LAUNDRIES, LENINGRAD, 1950-1991


In Leningrad, all laundries were owned by the government, prices were constant and not high. There were big plants and many reception centers. We received completed wash after two weeks or even later. The clothes then were pressed and folded.

We had to go with dirty clothes to the reception center. We had to buy special labels, usually 100 of them. Each label had a number including the number of the reception center, number of customer and maybe the number of the plant. The number had 7 digits. We had to sew that label into a certain place on the clothing. Each kind of clothing had different places for a label.

In front of the reception center many people waited with bundles clothing. We entered the room one at a time with our bag. The attendant took each item of clothes, checked the label and made some remarks such as 'that was an old label', 'I can't see the number', 'Your label is not in the proper place'. She could return that clothing. (Her income was constant and was not dependent on haw hard she worked.) She made other remarks about dirty clothes. She wrote the number of your items on the receipt, and took next clothing and etc. In the end she and you signed the receipt. Then she indicated when you had to receive the clean clothes. Then next in line came to her. We had to check when the clean clothes were really ready. Few people there had a personal telephone.

In the last 8 years the procedure with the laundries became better. We had to take a clean blank slip from the laundry. We completed the blank slip and wrote our family name and address, organized the clothing with the labels facing up, put clothes in the bag and took the bag to a special window at the laundry. They gave notice when we were to return for the clean clothing. If we had a conflict, she called or sent a letter and our clothes waited for us.
Maybe 8 years ago we could buy a washing machine (manufactured in a plant in Riga). It was no so easy to buy. It was a round machine one meter high and 0.5 meter wide. We put it in the bathtub. We put some clothes into machine, and poured in water; then pressed a button to start the electric motor to move the water inside.

On top of the washing machine were located two rubber cylinders and between them you had to wring out the wet clothes. We had to hang and press the clothes the old way. We could wash only small things in the machine.

The in design of the progress Soviet style washing clothes stopped because the Soviet Union collapsed. (The Soviet Government held the on external trade. It decided what was necessary to buy overseas for the Soviet people.) Now there are better foreign machines and technology.

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