Wash Day
On Monday, the used clothes and linens that had accumulated all week were sorted so that light colored items could be placed in the washing machine to be the first to be washed in that water. If the owner had an electric washing machine, the clothes were automatically agitated. Generally, they were removed from very hot water by lifting them with a stick. The laundry was run through a wringer, either electric or hand turned, into one of the tubs of rinse water.
When the laundry was ready for drying, the baskets of wet clothes were taken outside to be hung on the clotheslines, and lines of billowing, blowing laundry could be seen in most yards in the neighborhood on a sunny Monday.
New Table of Contents
Wash Days of Yesteryears
Monday was usually washday, and occupied most of the day. We heated water in a big oval-shaped galvanized or copper wash boiler on top of a wood cookstove. If our cistern had enough soft (rain) water, we'd heat that water. Then we'd dip the boiling water into the washing machine - a big round tub-like machine. We had a Briggs & Stratton gas motor to run the leather belt to make the dolly turn to rub the soil out of the clothes. The dolly was a paddle affair. Now days we can do laundry in cold water and not worry so much about colors mixing. It was a catastrophe if a red article that faded was washed with white underwear. Many a guy wore pink underwear!
Usually we had two round washtubs with rinse water in them. We used an old broomstick handle to pull the hot clothes from the washer into the wringer. A wringer had two hard rubber rollers that we put the clothes between to let most of the sudsy hot water run back into the washer.
Soap was Fels Naptha IF you could afford. We made our own soap out of old rancid bacon and sausage grease, and lye. If you splashed any of this recipe on your arms, you had instant burns. The liquid soap was stirred until it was a creamy mixture. Then it was poured into flat pans with edges, and left for days until it hardened.
Washdays of Yesteryears, Monday is Washday, and Wash Day on the Farm
Click here to read these nostalgic articles of days gone by.
Old Fashioned Wash Day Featured on These Websites
- Wash Day
- Washing clothes without electricity
Free Y2K Survival Plans, Projects and Info - Washday
- An article written by Pat Mestern about the shortage of parts for washing machines during WW II
- A wartime washing day
- A wartime washing dayBy Charlotte TateWashingMonday was always washing day and what an awesome task it used to be. When I was a child I used to begin dreading it on Sunday, hating the steam-filled kitchen, the wet quarry floors and the thudding of the maiding tub.At our house in Oak Road, there was
- Laundry Care in the 1920's
- Tidbits on Laundry Care in the 1920's
Great Prints for the Laundry Room
Vintage Sunlight Soap Powder Advertising Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
Sunlight Soap Powder
A Woman Does the Washing While a Young Girl Blows Soapy Bubbles
Art Giclee Poster Print, 18x24
Click here
AllPosters.com is the world's #1 seller of posters, prints, photographs, specialty products and framed art. We're dedicated to bringing our customers the best selection of high quality wall décor that is perfect for their home or office.
Click on the picture description above to visit the AllPoster Amazon store today. AllPosters.com provides unmatched service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your home today with your favorite pictures.
The History of the Poster
More Lenses About Days Gone By
-
VAUDEVILLE!
-
Vaudeville was a genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. It developed from many sources, including the concert saloon, minstrelsy, freak shows, dime museums,...
-
Vintage Clothing - The Length of the Skirt
-
Vintage Clothing: Until nearly 100 years ago, the skirt had remained full length for hundreds of years. Hemlines began to be shorter in about 1915 and the long skirt length went through more changes until the mini skirt became popular in the 1960s. T...
-
The Roaring 1920's: Fashion, Celebrity, Craziness!!!
-
. . . and the Kings and Queens of Broadway! Everything you ever wanted to know about cool 1920s culture. The famous icons, the beautiful styles, the flashy gangsters, and glittering Gold Diggers of an amazing era in world history. This lens shed...
-
Coe's List of Great Movie Quotes
-
"Here's looking at you, kid." Movie quotes pop up in everyday conversation and some are so famous that you immediately know what movie they're from. Here you'll find movie quotes galore and interesting tidbits about movies and Hollywood.
-
VINTAGE VIXENS
-
This light-hearted lens pays tribute to titillating temptresses and playful personalities with oodles of pucker power! You know the ones we mean -- those funny floosies, sassy sirens, hilarious hussies, moxie mavens, or those wonderfully witty yet w...
Red Beans on Wash Day Video
Monday - there was sometimes ham left over from the Sunday meal and with the slow cooking beans, the women had time to tend to the wash.
Your Comments
What are your Wash Day memories? Leave a note.
-
Reply
- GonnaFly GonnaFly Nov 8, 2009 @ 12:37 am
- Ahhh yes. The "good old days"!!! I'm glad for my automatic washing machine.
-
Reply
- poutine poutine Mar 24, 2009 @ 5:11 pm
- Just lensrolled this lens to :
The Poutine Group Headquarters
quebec and poutine
-
Reply
- poutine poutine Mar 24, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
- I remember helping my mom doing the laundry with the old wringer washer (electric).
I loved to do this chore and hanging the clothes on the outdoor line. It smells so
good.
What a delight to sleep in air dried sheets on the first night.
-
Reply
- OhMe OhMe Oct 4, 2008 @ 1:02 pm
- I sure remember the old wringer washers. I thought they were fun. Very interesting lens. 5* fav
My Lenses on Squidoo
For links to all of my Squidoo lenses (56 of them)
CLICK RIGHT HERE
You will find lenses for the following subjects
Patterns and Instruction for Painting, Crochet, and Other Needlework. Other subjects include, Bible verse crafts, Cooking, Authors/Poets, and other interests.
LINKS
My website is BRUSHES AND PALETTESBrowse the free online painting lessons
My Zazzle Store - Posters and Cards
Flower Bible Verse Note Cards
___________________________________________________
Lensmasterworld.com
A directory for Squidoo Lensmasters
Isle of Squid.com directory
by aLundy
Explore related pages
Laundry and Clothes Hampers- Mostly referred to as just a hamper, Laundry hampers or clothes hampers, have be...
Hobby of Baskets- Baskets come in many shapes and sizes and can be used for a variety of things. T...
