Ironing, linen and textiles in De Lier
De Lier was an important grape-growing area in the nineteenth century. On the greenhouses of De Lier hung thousands of bunches of Black Alicante and Frankenthaler, harvested between August and October by gardeners in light, almost translucent white linen smocks — looser, lighter shirts than elsewhere in the Westland, because you had to be able to work the whole afternoon under a glass hothouse without smothering.
The white greenhouse jacket was washed, bleached and ironed at home for each business, and in many De Lier households there was a special mangle with rubber rollers through which the jackets, after washing, were pressed smooth before being worn fresh and cool into the greenhouse. The perfect greenhouse jacket was spotlessly white, supple, and was not allowed to show a streak under the arm that might stain the grape on picking.
Grape picking has largely disappeared, but the greenhouse culture has not — only now it is tomatoes, peppers, chrysanthemums. De Lier itself has a modern centre with many young market-gardening families, small businesspeople and self-employed workers commuting to Rotterdam or The Hague. The office shirt has taken over the role of the white greenhouse jacket.
Since 2013 we have been driving out from our laundry on the Henricuskade on fixed mornings through De Lier. We collect your laundry, iron everything, and bring it back with the same delivery driver — on the agreed day.
How does Strijkservice Haaglanden work in De Lier?
For residents of De Lier our service works exactly as in the rest of Haaglanden: on a fixed day of the week our driver comes by, picks up your laundry bag and brings your laundry back clean and crisply ironed. No appointment needed — your routine is set.
You get one regular driver and a fixed pickup rhythm so you always know what to expect. No carrying, no full drying racks in the living room, no evenings at the ironing board.
Everything is handled in our own laundry on Henricuskade in The Hague. Shirts, blouses, table linen, bed and bath textiles — we iron it the way it should go back into the cupboard at home, neatly folded and ready to use.