Kuala Lampur, Sept. 30 -- I recently came across a sight that is becoming increasingly rare.

In an open field in Taiping, rows of freshly washed clothes hung from simple poles and clotheslines, moving gently in the afternoon breeze.

Towels, blankets, shirts, trousers and large pieces of cloth stretched beneath the open sky, drying naturally under the warm sunlight.

There were no tumble dryers humming in the background. Just sun, wind and time.

I stood there for a while, watching the clothes sway quietly, and found myself thinking about how differently we once approached something as ordinary as washing clothes.

For most of human history, laundry was among the most physically demanding household tasks.

Clothes had to be soaked, scrub...