Colors Laundromat

No washing machine—or even no home—and still want your clothes clean and dry? You can do that at Colors Wasserette.

How does it work?

For visitors and participants of De Regenboog Groep, a laundry load costs €2. Would you like to wash the clothes you’re wearing? You can also buy clean secondhand clothing from us.

The laundromat is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Processing time depends on how busy we are: first come, first served! So make sure you arrive on time to get your laundry cleaned the same day.

The address is Bilderdijkstraat 184, 1053 LD Amsterdam
And you can reach us at 06-82 59 42 67 or by email at colors@deregenboog.org

Laundry, Ironing, Folding, and Delivery

There are three washing machines and three dryers that run pretty much all day long. Every day, people participating in a work program work at the laundromat. There is a morning and an afternoon shift, and they wash, iron, and fold laundry. We deliver the laundry by cargo bike to various locations throughout the city. It’s rewarding work: it brings a sense of fulfillment, a daily routine, and social interaction.

Was for them and the group

Colors does laundry for individual homeless people, as well as for the Self-Managed Night Shelter (NOIZ). You can find NOIZ at various walk-in centres. These are economically homeless people who arrange their own overnight stays there once the daytime visitors have left. Laundry, such as bedding, is handled by the laundry service. When it freezes, the number of people sleeping in the walk-in centres increases even further, and their laundry also goes to the Colors laundry service.

Clothing Drive

Do you have any good-quality clothing you no longer need? Please donate it to us. We’ll make sure it goes to people who can’t afford new clothes.

Men are particularly likely to become homeless, so we need a lot of (warm) men’s clothing. Also, homeless people walk on the streets all day long, so their shoes wear out quickly. That’s why shoes are also welcome. You can drop off donations not only at Colors but also at one of the walk-in centres.

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Lees hier wat wij allemaal meemaken en wat ons in beweging brengt

They can go to hell!...

That's great, because our homeless visitors can really use them. Please bring men's clothing in good condition to a Regenboog walk-in centre.

Homeless in the Clothing Container: Creative, Heart-Wrenching, and Symbolic...

I wanted to make a private phone call and was walking through the city, looking for a place where I could talk quietly and without being watched. I was struck by how much effort it took me to find such a spot. And I still had it easy: it was dry, and all I had to do was make a call. What if it’s raining, cold, and you want to sleep? Where do you take shelter then? This month, I read twice about someone who had taken refuge in an underground clothing container. On May 2, the NOS reported that police in Venlo pulled a sleeping man out of one of these containers. AT5 followed suit on May 12. A man in Amsterdam tried to spend the night in an underground clothing container there. Inventive, I thought. The solution these men found for their housing problem is a testament to creative thinking that many a design firm would envy. They looked at the city with eyes searching for possibilities—true out-of-the-box thinkers. It evokes both admiration and sadness in me. Because the symbolism is painful: people in a container, as if they were fast fashion—discarded or ready for recycling. Of course, no one literally threw them into the shipping container. They went in on their own, presumably because there was no better alternative. No help, no affordable housing, no safety net. Society may not have pushed them, but it didn’t stop them either. Both news reports emphasize “rescuing” people from a dangerous situation. And yes, an underground dumpster isn’t a perfect place to stay, and you definitely shouldn’t be inside when it’s being emptied. But the real danger to life isn’t in the dumpster—it’s in being homeless itself.

Fuck you...

"Clothes," the homeless visitors to our walk-in centres can put to good use. Not only to stay warm and dry and arm themselves against winter. But good clothing also provides self-esteem and identity. This applies to almost everyone, including 'a homeless person'. 'A homeless person ...' Or, 'those homeless'. You hear people say it on a regular basis. How distant does that actually sound huh? And impersonal. As if that's all you are then: homeless. As if your whole way of life can be hung up on it. And your entire character can be poured into it. No one will mean it that way. Yet we think it is important to say: someone who is homeless is, first of all, like everyone else, a human being with a story. Far too often this person is not seen, on the streets, by agencies or elsewhere. Location head Kathleen Denkers: "In De Regenboog Groep's walk-in centres, we give people their names back. On the street, they are a homeless person. Here we see the person, listen to what someone wants and help people be who they want to be. Part of that is good clothes that fit someone. With that, you can look fresh, feel comfortable with what you put out and get to where you want to be in life better."

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