72 year-old Deoduth Mykoo is one of the rare dhobis left in Mauritius. The work of a dhobi is to wash and iron people?s clothes. This tradition of giving one?s dirty linen to a washer man to be washed in the river is practically inexistent now. Deoduth recalls how he used to launder for more than 20 families in his youth. Now he does it occasionally for a few people he is close to.

?Being a dhobi is the only job I?ve ever done in my life,? Deoduth explains, ?and it is a very tiring job, demanding three things: determination, patience and good standards.? When he describes his past job, it soon becomes clear that he has led a hard life. ?I had the will to work hard, even on rainy days, the patience to start again if the linen was soiled by accident, and high enough standards to satisfy my customers.?

He started learning the job at the tender age of 10 with his uncle at Reduit river and soon understood how to be an efficient dhobi. ?Once I had collected the household linen, I would go back home and sort it all out.? The next morning, as early as 5 o?clock, he would go down to the river and start the long and strenuous job. ?Sometimes I had more than 100 items in one day.?

He knew many tips, such as plunging oil stains into boiling water. After soaking the dirtiest clothes in soap, he scrubbed them with a kotomay - the husk of a maize cob used as a brush - and rubbed them on a ?washing rock? made by his brother. After a first rinse and a second soaping, the clothes were placed ?to sun? on the riverbank. While being careful to keep them humid, ?so that they did not turn grey? he washed the coloured clothes in the same methodical way. The final rinse of the linen and the addition of washing-blue were done before putting them to dry ?whites in the sun and colours in the shade,? specifies Deoduth.

The next day, the ironing and starching had to be completed before returning the wash. He prepared the starch mixture himself and made sure all the linen was absolutely impeccable. ?When I decided to stop, many of my clients were disappointed and I was touched to see how they appreciated my work.? A note of melancholy can be felt in his voice, but he proudly points out that he used to wash everything from tablecloths to wedding dresses! He knows other dhobis that are also stopping and clearly believes it is a dying profession.