Washhouses around the World

Discover laundry-washing traditions around the world, beyond French borders

About washhouses around the world

While France has a rich heritage of washhouses, other countries around the world have also developed their own traditions and structures for washing laundry. These facilities reflect local cultures, climatic conditions and the resources available in each region.

Here is a selection of washhouses discovered across the globe, testifying to the universality of this essential domestic practice.

Costa Rica

Washhouse in Monteverde (Costa Rica)

A very simple little washhouse by the edge of a body of water on a private coffee-plantation property near MONTEVERDE in the centre of the country.

Costa Rica

Washhouse in Tortugueiro (Costa Rica)

A covered "boot" washhouse on the Tortugueiro peninsula (northern Caribbean coast). It is used to clean the boots of locals and of tourists who walk in the surrounding mangrove — damp, muddy and sometimes dangerous (snakes) — around this village encircled by water and tropical rainforest.

Ivory Coast

The great washhouse of Abidjan (Ivory Coast)

The great washhouse of Abidjan.

India

Washhouse in Varanasi (India)

The Ganges serves as a washhouse, as here in Varanasi.

Laos

Washhouse (Laos)

A traditional Laotian washhouse found in the villages of northern Laos.

Myanmar (formerly Burma)

Washhouse (Burma)

A classic Burmese washhouse with a central well.

Sri Lanka

Washhouse (Sri Lanka)

A Sri Lankan, and in particular Sinhalese, washhouse found in the mountains.

Cultural observations

Diversity of approaches
  • Tropical climate: open washhouses in Costa Rica and Laos
  • Natural resources: use of sacred rivers in India
  • Local adaptations: boot washhouses in Costa Rica
  • Traditional architecture: central wells in Burma
Universal common features
  • Social function: community meeting places
  • Proximity to water: always near a water source
  • Simplicity: functional structures above all
  • Adaptation: designed according to local needs

Contribute to this collection

Have you travelled and photographed washhouses in other countries? We would be delighted to enrich this worldwide collection!

Contribute

You can also contribute by sending us your photos with a description of the location.

Each contribution helps document this universal practice of washing laundry across the cultures of the world.