Discovering Laundry around the world

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 If you have ever been to a Russian village, you probably noticed wooden planks on rivers and lakes stretching out from the shore. These platforms were not built for fishing or the waterside views, but rather for washing clothes. 

 Welcome to the world of ghusl (Arabic: غُسْل), the Islamic practice of full-body purification, and its surprisingly close connection to laundry. Yes, laundry isn’t just about fresh sheets and warm towels. In many cultures—and particularly in Islam—it’s an act of devotion. A reset. A reminder that cleanliness is not only next to godliness, it’s also a pathway to it.

 In the quiet rhythm of monastic life, where the pursuit of enlightenment guides every action, even the mundane task of laundry takes on profound significance. Buddhist monks, known for their simple lives and disciplined routines, approach laundry as more than just a chore—it is an extension of their spiritual practice. 

 Why don’t we all have bathrooms that can dry laundry, too?  

There’s a gulf between Europe and America, and it involves laundry. When it comes to drying clothes, the former relies largely on air-drying, laying their clothes on racks or hanging them on lines outdoors. Households in the US and Canada mostly tumble-dry their laundry in mechanical dryers.

 When we imagine drying clothes outdoors, we think of items swaying in a gentle breeze under the summer sun. But what about winter line drying?  Drying clothes outside in the winter months is possible. Air drying in the cold weather just takes a little time and patience. Here’s how you can connect with nature to get that outdoor-fresh laundry experience year-round. 

Almost extinct in the US, powdered laundry detergents thrive elsewhere in the world

Powders aren’t growing as fast as liquids, but they still make up the majority of the industry’s volume. Walk down the cleaning product aisle at a Target or Walmart store in any US city or town and you will encounter row upon gleaming row of stout, colorful bottles of liquid laundry detergent. Powdered detergents are relegated to a sad corner at the end of the aisle, if they can be found at all.

 Pompeii, the well-preserved Roman city inundated by hot volcanic gas and then covered with ash in 79 AD, experts have renovated and opened to public viewing several buildings, including a public laundry where people once washed their clothing in urine. 

 The Dereköy Historical Greek Laundry, located near the Hagia Panaghia Church in the village of Dereköy on Gökçeada (Imbros Island), is a fascinating example of traditional communal laundries once used by the local Greek population. These laundries, also found in other villages across the island, served a dual purpose: they were places for washing clothes and socializing, blending utility with community life. 

  In the world of the Romani people, cleanliness is more than a matter of personal hygiene—it's a deeply rooted part of their spiritual and cultural practices.  

  The laundromats of Fukushima, Japan, hold an eerie and tragic snapshot of a moment frozen in time. When the devastating earthquake and nuclear disaster struck in 2011, it forced residents to abandon their homes, their possessions, and, in some cases, their livelihoods.

  In the early 20th century, daily life in Alaska for the Inuit people, often referred to as Eskimos in historical texts, was deeply tied to their environment and the challenges of the Arctic climate. The photograph of an Inuit man doing laundry outside his tent in Nome, Alaska, circa 1906, 

 When visiting an Amish community, one of the most iconic sights is the ubiquitous clotheslines, often stretching high into the trees and adorned with neatly hung pants, shirts, and dresses in a spectrum of muted yet vibrant colors.  

 You just arrived in your Japan apartment and realized you spilled coffee on your favorite jacket. You rush to use the washing machine to remove the stain but don’t have any detergent! Or you don’t know how to use the settings. Or you want to use the best fabric conditioner. What now? 

 The Aztec, a collective of Mesoamericans who thrived from the 14th to the 16th centuries, were the inheritors of ancient cultural traditions from their Olmec, Mayan, and Toltec predecessors. Aztec hygiene practices reflected earlier practice, continuing a dedication to cleanliness and purity.  

 It may come as a surprise, but here in Ghana we do all of our laundry by hand. Okay, so we weren’t surprised by this fact when we arrived.  What surprised us was the Ghanaian method of hand washing.