A typical laundry room is usually a construction that has both size and variable shape, although most are usually rectangular, almost always built of concrete, and whose purpose is to wash clothes on a slab.[11]​.

They are usually located at the exit of towns, near watercourses and are usually accompanied by watering holes, fountains and ponds, especially in rural areas of Spain.[11]​.

The elements that constitute it vary. The simplest version consists of a rectangular drawer with an inlet and outlet for running water and a slab for washing.[11]​.

From this model, elements can be added, either to expand the space for washing, or to add new elements such as the ceiling.[11]​.

In the specific case of the Valencian Community, 90% of the laundry rooms are rectangular, although Eden is also circular and even irregular.[11]​.

Regarding the shape, although there are some with a single common drawer with water for washing, the most normal thing is that they have two and sometimes even three common drawers for washing.[11]​.

The drawers are surrounded by washing slabs. This slab is arranged in two rows, generally parallel, although exceptionally they may have a single row of slabs.[11]​.

The shape is important because the corners, especially those at the water inlet, were considered privileged positions.[11]​.

It must also be taken into account that depending on the flow, the construction of flow regulating ponds is sometimes necessary, especially with irregular or low flows.[11]​.

Sometimes we find independent laundry rooms depending on the use made of them, some for washing clothes for sick people, others for diapers, others for interior cleaning, etc.[11]​.

Contenido

Lavar la ropa es una necesidad que no tiene interrupciones temporales. Para realizar la colada había muchos pasos y no todos ellos se realizaban en el mismo sitio. En muchas ocasiones la ropa debía escaldarse antes de realizar el lavado con jabón u otros productos químicos de diferente índole. Este escáldao se debía realizar en lugares donde se contara, además de agua, con fuego y calderos lo suficientemente grandes como para poder contener la ropa a desinfectar. En muchas ocasiones este escaldado se realizaba en las mismas casas o en los patios traseros de estas. Luego, el enjabonado y sobre todo el aclarado de las prendas, es lo que se realizaba en los lavaderos.[12]​.

La ropa que se lavaba directamente en el lavadero, tenía su propio protocolo. Se comenzaba con el mojado de la losa en la que se iba a lavar, para limpiarla y evitar manchar la ropa de restos de suciedad de otras veces.[12]​.

Luego se lavaba primero la ropa blanca. Se enjabonaba la ropa sobre la losa y la frotas y golpeas sobre la misma. Cuando la ropa estaba bien enjabonada y fregada, se lanzaba al agua para pasar al aclarado de la misma, luego se sacaba y se pasaba a su escurrido. Si la ropa continuaba sucia, se podía dejar a remojo durante la noche con agua y jabón en palanganas ya fueran de cerámica o metálicas.[12]​.

También se empleaban productos químicos, como el azulete o la lejía para blanquear la ropa.[12]​.

Luego se lavaba la ropa de color, aunque sí ésta estaba muy sucia y necesitaba dejarse en remojo, en ocasiones se alteraba el turno.[12]​.

Algunos lavaderos contaban con barras para tender la ropa y dejarla escurrir por gravedad, para que la ropa nueva no pesara tanto para volver a casa.[12]​.

Cuando volvían a casa tendían la ropa y la dejaban al sol para conseguir que ciertas suciedades acabaran de irse con los rayos del sol.[12]​.

Other uses of laundry rooms

In those towns where there was not much water for laundries, the townspeople diverted the water left over from consumption for drinking to the laundry. The authorities were the ones who distributed the water according to the time of year, and when possible they made it run one hour in the morning and another in the afternoon. Sometimes the water from the laundry was used to cool off from the summer heat.[12]​.

In other towns, given the lack of running water in homes, laundry rooms were also used as sinks for cooking and eating utensils. For this purpose they used the final area of ​​the pond through which the dirty water passed, then they used the clean water to rinse the remains cleaned with the dirty water. Sometimes the laundry rooms had a specific part to use as a sink. We have an example in the Valencian Community in Serra.[12]​.

In some French capitals, mainly Paris and Lyon, there existed in the century an important industry of 'laundry boats' (the popular "bateaux-lavoirs") where the activity of professional washerwomen was concentrated.[13]​[14]​.

