Global Market Surfer
CLP
Column<Report from overseas office> [Thailand: World Residence Tour]Laundry in Thailand (Bangkok)
Introduction: Laundry Experience in Thailand
This is what happened in the first apartment I decided to live in after taking up an assignment in Bangkok in January 2018. The washing machine was an old top-loading type (vertical washing machine) that was installed on a small balcony. I would do a load of laundry on the weekends, but when I finished dehydrating the clothes, I noticed a mysterious seaweed-like substance stuck to the laundry. At first, I thought it was just accidental dirt from the washing tank, but the seaweed-like substance kept growing, and I began to spend more and more time removing it after washing. Moreover, the laundry smelled slightly bad. Upon investigation, we found that there was apparently a large amount of metallic soap in the laundry tub. The water quality in Thailand is hard, which makes it difficult for soap ingredients to foam, and the formation of metallic soap, combined with the hard water, not only reduces the detergent's cleaning function, but also causes clothes, especially white ones, to turn a grayish hue the more they are washed. Unlike in Japan, it is difficult to obtain laundry tub detergent easily, so we had to take rather extensive measures, including calling in a specialist to clean the tanks. When I told my teacher at the Thai conversation class I was taking at the time about my struggle with the seaweed problem, he always laughed at me, but I wondered if it was just my problem. In case you are wondering whether it is because the washing machine in my current apartment is front-loading (drum-type) or whether it is the quality of the water in my apartment, the seaweed problem has been resolved, but due to the trauma of using a top-loading washing machine, when I tried to wash the tank with more detergent, a large amount of foam overflowed and reached the washing machine's sensor, causing the washing machine to malfunction. The bubbles overflowed and reached the machine's sensor, causing it to malfunction. The washing machine manufacturer's service staff gave us strict instructions to never use top-loading and front-loading laundry detergent. The front-loading detergent has a low foaming rate, but if other types of detergent are used, the foaming will be too much and cause problems.
Washing machines in Thailand are generally installed outdoors.
In Japan, it is common for washing machines to be installed indoors in detached houses and condominiums, and outdoors in apartments and some detached houses. In Thailand, it is more common for the washing machine to be installed outdoors. The reason for this is that it is easier to dry the clothes after washing, or in other words, outdoor installation is preferred in terms of convenience. In addition, since there is usually no indoor installation site for washing machines (washing machine pan), indoor installation is often inconvenient from the viewpoint of wastewater treatment.
[Bangkok A detached house for a middle-income family with a monthly household income of 35,000THB. Two washing machines are installed in the eaves].
Source: Consumer database Consumer Life Panorama TH_32
[Bangkok A detached house for a middle-income family with a monthly household income of 47,000THB. A common pattern of renovation is to add a roof to the backyard of the house and use it as a laundry space].
Source: Consumer database Consumer Life Panorama TH_41
Washing machine in Thailand
It can be said that top-loading washing machines are the most common type of washing machine. This can be confirmed by Consumer Life Panorama, but it is also evident in the laundry detergent section, where top-loading laundry detergents seem to account for 95% of the products on the skin. There are infinitely few laundry detergents exclusively for front loading, and the product selection is almost nonexistent. There are a few top- and front-loading laundry detergents, but they are not abundant.
In many cases, front-loading washing machines will be installed in indoor kitchens. I imagine this is determined by drainage and power supply. In addition, it can be said that the houses are mainly for upper-income households. It is usually purchased and installed at the time of new purchase or renovation of a house, as it is considered somewhat difficult to retrofit.
[Bangkok Detached house for high income earner with monthly household income of 150,000THB. A front-loading washing machine installed next to the kitchen. However, detergent is liquid detergent for top-loading, which means that the amount of detergent used per load may be low to reduce excessive foaming].
Source: Consumer Life Panorama database
[Bangkok Condo for middle to upper income earners with monthly household income of 50,000 to 75,000 THB. The front loading is installed just at the width of the balcony. There may be some inconvenience in getting laundry in and out as the door needs to be opened facing left].
Source: Consumer Life Panorama database
Laundry and drying
In Thailand, where the weather is usually sunny, although sudden rains often occur, outdoor drying is the norm. Drying in the sun is a hygienic practice that prevents the growth of bacteria. Front-loading laundry has a drying function, but top-loading laundry does not, so it must be dried in the sun, and indoor drying takes too much time and space.
[Bangkok. Detached house in middle income group with monthly household income of 47,000THB. Laundry is drying in the sun, similar to a garden. Masks seem to be dried indoors].
Source: Consumer database Consumer Life Panorama TH_41
Fabric softener is an air freshener
Although the Thai word for fabric softener (nam yap rap paanum) literally means a liquid that softens and adjusts cloth, the thrust of the products actually sold is more about fragrance. Many of the products are scented with flowers, and some are even packaged in a way that reminds one of perfume, perhaps because of the appeal of a more fragrant scent. In actual use, the fragrance is not subtle, but rather strong. Also, perhaps because my nose is getting used to it, I am not satisfied unless I use fabric softener to some extent. What I feel since I have been stationed in Bangkok is that I probably would not have used so much fabric softener to wash my clothes in Japan. This may have something to do with the seaweed problem mentioned at the beginning of this article, but is it because of the need to override unpleasant odors through the scent of fabric softener? The scent of laundry soap alone makes me feel somewhat unsatisfied.
Source: Consumer Life Panorama database
The quality of the water supply, which is a prerequisite for laundry, has a major impact on washing machines, laundry detergents, and fabric softeners, but products and services that fundamentally solve this problem are not yet widespread in Thailand. If there were washing machines and detergents that could soften hard water, the problem of metallic soap, or laver, would be solved. However, water softening equipment is troublesome to maintain and takes up a lot of space, so it may not be very realistic. On the other hand, if we look at the post-treatment of laundry, front-loading machines dry laundry for about 30 minutes and dry it in a fresh condition to make it fluffy. If laundry washed in a top-loading washing machine is dried in the sun, the fabric fibers stiffen and become stiff, even with fabric softener, so a top-loading washing machine with the added value of finishing fluffy laundry in a single step after dehydration would be attractive, seaweed problem aside.
Introduction to Consumer Life Panorama
Consumer Life Panorama is a web-based database from Intage that allows you to see the real living conditions of consumers in Japan and overseas. You can view 360-degree images of the living environments of consumers in various countries, and see their daily routines, flow lines, and digital lives.
Some of the photos in this article are taken from the database. This service can be used when you want to observe the living environment of overseas consumers at hand, without the need for customized surveys.
The Consumer Life Panorama demo site can be found here.
An overview of Consumer Life Panorama can be found here.
Translated with AI Translator
-
Author profile
(Mr.) Daisuke Aoba
Male researcher in his 40s living in Thailand. He has visited more than 30 countries in the past. He seeks the best for the consumers in the country and always tries to match his feelings with theirs. He continues to post his own global gourmet posts, which are viewed about 1,000 times a day, mainly in Thailand.
-
Editor profile
(Ms.) Risa Takahama
- Mar 18, 2024
- 1641 Views