Because La Grande Vadrouille (1966) also starring Bourvil released a couple of years earlier was such a tremendous success, along with other hits like Le Grand Restaurant (1966) and Les Grandes Vacances (1967) (whose original French titles all start with "Le Grand" or "Les Grandes" aka "The Big"), the producers changed the title into the nonsensical "La Grande Lessive" against the wish of the director who initially called the film "Le Tube" and publicly expressed his astonishment by adding "(!)" to the new title.
According to director Jean-Pierre Mocky, big star Bourvil, usually hired to play nice imbeciles, gladly accepted to star in this film for a reduced fee because he had an unique chance to play an intellectual.
Underwent a 4K restoration in 2023 at the Éclair laboratory by Mocky Delicious Products with support from the CNC.