Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Wash Day

I ran across this ad in an old newspaper the other day
and boy oh boy! it got me to thinking about the days
we used a wringer wash machine when I was a young girl
still living at home.
 
 
(And it was much later than 1938...ha)
 
If you used a wringer washer like this in your younger days
or if you've never seen anything like it
let me tell you about it.
 
You filled this machine with numerous buckets of hot water from the kitchen sink,
then you filled a rinse tub sitting beside this with cold water.
 
Always start out with your cleanest clothes because you will use the same
water for all your washing. Well, that's how my sister and I did it
when Mom wasn't around to monitor and make us change the water.
 Wow! that water was muddy when we were finished.
 
 
When you thought your first load was clean enough, no timers on this...
you ran every item through the wringer at the top of the washer, and into the rinse tub.
Watch those fingers and hands, they don't go through the wringer
without a trip to the doctor.
 
There is no agitator or movement in the rinse tub,
just you with your hands in the icy water.
Once the clothes are fairly soap free, the wringer swings around
and you put the clothes through it again and into your clothes basket.
 
Yes, this is why they used to call it Wash Day...
 It took all day!
 
Now remember...
all this water had to be manually drained from both the washer and rinse tub,
into buckets and hauled out.
 
If the weather was decent the washing mashine could be hauled outdoors for use.
 
All our clothes were hung out on the clothesline,
we didn't have a clothes dryer until many years later.
We hung wash outside in all weather.
Have you ever tried to take frozen clothes off a clothesline?
 
There is nothing that smells or feels better than line-dried wash.
I still like to hang out all our sheets and towels.
 
 
How was your walk down memory lane?
 
Now your clothes are ready for ironing on Tuesday.
 
Household Hint -
Clothes may be sprinkled in the evening
 and left over night if put in the clothes basket
 and covered entirely with a heavy towel or blanket.
 
b


6 comments:

  1. Oh wow the good old days:) You had a kitchen sink? We had to walk down to the creek.
    I remember my hair getting caught in the wringer and my Mom cutting it off.
    I love to see these old days in books and blogs but I do not miss anything about these wringers. I do remember the first load was always really really clean. Great post. B

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  2. I never used one, but I did see one on a farm when I was in high school. I wouldn't mind doing this on a nice day outside. Really - I wouldn't : )

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  3. Oh my mum had one of the wringers when we were on the farm and I used to help mum hang the laundry out on the line when I was younger ! In the antique shop warehouse we go to there are a few for sale . Thanks for the memories . Have a good day !

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  4. I do remember how wringer washer and put rubber diapers through that wringer diapers and explodes and I ruined a couple of shirts
    My job was to make sure they didn't wrap around the rollers which sometimes happened anyway causing it to pop, separating the rollers,If it does, an article of the wash may
    wrap several times around a roller before it is noticed; unwinding such a
    piece is often difficult, sometimes impossible without removing a roller .
    Its you're already happened?

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  5. All I can say is God bless you both for keeping your little sister oblivious to the grueling task of it all! Keeping a household of 7's clothing all clean and ironed was no picnic! The true lessons of it all???? C'mon, priceless, wouldn't you admit??

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  6. I have nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award as I so enjoy your blog. Have a great weekend.

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