launder

Launder is a verb meaning to wash clothes, fabrics, or linens to remove dirt, stains, and odors. It can describe cleaning by hand or with a washing machine. Laundry is the noun form referring to the items being washed as well as the activity itself, and a laundry room or laundromat is a place where such washing occurs. The term is commonly used in households and commercial laundry services.

Typical laundering involves sorting items by color and fabric, applying detergent, choosing a water temperature, and selecting a wash cycle. Temperature and cycle settings affect stain removal, fabric care, and energy use. Bleach, stain removers, and fabric softeners are sometimes used; some items require hand washing or dry cleaning rather than machine laundering. Laundering can be distinguished from dry cleaning, which uses solvents rather than water.

In a different sense, laundering of money refers to concealing the origins of illegally obtained funds through a sequence of transactions designed to disguise the illicit source. Common stages include placement, layering, and integration. Financial institutions implement anti-money laundering measures, such as customer identification (KYC), transaction monitoring, and reporting of suspicious activities, to detect and deter such schemes.

Etymology: the word derives from Old French laver and Latin lavare, meaning “to wash.”