The Grapevine: Going Back Decades to Recall How Families Used to Wash and Dry their Clothes
By Rosalyn Queen Alonso on August 15, 2019 from The Grapevine
Probably 70 years ago, when most of the mothers did not work out of the home, Monday was the day they washed clothes. Tuesday, they ironed clothes. Wednesday they cleaned the house etc.
During school months I was off to school before my mother started the laundry process but during the summer, I became an avid spectator.
Most homes that had basements was where the washing machine was located. We were lucky enough to have had running water and did not have to use a pump to carry water to the machine. My father had installed stationary tubs, which were two separate tubs with faucets that could turn to put water in either tub. We would attach the hose to fill the washing machine with hot water and then we would fill one of the stationary tubs with cold water.
The washing machine was a square or round type of tub, on legs, which had an agitator inside of it and attached to the top of the machine was a wringer. Every household had a basket that was where the dirty clothes were kept.
We sorted the clothes in piles according to their color. First the whites, then the pastels, then the dark colors. The last to go in the washer was throw rugs or cleaning cloths.
The clothes were put in the machine, the agitator turned on and the washing process began. When the clothes appeared clean, the agitator was turned off and each piece was run through the wringer into the rinse water. After they were rinsed thoroughly, they were run through wringer again into the basket.
Then they were taken outside and hung on the clothes line to dry. This process followed for each batch of colors. When the washing process was done, a hose was attached to the bottom of the machine to drain the water into a bucket and the water would be taken outside to scrub the porch.
There was a special process to hanging the clothes on the line. Back then we had wooden clothes pins and they were kept in certain bags that were made just for the purpose of keeping the clothes pins. The bag had a clothes hanger in it which meant that you could hang it on the clothes line. The clothes pins did not have the spring in them that we have today.
We always thought the clothes had a wonderful smell from drying in the breeze. But believe me we did not have fabric softeners then and the clothes were pretty stiff.
So, the next time you throw a load of clothes in the washer and then in the dryer, just think about how the process has evolved over the years. But then we could think about the galvanized tub and the wash board.
What are you doing this Monday?
Be sure to take advantage of all of the festivals and enjoy all the good food and crafts. Be safe and until next week "Now You Have Heard It Through The Grapevine."
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