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Friends S01E05, The One with the East German Laundry DetergentS01E05

Friends · Season 1

Friends season 1 episode 5: The One with the East German Laundry Detergent

Aired 20 October 199423 minRated TV-PG

8.1TMDB · 86 votesMark watched

Where to watch Friends Season 1 in Australia

Friends season 1 is streaming in Australia on HBO Max (subscription) and Netflix (subscription), and free on 10 Play and ABC iView. You can also buy it on Apple TV from $19.99 and Prime Video Store from $29.99.

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Availability checked 16 November 2026.

What happens in “The One with the East German Laundry Detergent”

While Chandler and Phoebe decide to break up with their significant others on the same night, Ross helps Rachel do laundry and considers the evening a first date. Joey has Monica pose as his new girlfriend, because he wants to get back with the girl he just dumped.

Episode summary: TMDB.

Before you watch

  • It is episode 5 of 24 of season 1, so watch episodes 1 to 4 first.
  • It runs about 23 minutes.
  • Directed by Pamela Fryman, written by Jeff Strauss and Jeff Greenstein.
  • TMDB users rate it 8.1 out of 10 (86 votes).

Friends trailer

The official trailer for the series (no preview of this episode has been published).

Friends trailerPlay video: Friends trailer

Cast and crew of this episode

Director
Pamela Fryman
Writers
Jeff StraussJeff Greenstein
Guest stars
Camille Saviola as Horrible WomanKim Gillingham as AngelaJack Armstrong as BobMaggie Wheeler as JaniceJames Michael Tyler as Gunther

Credits: TMDB.

More from Friends Season 1

Previous · S01E04The One with George Stephanopoulos13 October 1994Next · S01E06The One with the Butt27 October 1994
  1. E01
  2. E02
  3. E03
  4. E04
  5. E05
  6. E06
  7. E07
  8. E08
  9. E09
  10. E10
  11. E11
  12. E12
  13. E13
  14. E14
  15. E15
  16. E16
  17. E17
  18. E18
  19. E19
  20. E20
  21. E21
  22. E22
  23. E23
  24. E24

Every episode of Season 1Friends episode guide

Episode names, air dates, runtimes, stills and ratings: TMDB. Air dates are the first broadcast anywhere; where it streams is our daily Australian check.