This Pinoy student created an app to find the best time for laundry

Dealing with unpredictable weather when doing laundry outside can be frustrating. You've probably experienced the sudden downpour that makes your freshly washed clothes soaked all over again. Even with weather reports and apps on our phones, it can feel like a guessing game.

This common struggle inspired a young developer to create a brilliant solution: the "Maglalaba Ba?" App.

Created by John Daeniele Satsatin, a fourth-year BS Computer Science student at Cavite State University, "Maglalaba Ba?" is a web application designed to eliminate the guesswork of outdoor laundry.

"Yung idea po niya is yung moment talaga is netong July. So, noong July nag-start ang 'yung rain season. Tapos, ayun, since naglalaba kami, nutusan ako noong lola ko. Sabi niya, 'Apo, isilong mo muna yung mga sinampay natin.' So, laging ganun ng set up namin kapag nakulog," he shared to PhilSTAR L!fe. 

"Syempre, nakaka-frustrate yun. Hindi mo kasi alam kung kailan bubuhos yung ulan, kung dapat ba maglababa ngayong araw. So, nagiging anxious na rin kami. Maglalababa ba ngayong araw?" he continued.

Satsatin added, "Sabi ko, software developer naman ako, why not gumawa ako ng isang app na magpepredict kung maganda ba maglaba?"

Unlike traditional weather apps that present complicated charts, radar visuals, and data, "Maglalaba ba?" embraces accessibility. 

The app speaks in casual, conversational Filipino language and is targeted to seniors like her grandmother.

"Ginawa ko siyang simple lang din," he shared, explaining the importance of making the app user-friendly.

How does it work? 

The app obtains its real-time weather information from Open-Meteo and utilizes OpenWeatherMap to assist the user in locating their current position. It provides a clear answer based on the likelihood of rain, average temperature, and humidity. It even goes a step further by calculating how long the clothes will take to dry and suggesting the best time to do laundry.

"For the calculation, tatlo lang yung pinonsider ko: yung forecasts, humidity, tsaka yung temperature," Satsatin said.

Humidity significantly affects how fast clothes dry. The higher the humidity, the slower the drying process. Temperature is also a key factor. The hotter it is, the quicker clothes will dry. Finally, rain plays a crucial role as it dramatically increases humidity, making it much more difficult for laundry to dry.

The app also features a mascot named Ate Love. She changes her look, along with the colors and dialogue, to match the current weather conditions, adding a fun and intuitive layer to the experience.

L!fe checked the app for accuracy, and indeed it rained around 4 p.m. in Mandaluyong City when this article was being written.