(I used to know when this would be published on the net............... may be today or tomorrow!)
Daddy brought the little stands out that
held up the tin tubs. He rolled the washing machine away from the back
porch wall and ran the hose over to the machine. Mama ran water into the black
pot that dad had started a fire under. She then ran some water into the old
wringer machine, and some into the two #2 tubs. When the water in the black pot was hot she
took a bucket and put some in the machine and tubs to have warm water. She
added some Rinso (detergent, but we called it powdered soap) to the machine.
I can remember far enough back that she used to take
a butcher knife and shave off thin strips of lye soap before
Rinso.
Lye Soap
Mama started the machine, there
was no timer, mama knew how long to run the machine, then started what mesmerized me for years, the clothes were put thru the wringer. She carefully
flattened each piece to try to keep it even to get all the soapy
water out of the clothes, and keep her fingers out of the wringers.
She allowed me to start some small pieces at times, once I did get my fingers
in the wringers, but she quickly reversed it and I only cried a little. LOL.
From the first rinse tub
to the 'bluing' tub (I loved that blue water, I am still not sure what it was,
maybe a mild bleach?).
The second time thru the
wringers and then to the clothes line. She had a 'rag' she cleaned the wires
before hanging. She had two different clothes pins. One was forked the other
was spring loaded. (Later I learned to make pea shooters from the spring loaded
ones)
Wash day was a lot of
work for mama (and lots of women) because she still had to make dinner and
supper from scratch. Of course WAsh day brought on Ironing day, Until I was in
the 2nd grade mama used the irons that were heated on the wood stove, then she
got an ELECTRIC IRON, She used a coke bottle with a sprinkler in the end
to sprinkle the clothes before ironing.
Later she got a STEAM
IRON, WOW! No more sprinkling. (at some time for some reason some clothes went
into the Ice box ??? anybody know why???)
Okay, I said all that to say this, mama's job would have been a whole lot easier now, if we dressed this way, check these headlines out, I am seeing more and more of them:
No heavy dresses and over-alls, no underwear. Wash day would have been so simple! But I must ask, where to NEXT? This is not in some smut journal, it is head lines.
Nite Shipslog
1938 Jaguar
1955 Vette and two girls with clothes on
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9 comments:
Such a "chore" to do laundry in your mother's time. I do remember the wringing washing machine my mom had; she would never let us get by the wringers, she was afraid our fingers would get caught in it.
She was sprinkle the shirts too or whatever she ironing and if she didn't get to the ironing right away, she would roll them up and put them in the fridge. I think it was to try to help prevent wrinkling before the ironing took place.
I am sure glad I live in the time of more modern equipment :)
betty
Very interesting. I never heard of the spinkler coke bottle. I read this aloud to nick. He said he still has his moms coke bottle sprinlker somewhere. As far as clothes in the icebox? It would keep them damp to help with ironing. And also kept them damp so wrinkles would not set in (Via Google). Hmm I think all mine would be in the ice box as this might be equivilant to turning on the drier to fluff. Haha.
Love reading about the old stuff. Keep em coming.
Lisa
I learned how to do wash in a wringer washer sitting on my grandmother's back porch and the hot water was heated in a large pan on the stove. There was no hot or cold running water. She filled the pan with water from the pump at the kitchen sink. We don't appreciate our modern conveniences enough but we really should. I'm spoiled and am glad of it for sure.
You didn't mention her making the starch but I bet she did. It was powdered in a box. We poured some in a large pan and put very hot water with it and stirred it good. Dresser scarves blouses and such was dipped in it and wrung out by hand. After they were dry then we sprinkled. I still had my sprinkler bottle for years and it disappeared.
Besides the evolution of the washers and irons, there has been an evolution in fabrics. A cotton knit T-shirt can be worn without even having to be ironed. I do love "wash and wear" fabrics.
I also helped my mom do our laundry in an old wringer machine too. You are right it was hard work and took most of the day.
Ya, I remember my grandmother's wringer washer On the farm, but I sure can't recall offering to help! (*smile*)
The 'sprinkler' top makes me smile, on account THAT was my job, to dampen the laundry before ironing. My favorite was getting to press daddy's hankies and the pillow cases on my mother's old mangle iron. Good times!
Yep, I've seen all that stuff. My mom also used pants creasers to put creases in starched bluejeans.
R
That makes me tired to remember wash day. I remember the wringer washing machine. We sure have it made washing today, with all the new materials that does not have to be ironed or pressed. We have come a long way.
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