Tvättstuga
Encyclopedia
Tvättstuga is a room in an apartment block in Sweden
or Finland
providing communal laundry
facilities for the residents. Typically the room is located in the basement
. In Finnish
it's called pesutupa.
is usually installed. They are often larger than private washing machines found in individual households, and more durable to withstand daily use. Drying facilities often include a tumble dryer or drying cabinet
/drying cupboard (image) and a separate (warm-air assisted) drying room, where clothes are hung on washing lines
. There may be one or more of each. A standalone centrifuge
(or spinner) is often found, either if one or more washing machines don't have such a function or for residents washing garments by hand. It extracts the bulk of the water in minutes, minimizing the time subsequently needed in the dryer. Other facilities may include sink
s for washing by hand, a mangle
(wringer), a washboard
, paper towel
and trolley
s (carts) for transporting laundry to the drying facilities. A tvättstuga also has a social dimension - a place where conversation
can arise between neighbours without discomfort.
The booking may apply to the entire laundry room or to a subset of the facilities (e.g. 1-2 machines and 1 dryer), depending on the cooperative
's regulations.
In many buildings the washing facilities are unusable (powered off) on Sundays and public holidays, as well as every night. The main reason is to give residents living immediately above the laundry room a break from the noise of the machines (or their users).
Impromptu use of the facilities during hours of operation is permitted when no booking exists, or by arrangement with the owner of the booking, or when the owner of the booking has obviously failed to turn up.
's funds, which mostly come from the general monthly fee paid by the households. Decisions on such expenditure are made by the cooperative's management. Consultation with the households (apartment owners) is only likely for larger investments. Some residents choose to install their own washing machine in their apartment instead of using the communal facilities. They will, however, continue to contribute to the financing of the communal facilities via the monthly fee.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
or Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
providing communal laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
facilities for the residents. Typically the room is located in the basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
. In Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
it's called pesutupa.
Facilities
More than one washing machineWashing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
is usually installed. They are often larger than private washing machines found in individual households, and more durable to withstand daily use. Drying facilities often include a tumble dryer or drying cabinet
Drying cabinet
A drying cabinet is an electronic machine designed to expedite the drying of items - usually clothing - that are unsuitable for a traditional clothes dryer...
/drying cupboard (image) and a separate (warm-air assisted) drying room, where clothes are hung on washing lines
Clothes line
A clothes line or washing line is any type of rope, cord, or twine that has been stretched between two points , outside or indoors, above the level of the ground. Clothing that has recently been washed is hung along the line to dry, using clothes pegs or clothes pins...
. There may be one or more of each. A standalone centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
(or spinner) is often found, either if one or more washing machines don't have such a function or for residents washing garments by hand. It extracts the bulk of the water in minutes, minimizing the time subsequently needed in the dryer. Other facilities may include sink
Sink
A sink is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture used for washing hands, for dishwashing or other purposes. Sinks generally have taps that supply hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster rinsing...
s for washing by hand, a mangle
Mangle
Mangle can refer to:* Mangle , a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers* Box mangle, an earlier laundry mangle using rollers and a heavy weight* Mangled packet, in computing* Mangrove, woody trees or shrubs* Name mangling, in computing...
(wringer), a washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
, paper towel
Paper towel
A paper towel is an absorbent textile made from paper instead of cloth. Unlike cloth towels, paper towels are disposable and intended to be used only once. Paper towels soak up water because they are loosely woven which enables water to travel between them, even against gravity...
and trolley
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
s (carts) for transporting laundry to the drying facilities. A tvättstuga also has a social dimension - a place where conversation
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
can arise between neighbours without discomfort.
Schedule
Residents book the use of laundry facilities in advance, including:- Fixed periods: typically 2 or 3 per day - a.m./p.m. or morning/afternoon/evening.
- Free booking: residents book any contiguous block of time during the hours of operation.
The booking may apply to the entire laundry room or to a subset of the facilities (e.g. 1-2 machines and 1 dryer), depending on the cooperative
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
's regulations.
In many buildings the washing facilities are unusable (powered off) on Sundays and public holidays, as well as every night. The main reason is to give residents living immediately above the laundry room a break from the noise of the machines (or their users).
Impromptu use of the facilities during hours of operation is permitted when no booking exists, or by arrangement with the owner of the booking, or when the owner of the booking has obviously failed to turn up.
Procedure
Mechanisms for booking the facilities include:- Paper. Residents mark their booking on a chart. There may be formal or informal rules about the number of bookings allowed per month.
- Locks. Slots in a board represent all bookable periods (typically with days numbered 1-31, cyclically allowing booking up to a month ahead). Each household has its own portable numbered lock which fits into any available slot, securing the booking. Only one booking per household is possible at any time.
- Electronic, e.g. using a smart cardSmart cardA smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
or web browserWeb browserA web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
.
Financing
Unlike a commercial laundromat (laundrette), users do not pay per use. Maintenance and upgrade of the facilities is financed from the cooperativeHousing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
's funds, which mostly come from the general monthly fee paid by the households. Decisions on such expenditure are made by the cooperative's management. Consultation with the households (apartment owners) is only likely for larger investments. Some residents choose to install their own washing machine in their apartment instead of using the communal facilities. They will, however, continue to contribute to the financing of the communal facilities via the monthly fee.