Chicago Couple Create Plant-Based Detergent & Start Community Laundromat

Photo: David Zaitz / The Image Bank / Getty Images

A couple from Chicago’s south side are on a mission to clean up their community, one load of laundry at a time. A Few years ago, Sylvia and Augie Emuwa set out to create a laundry soap that’s good for the user as well as the environment. In 2019, they released their plant-based eco-friendly laundry detergent, Dinobi, named for a West African word that means "precious."

Last month, to get their product out in the community, the Emuwas collaborated with the University of Chicago to launch a pop-up laundromat they’re calling Dirty Laundry. Augie says the venture is a “social and community asset” aiming to bring together residents from the renter-dominated area. The pop-up laundromat, open until October, sometimes features a local DJ, has extended hours on some nights for BYOB events, and offers weekly discounts for seniors and craft activities for kids.

Response to Dirty Laundry by locals has been overwhelmingly positive, as has the response to the Emuwas’ detergent. “It’s a good atmosphere here,” one resident says, “The people are like a family, and I think that’s how it should feel. No tension or stress. Coming in to relax, but it’s a laundromat.”

Source: WTTW NEWS


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