VLS Idea

In early 2009, we ventured into several different parts of india, from urban slums to rural villages. We were conducting interviews, trying to immerse ourselves into the lives we hoped to improve. What we experienced astounded us on so many levels, but one particularly fascinating sight was watching a dhobi ghat in operation. A dhobi ghat is essentially a giant washing point, with hundreds of gigantic tubs manned by hundreds of dhobi washer-men. After washing the clothes by slapping them against rocks, the dhobis hung up the clothing to dry on massive lines that spanned the landscape.The last step involved pulling the dried clothing to the ground and sorting them piece by piece.

It was a beautiful and frightening sight at the same time. Drinking in the rainbow hues with great delight, someone abruptly ruined the reverie by exclaiming, "Look at the water!" The water was a murky dull green, rendered such by the passage of thousands of clothes. The homemade soaps the dhobis used did nothing to improve it, and soon the person that had remarked turned a shade of green not unlike the reused water in the tubs. "I'm never going to wash my clothes with the dhobis again. The problem is, the drycleaners are really expensive."

 

And that was how Village Laundry Services was born.