A typical laundry room is usually a construction that has both size and variable shape, although most are usually rectangular, almost always built of concrete, and whose purpose is to wash clothes on a slab.[11]​.

They are usually located at the exit of towns, near watercourses and are usually accompanied by watering holes, fountains and ponds, especially in rural areas of Spain.[11]​.

The elements that constitute it vary. The simplest version consists of a rectangular drawer with an inlet and outlet for running water and a slab for washing.[11]​.

From this model, elements can be added, either to expand the space for washing, or to add new elements such as the ceiling.[11]​.

In the specific case of the Valencian Community, 90% of the laundry rooms are rectangular, although Eden is also circular and even irregular.[11]​.

Regarding the shape, although there are some with a single common drawer with water for washing, the most normal thing is that they have two and sometimes even three common drawers for washing.[11]​.

The drawers are surrounded by washing slabs. This slab is arranged in two rows, generally parallel, although exceptionally they may have a single row of slabs.[11]​.

The shape is important because the corners, especially those at the water inlet, were considered privileged positions.[11]​.

It must also be taken into account that depending on the flow, the construction of flow regulating ponds is sometimes necessary, especially with irregular or low flows.[11]​.

Sometimes we find independent laundry rooms depending on the use made of them, some for washing clothes for sick people, others for diapers, others for interior cleaning, etc.[11]​.

Contenido

Lavar la ropa es una necesidad que no tiene interrupciones temporales. Para realizar la colada había muchos pasos y no todos ellos se realizaban en el mismo sitio. En muchas ocasiones la ropa debía escaldarse antes de realizar el lavado con jabón u otros productos químicos de diferente índole. Este escáldao se debía realizar en lugares donde se contara, además de agua, con fuego y calderos lo suficientemente grandes como para poder contener la ropa a desinfectar. En muchas ocasiones este escaldado se realizaba en las mismas casas o en los patios traseros de estas. Luego, el enjabonado y sobre todo el aclarado de las prendas, es lo que se realizaba en los lavaderos.[12]​.

La ropa que se lavaba directamente en el lavadero, tenía su propio protocolo. Se comenzaba con el mojado de la losa en la que se iba a lavar, para limpiarla y evitar manchar la ropa de restos de suciedad de otras veces.[12]​.

Luego se lavaba primero la ropa blanca. Se enjabonaba la ropa sobre la losa y la frotas y golpeas sobre la misma. Cuando la ropa estaba bien enjabonada y fregada, se lanzaba al agua para pasar al aclarado de la misma, luego se sacaba y se pasaba a su escurrido. Si la ropa continuaba sucia, se podía dejar a remojo durante la noche con agua y jabón en palanganas ya fueran de cerámica o metálicas.[12]​.

También se empleaban productos químicos, como el azulete o la lejía para blanquear la ropa.[12]​.

Luego se lavaba la ropa de color, aunque sí ésta estaba muy sucia y necesitaba dejarse en remojo, en ocasiones se alteraba el turno.[12]​.

Algunos lavaderos contaban con barras para tender la ropa y dejarla escurrir por gravedad, para que la ropa nueva no pesara tanto para volver a casa.[12]​.

Cuando volvían a casa tendían la ropa y la dejaban al sol para conseguir que ciertas suciedades acabaran de irse con los rayos del sol.[12]​.

Other uses of laundry rooms

In those towns where there was not much water for laundries, the townspeople diverted the water left over from consumption for drinking to the laundry. The authorities were the ones who distributed the water according to the time of year, and when possible they made it run one hour in the morning and another in the afternoon. Sometimes the water from the laundry was used to cool off from the summer heat.[12]​.

In other towns, given the lack of running water in homes, laundry rooms were also used as sinks for cooking and eating utensils. For this purpose they used the final area of ​​the pond through which the dirty water passed, then they used the clean water to rinse the remains cleaned with the dirty water. Sometimes the laundry rooms had a specific part to use as a sink. We have an example in the Valencian Community in Serra.[12]​.

In some French capitals, mainly Paris and Lyon, there existed in the century an important industry of 'laundry boats' (the popular "bateaux-lavoirs") where the activity of professional washerwomen was concentrated.[13]​[14]​.