As families across parts of Accra pick through soaked wardrobes and mud-stained homes after the devastating floods, a different kind of recovery is quietly unfolding.
For many victims, throwing away everything simply isn’t an option. Instead, salvaging what can be saved has become the order of the day. Blankets, curtains, school uniforms, office wear, and treasured clothing are being hauled to domestic washers and laundry services in a desperate bid to rescue them from the floodwaters.
The result is an unexpected boom for Accra’s cleaning businesses. In flood-hit communities, particularly high-end neighbourhoods such as Tse Addo, domestic washers say demand has surged as residents race to restore whatever remains of their belongings.
For instance, some providers of the domestic washing service say a single heap of heavily soiled clothes, often requiring two to three hours of washing, scrubbing, and rinsing, can fetch around GH¢200.
Complete several such loads in a day, and the earnings quickly add up, turning what is usually a modest trade into one of the busiest businesses in the aftermath of the disaster.
They say it is exhausting work, but their phones haven’t stopped ringing since people want to save whatever can be saved.
This surge in business, however, is rooted in heartbreak rather than prosperity. Behind every overflowing laundry basket is a family counting losses, homes inundated, furniture destroyed, appliances ruined, and cherished possessions buried under muddy water.
For many, washing clothes is not about convenience but about holding on to the little that survived.
This is an unusual reminder that disasters often reshape local economies in unexpected ways. While floods wash away livelihoods for thousands, they can also create temporary demand for businesses that help communities recover.
In Accra today, amid the smell of damp walls and the sound of water pumps, another sound is echoing through affected neighbourhoods: the steady hum of washing machines, quietly powering one small step in the city’s long road to recovery.
