Janine Iron and Washing Museum in Mossel Bay

The Janine Was & Strykmuseum is dedicated to one of the most repetitive and overlooked household tasks. Inside are more than 640 laundry irons, many rare and some believed to be the only surviving examples of their kind, alongside over 50 historic washing machines and mangles dating back to the 19th century. The collection traces the evolution of ironing from flat stones and early pan irons to highly specialized tools designed for pleats, buttons, hats, and ruffles.

The museum began as a private collection assembled by Jan Ellis, who purchased his first large group of irons in 1976 to prevent them from being sold overseas. Originally displayed behind his industrial laundry, the collection was later formalized into a museum in memory of his daughter, Janine Verburgt.

With a voluntary entrance fee and an emphasis on preservation, the museum presents the material history of laundry as both technical ingenuity and quiet domestic labor, preserved in dense rows of cast iron and steel.