Steel Washing Machines Essay, Research Paper

As I open the double glass doors at the wash pub I am overwhelmed with all of

the noise. This place sounds more like a bar than a laundry mat. There is music playing,

beeping from the arcade games, a metal fan going, tumbling noises from the dryers, and

wet clothes being thrown around in the washers. I can barely keep my train of thought.

The humidity in the room made it very uncomfortable. The smell on the other hand is

great it smells so clean and warm. The room was filled with many different people.

There were college students, families, people that were by themselves, screaming babies

and a few senior citizens. The room is fairly large with dinghy white walls that have a

moldy green border running along the bottom. The floor is covered with white vinyl tiles

that have hints of blue in it and about twenty empty laundry baskets. You probably

would never notice the blue though due to hundreds of black scuffs and old dirty gum

that covered most of the floor. The ceiling looks very industrial much like one that

would be in a warehouse or factory. It is made up of tons of black metal pipes. To the

left of the front doors is a huge bulletin bored displaying a variety of signs advertising

everything from used cars to Avon products. There is also a gigantic world atlas on the

wall that is only partly visible because of the three arcade games standing in its way.

Hanging from the ceiling there is a t.v monitor playing the news. In front of the arcade

games is a round wooden table accompanied by two dark green plastic chairs and a coke

machine with a faint buzz. To the right of the doors there is a large window that can

barely be seen out of. In front of the window is a green newspaper stand and ten red

twenty-five cent machines that contain an assortment of different candies and fake

jewelry. In the clutter of twenty five-cent machines stands a tall beige scale that claims

to be able to tell your fortune by your weight. Behind that mess is another round wooden

table surrounded by three more dark green lawn chairs. Sitting beside the table is a large

roaring metal fan. Hanging above the table is a surveillance camera an another t.v

monitor that displays what the camera picks up. In the center of the room there is a

muddle of noisy washing machines. In both the first and last rows are ten white washing

machines similar to household ones. Between the white washers are fourteen stainless

steel washing machines and a small lounge area. These washers are not similar to

household ones. They look like huge metal boxes and have a round clear window that

reveals the inside of the washer. The lounge is in the middle of the steel washing

machines and enclosed by wood railing that has two openings to get in it. A blue tweed

carpet that looks worn covers the floor. The lounge also contains two round wooden

tables and four blue chairs where college kids can do their homework or just stare at the

wet laundry swirling around through the clear windows in the steel washers. On the back

wall there is a detergent vending machine called ?The Soap Stop? that dispenses many

different kinds of detergent and fabric softeners. Beside ?The Soap Stop? is change

machine that is black with a big green money symbol on it. There are two wooden doors

in the back of the room. One is labeled with the word women in black lettering and the

other labeled men. On the wall to the right are fourteen dryers that are built into the wall

and warm to touch when in use. Above the dryers are a few signs with warnings and

disclaimers on them. On the other wall are eleven more built in dryers. A few of these

dryers are labeled with signs that say out of order. Finally above these dryers there is a

plain round clock similar to the ones you would see in a classroom. As I walked out the

double glass doors I was filled with relief. The clutter of the room was distracting and

difficult to write about. The noises in the room were becoming unbearable so it felt good

to now hear nothing but a few crickets chirping and some leaves blowing in the wind.