A couple of mornings a week, round about 9:30, there has been this profound whacking sound outside my office window – not sure if I was playing my music to loud before to hear it or what but the past few weeks, I have really noticed it.
So, given I am a bit (ok "a very") curious person, I decided to take my camera and investigate. Our behind the way neighbor's backyard is right below our balcony window in the office. And I discovered the other day, the whacking sound was their maid doing the laundry – the traditional way.
Basically, it involves a couple of big pots of clean water, a laundry soap bar (think TIDE compressed into a small eraser), occasionally a brush (depending on depth of a stain) and a huge slab of granite or other hard surface.
The procedure – yes, I watched for a while as I am always willing to learn something new and thought it would be handy when the power is out – is as follows:
1 – Wet dirty garment with water
2 – Run soap eraser over cloths
3 – if significant staining, use brush to scrub out stain
4 – Wet garment again – have noticed that this occasionally means dipping soapy cloth in one bucket of clean water
5 – WHACK cloth against granite or other hard substance and kneed like dough – HENCE whacking sound which started this investigation…
6 – Throw garment in 2nd clean water pot for final rinse
7 – Take garment out, ring out and hang to dry
Very impressive process which no doubt builds arm muscles – humm maybe this is what I need – and might help me prepare to my trip to Mali after seeing Marie having to wash clothes in a similar fashion.
Site Title 
Leave a comment