Clean Slates

As much as signs and advertisements all across the city make me go around wincing all the time, the names of Metro Manila laundromats rarely fail to put a smile on my face. A few stellar examples:

Lavandera Ko: so ubiquitous, most people don’t realize it’s a pun. You can pronounce it “labandera ko”, meaning “my laundrywoman”, or “lavender ako”, in reference to its signature purple logo and hangers.

Laba Daba Doo: I wonder if this name means they specialize in stone-wash, from the Stone Age?

Wash Happening?: Related names include “Wash Up”, “Wash Me”, and “Wash List”.

Laba Ducky (You’re the One): Yes, believe it or not, the tag line appears on the sign.

And my personal all-time favorite, complete with orange spirals all over the signage, reminiscent of your favorite (or unfavorite, in my husband’s case) cinnamon roll shop:

Sinabon: Heh.

I’m sure there must be dozens I’ve missed or forgotten, but what’s up with this? Are laundry franchise owners just particularly witty by nature? Or is it sniffing all that bleach that makes them high?

You gotta love ‘em.