Laundries around the Kingdom have been working hard and their workers are in constant effort to serve a big number of customers during the holy month of Ramadan. Several customers complain about an inordinate delay in getting their clothes back from the laundry as laundries are flooded with clothes, blankets, carpets and curtains. “Normally my nearby laundry would give me clothes in a day but now clothes are not available even after three, four days,” complained Abdul Gafoor, a regular customer staying in downtown Dammam. “Anyone who visits the laundry outlet can see the bundles of clothes heaped up inside,” he said. Like most other shops, laundries remain open well past midnight during Ramadan. “We are expecting more rush in the coming days, ahead of Eid” said Biju, who is working in Al-Mahkam Laundary in Adama area here. “We are struggling to meet the demand with our limited staff,” he added. The rush has resulted from a combination of many factors. Several Saudi families came back from vacation at the start of the holy month and they, according to traditions, would refurbish their houses during this month and in preparation for the Eid. Halfway through the holy month, several expatriate families are also coming back after holiday season. “We are getting blankets, sweaters, jackets, curtains besides clothes for daily use. People have now started preparing for the winter as well,” said Vishnu of Dammam Laundry which has around 100 outlets around the Kingdom. Most laundries in the Kingdom recently hiked their charges by SR1 or SR2 for each cloth. “It is not due to Ramadan or Eid season but because of recent price increase of detergent powder, oxygen bleach, laundry shower gel, emulsifier and soda,” Vishnu said. He said dry cleaning a blanket costs SR15 while washing will cost SR12. Charges for small apparel like shirts and trousers cost between SR4 to SR6 depending on the work. However, there is no uniformity in the prices in the market and it varies from shop to shop Mohammed, working in Sakia Laundary in Al-Khobar, said this year they were getting more business due to Ramadan, Eid, people returning back from vacations, school re-opening and with people preparing for the winter season. The laundary sector employs mostly workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. __
