house elves and laundry

[gabnai1]

No: HPFGUIDX 65410

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jade Rauenzahn" 
<RedWingsChica at s...> wrote:
> --- Rachael <bratty_jedi at h...> wrote:
> >Perhaps they have to actually
> >*give* them clean clothes? 
> 
> That wouldn't work out. In CoS, Harry wrapped LV's diary in his 
dirty, nasty, bloody sock. Clearly not clean, yet it set Dobby free.
> 
> My theory (and I've always wondered the whole laundry thing) is 
>maybe wizards have some sort of automatic laundry cleaner. They just 
>put their stuff in a basket, and wa-lah, it's clean. However, not 
>all places have these - just the richer ones (the ones who would 
>have house elves).

I am pretty sure the house-elves would do the laundry but so that no 
one notices, just like cleaning and cooking.  So they would pick up 
the laundry at night and by the morning it would be back clean.

To free a house elf the owner actually has to give the clothing to 
the elf.  Which is why Malfoy giving the sock to Dobby freed him.  
Although we learn that those things are somewhat open to 
interpretation by the elf - such as Sirius saying "get out!" to 
Kreacher could be interpreted as dismissal; giving a sock to an elf 
is also probably the same thing - he/she can interpret it as a 
mistake, as laundry or as freedom, the way they wish.  When Mr. 
Crouch dismisses Winky, he says "this means clothes" and there is no 
doubt what he means by that, and Winky has no choice about the matter.

Marta