laundry
• Washerwoman or laundress
• Housekeeping
• Laundry symbols

Accessories

• Clothes hanger
• Clothes iron
• Clothespin
• Dispensing ball
• Dryer ball
• Hamper
• Laundry ball
• Laundry basket

Law

• Barbier v. Connolly
• Kimball Laundry Co. v. United States
• Muller v. Oregon
• Pearson v. Chung
• Yick Wo v. Hopkins

Places

• Baths and wash houses in Britain, public places that included facilities for washing the body as well as clothes
• Dhobi ghat, any open-air washing-place in southern central Asia
• Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, a well-known open air laundry in Mumbai, India.^[4]
• Laundry room, in a private dwelling
• Lavoir, a public open-air wash-house in a village
• Self-service laundry, also known as a coin wash, laundromat, washeteria, laundrette
• Tvättstuga, a shared laundry room in a hall of residence or block of flats
• Utility room, in a private dwelling that includes laundry functions

Notes and References

1. Web site: Laundry. The Free Dictionary By Farlex. 2012-05-24.
2. http://www.spolem.co.uk/worksheets/docs/industrial_enzymes.doc www.spolem.co.uk: Industrial uses of enzymes
3. People of India: Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das
4. News: Mumbai boasts the world's largest open air laundry . . November 8, 2010 . 28 August 2014.