For over 70 years, Liver Launderettes have been a common sight on our high streets.
The business opened its first launderette in Liverpool in 1951 and is now thought to be the largest operator in the UK.
Whether it's to wash a particular item, or if even if you pay regular visits, we all know how handy it is to have a launderette close by.
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They provide a vital role in the community for many, particularly students and those living in rented accommodation where no washing machine is provided.
It would also be a disservice to say that the launderette is just a place to get your clothes clean.
Over the years, they have proven to be popular social hubs where people can catch up on the local gossip. And for some, they just offer the opportunity to spend an hour reading a book while waiting for their smalls to dry.
Lily Carlson, the manageress at a Liver Laundrette in Runcorn, used to offer customers tea and refreshments such was the popularity of her premises in the 1970s and 1980s.
According to the National Association of the Launderette Industry (NALI), the first launderette is believed to have opened in 1936 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The UK had to wait until 1949 for the first launderette to open in London, but it's acknowledged that Liverpool made an earlier attempt to open a laundry using domestic machines.
Since then, launderettes started popping up on the UK's high streets, peaking at around 12,500 in the early 1980s.
The reduced cost of buying a domestic washing machine has seen those numbers shrink (no pun intended) to an estimated 3,000 launderettes in 2010 operating in the UK.
Even Liver Launderette, the largest UK operator, has only 21 launderettes left – all on Merseyside according to their website.
But to say that launderettes – or 'bag wash' as commonly referred to in the city – have been made completely obsolete by cheaper washing machines in the home would be wrong.
Many elderly or disabled customers also benefit from the services of the staffed launderettes offering services such as ironing, dry cleaning and service washes.
There have even been instances where launderettes have been used as poling stations.
With the ever dwindling number of post offices and libraries also serving as social hubs on our high streets, lets hope the tradition of people using Liver Launderettes continues for some years to come.
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