Washing adventures!

With the scorching sun beaming down from a cloud-free sky, Mie, Dorthe and Agnes have plunged in to their paddling pool to cool down. And it’s not even midday.

They were all thirteen when they learnt how to do the laundry. In Mie and Agne’s case, it was their mothers who took them under their spotless wings.
“I kept asking for clean clothes, until one day it got too much for my Mum, and it was then that I started to learn how to do the laundry”, remembers 21-year-old Agnes.
“It was my Granny who taught me to wash clothes. Not for any particular reason, but just because I was a teenager, and she thought that it was about time”, explains 19-year-old Dorthe.
Mie, 17, sits and splashes about in the water, and while at Roskilde, she longs for clean clothes. Unfortunately for Mie, she’s not always had the best of luck when it comes to doing the laundry.
“Hmmm, there was one time I was going to do a white wash, but I overlooked a red shirt, and of course…everything came out pink”, she sighs.

Ulrik, Samuel and Casper from Copenhagen don’t have so much to say about washing catastrophes, but they do have the time to put down their newspapers and have a chat about laundry, nonetheless.
Samuel was 17 when he learnt to wash clothes, but there was no mentor to help him; just the users-manual.
“Washing my clothes is a ritual – like when I take a shower. It’s all about feeling clean” he philosophises, ever though he admits he does have days when the ritual isn’t quite so important.
Casper claims, to resounding agreement from the rest of the camp, that he himself is pretty vain, especially when considering the fact that he’ll only wear a shirt once before throwing it in the wash, and even though his Mum taught him how to do the laundry 8 years ago, when he was just 15, she still remains his emergency helpline when it comes to laundry advice.
This is something that Ulrich would never do, as even though it was his Mum who taught him how to do laundry when he was 18, it was also her who shrunk his clothes – something he himself has never done.

They all wash at 30°, basically in order to save money, not really knowing that it also benefits the environment. With this new environmental knowledge, they straighten their backs, and a little proudly tell how they buy detergent specifically for washing at 30°, and cold washes.

Kristoffer from Amager was just 13 when his Dad dragged him towards the washing machine.
“It was and still is usually my Dad who does the laundry at home, so naturally it was him who taught me to wash clothes”, says Kristoffer.
At Roskilde, clean clothes aren’t so important for him, but when not at festivals, fresh laundry is definitely appreciated. However, the clothes don’t reach the machine until they get shoddy and smelly. Even when they do make it that far; they’re not separated.
“I just stuff it in all together. No accidents so far!” he smiles.

Marie-Louise and Luna both come from Hillerød, but have very different attitudes to washing. Marie-Louise is self-taught when it comes to laundry, and she has strong views on how clothes should be washed.
“Until very recently my Mum washed at 40° – until I told her it was a load of nonsense. Now she washes at 30°, and is perfectly content with it. 10 degrees more is just unnecessary. 30° is faster, and it gives the same results. ”

It’s also her Mum who is behind the only washing related accident, which has something to do with a pair of purple trousers ending up in what was meant to be a white wash…

Luna was taught by her Mum to wash clothes, but even though she’s been taught, it’s still her Mum who takes care of it at home.  A situation which, perhaps, we’re all a little too familiar with…

Please leave a comment or send an email to info@ido30.org and tell us your worst washing experience.