Posted on 07/06/2010 7:01:13 PM PDT by SandRat
The washing machine cycle takes about 45 minutes _ and George Washington comes out much cleaner in the Zimbabwe-style laundering of dirty money.
Low-denomination U.S bank notes change hands until they fall apart here in Africa, and the bills are routinely carried in underwear and shoes through crime-ridden slums.
Some have become almost too smelly to handle, so Zimbabweans have taken to putting their $1 bills through the spin cycle and hanging them up to dry with clothes pins alongside sheets and items of clothing.
It's the best solution _ apart from rubber gloves or disinfectant wipes _ in a continent where the U.S. dollar has long been the currency of choice and where the lifespan of a dollar far exceeds what the U.S. Federal Reserve intends.
Zimbabwe's coalition government officially declared the U.S. dollar legal tender last year to eradicate world record inflation of billions of percent in the local Zimbabwe dollar as the economy collapsed.
The U.S. Federal Reserve destroys about 7,000 tons of worn-out money every year. It says the average $1 bill circulates in the United States for about 20 months _ nowhere near its African life span of many years.
Larger denominations coming in through banks and formal import and export trade are less soiled.
But among Africa's poor, the $1, $2, $5 and $10 bills are the most sought after. Dirty $1 bills can remain in circulation at rural markets, bus parks and beer halls almost indefinitely, or at least until they finally disintegrate.
Still, banks and most businesses in Zimbabwe do not accept torn, Scotch-taped, scorched, defaced, exceptionally dirty or otherwise damaged U.S. notes.
Zimbabweans say the U.S. notes do best with gentle hand-washing in warm water. But at a laundry and dry cleaner in eastern Harare, a machine cycle does little harm either to the cotton-weave type of paper. Locals say chemical "dry cleaning" is not recommended _ it fades the color of the famed greenback.
Laundry worker Alex Mupondi said customers asked him to try machine-washing a selection of bills and the result impressed him.
But storekeeper Jackie Dube hasn't yet taken up advice of friends to cleanse the often damp and stinking U.S. dollars she receives for the garments and cheap Chinese consumer goods she sells in Harare. It's time-consuming, she says, adding that stinky, unhygienic bills are a problem.
"I get rid of the worst of the notes as soon as I can in change," she said.
BTW, another study showed that every public keyboard checked was contaminated with human feces.
And still...the best way to prevent getting sickn is to wash your hand often.
So there, your mother was right.
Also, don't put US currency in the microwave, it will burn. (I performed that test, lol)
I’d have a joke about money laundering, but this situation is just too sad.
Just a warning. Don’t eat the peanuts that are complimentary on a bar. Those have been tested in the past. Gives a whole new meaning to ‘pee-nuts’. Just sayin’.
You mentioning those keyboards made me think of the computers at our local library. There is no way I’d use those things.
The ones still in the shell are ok.
They should let the money rot. Soon, our money’s going to be worth as much as their money.
no kidding
Apparently no one has been posting the Cathy Buckle articles.
If you read the one from June 12, 2012 you will see her talk about the discussion of a new Constitution. As if a new peice of parchment will mean anything at all to the government that is in power.
She discussed the people who have fled the country and whether they will be welcomed back.
ha.
I don’t think they would go back no matter what was written on paper and called a ‘Constitution’, if this bunch is still in charge.
June 19th column that is
Well, at least some people still value a dollar :)
>bills are routinely carried in underwear and shoes through crime-ridden slums.
>Some have become almost too smelly to handle
Oh, LORD, that is NASTY.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.