On Thursdays, We Do Laundry

I've been asked what's it's like to do my laundry here... The short answer? It's hard work and I'm very slow at it.

The longer answer needs to be illustrated with pictures. 

This^ is our "laundry room" (and kitchen, and slaughterhouse, and occasional shower...) As you can see, we are very lucky to have our own well! That means I don't have to walk 20 minutes to the community pump to get water, hallelujah.

Then you gather supplies... These^ are typical laundry soap here. I bought both of these at my favorite hotely for 1000 Ariary. In addition to this soap, I also need a packet of powdered hand washing detergent that I typically buy at Score (the Western grocery store). 

Oh, and a scrub brush is essential. 

Dirty clothes go in the bucket^ with the powdered detergent (and much less water than ones first instinct would tell them). The less water there is, the easier it is to scrub the clothes. 

And then, you get to scrubbing.^ Big items and things that need more scrubbing than others (jeans, underwear, button down shirts, sweaters) are placed onto the cement block and scrubbed. Otherwise, the other items are piled on top of each other to make a "surface". 

Basically, you grab your soap and scrub it across the shirt (for example), turn it over and get the other side; then, put the soap to the side and grab your shirt in both hands and rub violently together- as if you were rubbing your knuckles together. Continue scrubbing, using a brush on any particularly dirty parts, until entire shirt is covered in suds. "Rinse", wring, and put in new (clean!!) bucket. Repeat. 

Finished! ^ well, finished scrubbing.... 

Yuckkkkkkkk! All that^ dirt was in my clothing!! 

And now for the rinse cycle... Get to drawing^ that water! I typically go through 2 cycles (about 8 or 10 buckets full). My host mother would want me to do 3, at least (until the water is clear! Madio, madio, Ana!!) but since I am extraordinarily kamo (lazy) when it comes to laundry, my number of rinse cycles depends greatly on my mood that day.

After wringing the clothes as hard as you can, I take them to the back of the house^ and hang them up on "my" section of our clothes line. 

Phew! Finally done!! (about 2 or 3 hours later) 

I almost always end up grating my fingers^... But my nails have never looked cleaner than right after doing my laundry!