Laundry is a primary aspect of our lives, but do you know we do it differently across cultures and societies? You may find this news shocking, but yes, our methods, frequency, and practices in laundry are shaped by several factors. These factors include climate, access to water and technology, and cultural values.
Let’s take a closer look at how different societies approach laundry and how it reflects their unique way of living.
The United States: Convenience and Technology
People in the United States often seek help when doing laundry. Washing their laundry is often done with the help of washing machines and dryers. Appliances make laundry more convenient and efficient, people can frequently wash their clothes if they want to. Most cities in the United States also have a washing clothes app to offer more convenience to the people.
The culture of going to laundromats and relying on laundry delivery services has already been known worldwide. But, we are focusing more on how mostly of the society in a certain place view and do their laundry.
Japan: Cultural Tradition
Although Japan is also leading in technology, laundry in Japan is mostly done by hand and often seen as a cultural practice. It is considered to be meditative and therapeutic, people commonly wash their clothes daily. In addition, people wash clothes by hands to preserve the quality and longevity of their garments.
Technology may be a huge part in giving convenience, but it takes patience and minor inconvenience to maintain the quality and longevity of clothes.
India: Community Effort
In the United States, people gather at the laundry service to wash their clothes. In India, they often do laundry communally and gather at a washing area. This communal approach among Indians allows them to share their resources, such as laundry detergents and water. It is amazing how we can create the sense of community and social interaction through laundry.
Africa: A Necessity
The large cities in Africa have access to laundry services, but several parts of Africa have only limited access to electricity and clean water, making laundry a challenging task for some. As a result, people wash their clothes using limited water resources and hang dry them under the sun. The limited access to resources and its necessity had led to the development of unique laundry practices, such as using sand and ash to scrub their clothes.
Middle East: Cultural Symbol
Laundry in the Middle East is seen as a cultural symbol of hospitality and cleanliness. Most of them do laundry by hand, and it is an act of respect for their guests to offer clean laundry and maintain a clean household.
See? From the United States to Japan, India to Africa, and all the way to the Middle East, laundry practices reflect each society’s unique cultural values and way of living. When we try to understand different cultures, we get a better view and appreciation of how diverse human experiences are; the impact of culture is not limited, it goes deeper into our daily lives, including laundry.
