Laundromat

[asakiyume]

I like laundromats; I always have. Even having my own washing machine, there are times when I've needed to use a laundromat. Last weekend my dad and I had to use the laundromat in his town because his ancient (dating to my childhood) washing machine had finally given up the ghost.

The laundromat in his town--well, one of them; a woman I talked to in it said there was at least one other--is very cute. Behold: device to help you get into bleach containers. (We didn't need this as we brought our own detergent and didn't use bleach, in any case, but it was good to know it existed)



Olde-style art:





Helpful cleaning tips:



Humor about cleaning symbols (above the driers):



And who knew that this particular method of inserting coins was called "Vendmaster" or that it was made by a company called "Vend-Rite"?



In the laundromat that day was a mother/grandmother/guardian and a little girl: the woman was crocheting a blanket as she waited. Also some older men (not as old as my dad, though), plus some twenty-somethings. No one was chatting with each other, but I had a companionable feeling, doing the same task side by side with other people. It was like being part of a flock, or at the very least like wandering through one.

How do you feel about laundromats? Are there any spaces like a laundromats that you enjoy?

Comments

[minoanmiss]

You've made me nostalgic for my childhood. My mother used to drop me off at the laundromat and we'd sort the clothes into washing machines to her satisfaction. She'd leave (!) to do other tasks and I'd read and keep an eye on the laundry, move it to dryers when it was done, count my quarters and maybe get a candy bar, and just not be with my mother for a couple of hours. I always breathed more easily. Fortunately most of the adults there were more inclined to be kind to a kid doing laundry than to try to bully me out of machines or quarters; I did tell one or two people "You'll have to talk to my mother when she gets back" and they backed off as if they were as afraid of her as I was.

I used to love doing laundry in the laundromat, yeah. I would have adored that beautiful friendly laundromat you showed us.

Nowadays, fortunately, I'm not afraid of the people I live with, and unfortunately, my back hurts and I can't invoke my mother as backup against quarrelsome people, so I'd much rather do my laundry at home.

[asakiyume]

I love that memory, even though it sounds like now and then there were troublesome adults. I like the image you conjure of a safe space to do some simple work, read, and maybe get a candy bar.

But I hear you on the backache and quarrelsome people in the present day, too.