Laundry facts for kids

Example of a laundromat

Washing clothes by hand using large tubs

Laundry is the washing of clothing. Laundry is often done in a special room called a laundry room. Some shared homes have shared laundry rooms. Businesses that wash clothes are called laundromats or launderettes.

Laundry is done by washing with soap and water or detergent and water. The clothing is stirred roughly in the soapy water, and then moved to be rinsed in clean water. Washing can be done by hand or with a washing machine. The clothing is dried in a clothes dryer or on a clothesline. Sometimes after the clothes are dry, they are ironed or pressed.

Images for kids

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  Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street.

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  A self-service laundry in Paris

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  Laundry in the river in Abidjan, 2006

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  "Man and woman washing linen in a brook", from William Henry Pyne's Microcosm (1806). Unusually, this is depicted as a mixed-sex activity.

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  Washhouse in Sanremo, Italy, at about the turn of the 20th century

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  Washhouse in Cabeção, Portugal, today. Note the two basins and inclined stone lip.

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  The "Woman's Friend" washing machine, circa 1890 U.S.

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  Women laundering on the pier in Tampere, Finland

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  Many dry cleaners place cleaned clothes inside thin clear plastic garment bags.

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  24 Pesula laundry in Jyväskylä, Finland

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  Directions for hand-washing New Britain Standard Hygienic Underwear, circa 1915

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  The launderer by Jef Lambeaux

See also

In Spanish: Lavado de ropa para niños