K Elangovathy, 74, said the laundry business she is operating in Jalan Silibin, Ipoh, was founded by her late husband S Supramaniam, 46 years ago, a legacy she intends to continue with the help of her sister-in-law S Susila, 68.

The septuagenarian said she irons each item of clothing using a 50-year-old electric iron which she claimed could remove wrinkles much easier, before folding them and handing them back to her clients.

She said the soiled garments are soaked in water with detergent before being washed and rinsed, then dunked in fabric softener. White fabrics are given a somewhat special treatment with the addition of baking powder in the soapy water so the fabric is whiter and cleaner.

“Sarees are brushed with soft-bristle brushes to maintain the quality of the fabric as these are delicate,” she said.

Elangovathy explained that the garments are soaked in water first for about 30 minutes, then scrubbed using a brush before being rinsed, then wrung dry and hung on laundry lines under the sun until fully dried.

She said that although she was aware of modern-day launderettes using washing machines and dryers, she wanted to continue the legacy left by her late husband as long as she could manage.

“Now, my sister-in-law and I are old and not well, so I will only take about 20 pieces of clothing a day compared to the hundreds we used to wash,” she said, adding that they used to make up to RM600 a day but that now, she could barely make RM50.

She said she charges between RM3 and RM10 per garment depending on the types of clothes sent to her.

K Kumaresan, 58, a regular customer, said he would continue sending sarees and dhotis to Elangovathy every three months because he liked the way his clothes were washed and ironed.

“The clothes that they wash are very clean and folded neatly, just the way I like. It is not the same with regular launderettes,” he added.

Elangovathy’s traditional launderette opens from Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm and closes on weekends.