1The act of washing clothes or fabrics; laundry (the household chore of washing).
週末にたまった洗濯を全部片付けた。
I finished all the accumulated laundry over the weekend.
洗濯機の使い方を母に教わった。
My mother taught me how to use the washing machine.
この服は色落ちするので別に洗濯してください。
This garment fades, so please wash it separately.
2A figurative sense meaning refreshment or rejuvenation, as in the set phrase 「命の洗濯」 (literally "washing one's life") — a renewal of spirit.
久しぶりの温泉旅行でまるで命の洗濯をした気分だ。
After the long-awaited hot-spring trip I feel like I've been renewed.
たまには命の洗濯をしないと、ストレスが溜まる一方だ。
If you don't refresh your spirit once in a while, stress just keeps building up.