How the UK’s dutiful launderette is fading under Covid and energy prices

Greta Riaukaite at the Barbican launderette. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

The first thing Rajiv Shrikul does when he opens up his launderette in south Edinburgh each morning is pray. He says the 7am routine, which he started as a young boy in India, helps him cope with the kaleidoscope of personalities that pass through his shop. “Some people are angry, some are generous – you need to have a very stable mind. Meditation calms you down, especially in these hard times.”