A few years ago Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, the co-founders of social enterprise Orange Sky Laundry, rigged up a van they named Suddsy with a few washing machines and went about washing and drying the clothes of Brisbane's homeless people.

A few exploding washing machines, technical issues and a whole heap of man hours later, Orange Sky Laundry now has more than 80 volunteers in 12 vans that visit 122 locations across Australia each week. And the idea is spreading globally.