Laundry businesses facing a 'dry' winter due to gas crisis

Laundryman Noor Muhammad in the capital's Shahjahanpur area was busier than usual. Winter brings him more customers than the rest of the year combined. It is the season of more work and a thriving business. 

But this year, he wasn't quite convinced about the business prospect. 

"It is true that business at the moment is better than summer. But it is not as good as previous winters," he said. "If you ask me, I would say the demand so far is nearly half than usual winters."

Noor Muhammad was not sure why the usual drive in winter demand didn't quite catch up yet, he reckoned it could be that people have less money for laundry because of price hikes and issues like strikes and blockades centring the elections. 

However, he also added that they cannot deliver the clothes given for wash and laundry as quickly as before. This was one of the issues that several other laundrymen pointed out during our interviews, although they didn't have a clear idea why. 

So, we visited several washing factories in the capital to learn more about these barriers to the laundry business. 

"We cannot deliver the clothes on time. We cannot work properly because there is no gas," said Sohel of Mukta Wash and Wear in South Mugda. It is one of renowned washers in the area where local laundries sent their clothes. 

"We don't get gas pressure starting from the morning. It is necessary for drying up the clothes and maintaining delivery times. If we cannot deliver, why will people give us clothes to wash?" He also added that their "operating cost has increased, so many factories are struggling to run their businesses."

Quick Laundry and Wash located in the opposite road of the Notre Dame University gate in Arambagh is a prominent washing factory in that area. On a busy day, they wash several thousand clothing items. 

Their washing and drying machine, located in a dilapidated building behind the Green Line and other bus counters, operates almost 24 hours.

Around two dozen workers are employed here. They carry out washing and drying tasks besides bringing the clothes from laundry stores every evening and delivering them back. 

Things here, however, are not bleak. 

"It is hard to say in numbers how much the business grows in winter but winter is definitely our best season," said Salam, a worker at the Quick Laundry and Wash. "Our machines are running day and night this winter too." 

However, Manager Sheetol told us that he witnessed a little drop in business this year, which he blamed on political instabilities and also the "unavailability of gas".

"All the clothes are dried on the roof, which takes a lot of time. We cannot dry them in the machine because there is no gas," Sheetol said. 

"Another big issue here is stains are not being removed due to washing in cold water," he said, adding, "If there was gas, the clothes could have been washed in warm water, which quickly removes stains." 

This stain failure turned out to be an issue during our conversation with a laundryman in Goran, who in front of us, refused to take a stained shirt from a customer. But he did not have a proper explanation for it. 

These area based laundrymen are usually the mediums for the washers and the only job they do is ironing the washed products after they are returned from the factories. 

Calcutta Dry Cleaners is a leading company in Dhaka. Its Account Manager Ripon Kabir said that they are also facing a crisis, resulting from the ongoing political instabilities in the country. 

"Our customers are mostly high-end. These people don't go out much during political instabilities. So, their dresses do not get very dirty, resulting in fewer customers for us. In comparison to other winters, our business is slower," he said.

"We also have a prolonging gas problem because we didn't get the connection back in our Ashulia factory, although we spent a fortune to get it back. Gas is a very important tool in our business from washing to drying clothes. We had it when our factory was in Mirpur. We are working on a boiler and cylinder as an alternative," he added. 

Shah Jalal, marketing manager at Bandbox - another renowned laundry service provider in Dhaka - said it is still not clear how the season would go for they don't have accurate data at the moment. 

However, "winter is usually a better season as we get blankets and coats," he said. 

He said that their production cost is increasing due to gas and electricity problems in the Ashulia region where their factory is based. 

"Our Palli Biddut connection is not as smooth as Dhaka city's nonstop electricity. Weak gas service is also a reality in Ashulia. Gas pressure is not very constant," he said.  

"These problems sometimes lead to production being stopped and delayed. Suppose the workload that requires 10 hours is taking up to 14 hours. Our working period is increasing since my 10 hour working capacity is not enough. And consequently, my production cost is also increasing," Shah Jalal concluded.