Procter & Gamble is experimenting with a new service that might help time-pressed Americans who dread washing and folding clothes take a load, or two, off their minds.

        The Cincinnati-based maker of the best-selling laundry detergent, Tide, has taken its laundry business a step further with the launch last fall of its Juvian home laundry service in Atlanta.

        For a minimum order of $17 — or about two loads of laundry — the service will pick up dirty clothes, wash them, fold them and return them the next day.

        P&G describes Juvian as a “pre-data test” because it's available only to people living in a handful of ZIP codes, unlike its traditional full-fledged market tests, which may be conducted in one or more cities.

        The company has not decided whether it will expand the test.

        “We're really just trying to learn whether we can provide a truly reliable fabric-care service to consumers,” Kelly Anchrum, a P&G spokeswoman, said Monday.

        She said Juvian, which also provides dry cleaning and upholstery cleaning services, targets consumers who “are more inclined to outsource a lot of their household tasks.”

        The potential market is staggering.

        Americans spend an estimated $100 billion annually on such services as cleaning, lawn care, pest control and other domestic chores.

        And laundry, which ranks as one of the least-liked household chores in consumer surveys, is one of the most sought-after services.

        But P&G is billing Juvian as more than a simple laundry service.

        The Web site touts Juvian's “menu of unique spa treatments” that leave clothes feeling “indescribably luxurious.”

        Juvian also offers “personal laundry consultation” and a “Laundralyzer” to compare the cost of doing laundry at home to the cost of Juvian's services.

        P&G began testing Juvian in October with direct-mail support from Cincinnati-based Barefoot Advertising.

        P&G's chief rival, Unilever — maker of Wisk and All detergents — is planning a similar test this spring.

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