5 startups that love doing India’s laundry

Photo credit: Rajarshi Mitra

Ever heard of Mumbai’s famous Dhobi Ghat? It’s the crowded part of town where rows and rows of dhobis or washermen can be seen flogging dirty linen day in and day out at tiny, open air washing pens.

People in many parts of India have traditionally relied on dhobis and domestic helps to do their laundry. The onset of washing machines has reduced this dependence a great deal. But that doesn’t mean the entire job is done. Most still rely on a presswala. That is the man who uses a heavy and hot coal-powered iron (no, not an Indian version of Iron Man) to finally make the washed clothes look wearable.

Startups, however, promise to take care of every headache there ever was in the laundry scheme of things. They know that with nuclear families and fast-paced lifestyles, time is of the essence. Plus, they know quality and hygiene are growing concerns.

The size of the household laundry market in the top 10 cities of India is estimated to be over US$2 billion. Most of it is still untapped. Here we take a look at five laundry startups hoping to clean up.

Wassup On Demand

Photo credit: Gabriela Pinto

Your kids need your attention, not your washing machine. Wassup On Demand, which operates in Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai, among other cities, gets that sentiment bang on.

Founded in 2012 by Durga Das and R. Balachandar, it allows a user to drop off the laundry at one of their centers, or get it picked up from home. You call the startup on the phone or put in a request on the website.

Its regular turnaround time is two days, but if someone is in a real hurry, they can request for the express service – and get the clothes back in 24 hours.

The rates are fairly affordable. For instance, if you are in Delhi, you can get a handkerchief cleaned – even if you’ve blown your nose into it – for US$0.08.

Besides individual billing, they do group billing too. An entire apartment or even an office can go for it. So next time an office is thinking of ways to keep its staff happy, here’s what to do: get Wassup to pick up their laundry right from the office.

Dhobiwala

Photo credit: Ken Bosma.

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Urban Dhobi

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