There were some public laundries in Adeje where women, in addition to washing and disinfecting clothes, met with their neighbors, and the work became more bearable, as well as a ‘little place’ where they found out the news of the town. In the Municipal Historical Archive there is the record of the creation of these laundries, dated June 1936. The site where they were built was located on the mill road, in the upper part of the town. Twenty-eight laundries and four stoves with as many boilers were planned, the purpose of which was to disinfect the clothes and also strain the lye. Ventilation was done through windows on the deck, through which the sun’s rays penetrated. The construction was based on limestone ashlars that exist in the town for the walls and roofs. The rest of the work was done in concrete with metal carpentry.
The cross that we see at the top of the annex pond is preserved from the public washers, which was installed after the death of a resident of the municipality due to an accident in said washers. These laundries were in operation until the end of the 60s of the 20th century, at which time they were demolished and the construction of the pond was carried out.
In Adeje the water flowed through a ditch carved into the ground, coming from the Barranco del Infierno. This crossed the town from north to south. In it, women used to wash clothes and other belongings, supplying them directly and at their will to meet the needs of domestic consumption. Likewise, four public fountains were placed, turning the sound of water into the characteristic sound of the town.
