Abstract: A five sided chamber is placed in a laundry chute such that any laundry article passing through the chute must also pass through the chamber. The five sided chamber is mirrored on the inside surfaces of four of the five sides while the fifth side is transparent. A light beam emitter and a light beam receiver are positioned along the transparent fifth side of the chamber. The light beam emitter is directed at the center of one of the four mirrored sides and the light beam receiver is directed at the center of an adjacent one of the four mirrored sides. Reflection of the light beam internally within the five sided chamber is such that the light beam forms a star pattern before returning to the light beam receiver via the transparent fifth side.