Pöngel
Pöngel is a German dialect word for any kind of bundle . In a figurative sense, it can have other meanings as well.
In the Rhenish and Westphalian mining areas , it can specifically refer to the miners' bundle of laundry. It is used to transport work clothes between home, the laundry room and the laundry.
It originally consisted of some kind of cloth or of a mostly blue towel that was given by the mine operator. The cloth was knotted crosswise at the corners. If the belt was pulled through the knot, you could hang the pöngel over your shoulder. In the last few decades, laundry nets, which are closed with a large safety pin, have been used in place of cloths. There is a badge with a number on the safety pin. Instead of the safety pin, however, a special rubber ring has often been used as a closure in recent years.
If you want to have your work clothes washed in the pit's large laundry, you can throw them in the Pöngel there. The places for this are called Pöngeleinwurf or Pöngelabwurf. The Pöngel are picked up there once a week and washed as a whole. After washing, they are placed in a locker marked with the brand number. There the miner can pick up the Pöngel.
If you want to have your work clothes washed at home, you can take the Pöngel with you.