Jacob Christensen

Fokus claims that the laundry room is uniquely Swedish. I beg to disagree: I can’t say if the Swedes invented the shared laundry room or were the first to but the idea into general practice, but laundry rooms have been a feature of many Danish condominiums and housing estates for a long time.

Still, the point stands: A shared laundry room is an interesting way of pooling resources – even if buying a washing machine these days is within the reach of most people, machines in individual apartments are often underused. The laundry room is also a cause for conflict – not everyone can do their laundry at the same time, the machines and the room have to be kept clean, clothes cannot lie around forever, etc – so an elaborate system of norms and communication is demanded to make the room work and the machines run. Unfortunately, Danish does not have a word for “arga lappen” (there is a pun here which can only be understood in Swedish) but we do know then down here as well.

That said, I do miss the opportunity to book a time for doing the laundry where I live now. As it is, I have to go down to the laundry room and check if the machine is vacant, go back and fetch the laundry – and hope that nobody else manage to get to the machine before I do. I take it, that you feel the frustration and anxiety. Oh, and the tumble dryer is out of order.

Best. Match. Ever....
I’m Sure There Is Some Kind of Poetic Justice Here...
Go Straight to Jail...
Amalienborg, We Have a Problem…...
Margrethe Vestager: The Exam...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.