Laundry Day – Vintage Style
Laundry day or what used to be called Wash Day. We complain today about having to gather our dirty clothes, separate them, put everything into the wash machine, add detergents and push the start button. Then, we have to grab the wet laundry put it into the dryer and push the start button. Oh but the most grueling task is taking the clean laundry out of the dryer, folding it and then putting it away. Just imagine if we had to do all this vintage style.
What we have today to wash our laundry didn’t come about until the 1940’s. Before then, things were washed by hand using washing boards, hand wringers and even rocks. Even our beloved dryers didn’t exist until 1938. Before this, clothing had to be hung to dry. Either indoors near the wood stoves or outside utilizing the fresh air and sunshine.
Floating around the internet is this cute instruction list to a new bride from 1912 (included is the original misspelled words):
Bild fire in back yard to heet kettle of rainwater.
Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert.
Shave one hole cake lie soap in boilin water.
Sort things, make three piles. 1 pile white. 1 pile cullord. 1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch stur flour in cold water to smooth then thin down with boilin water.
Rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, then boil. Rub cullord but don’t boil — just rench and starch.
Take white things out of kettle with broom stick handle then rench, blew and starch.
Spred tee towels on grass.
Hang old rags on fence.
Pour rench water in flower bed.
Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on cleen dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tee — set and rest a spell and count your blessins.
This list makes me count my blessings that I have a washing machine and dryer to use. Now, there are times that I don’t mind using a clothes line outside to dry my laundry but it is nice to have the convenient option of a dryer.
Have any of you washed your laundry by hand?
