Laundry 1931 Style

[ironrite]

While looking for some information on how to alter armholes on a shirt, I came across this site. They have some interesting information on sewing for those inclined. Additionally I found this page from a 1931 guide on how to do laundry. I can't wait to try the starch recipe they give, I just have to first go out and find some lard!

The link takes you to the table of contents for the material.

http://vintagesewing.info/1930s/31-ldc/ldc-toc.html

 

[launderess]

Shouldn't shock anyone that I have known about that site for ages. *LOL* Have several of the Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences books. Very interesting information, much of which can be applied today with some modifications.

Lard,wax, Staina (which is nothing but wax), were all used in laundry starch to help give a smooth gloss finish to the ironing. These substances also helped make ironing easier by reducing friction as the iron was passed over the fabric. Today's starches both liquid, spray and canned use silicone bases "ironing aids" instead. Other than that the formulas and manner of making all all corn based starch formulas is pretty much the same.

L.

 

[lavamat_jon]

Eeeep... people took laundry so seriously back then!

Nowadays I just wash, and dry either in the dryer or on the line (or clothes horse if it's winter) and it's done... ironing not needed!

Shows how much we've come on, to that I can nowadays do a week's worth of laundry in a morning rather than 3 days like in that guide.

Jon

 

[ironrite]

Satina

Launderess, you were the first one I thought of when I came across this site. I think you may have even posted it be before.

Somewhere is my stuff is a box of Satina, with the original contents. Yes, it is just a small blue tablet of wax. I recall my Mother using it when she would make up a vat of boiled starch for white shirts. It must have had a rather low melting point to disolve, even in the boiling water.

 

[launderess]

Have got a card board display case of Satina in my stash. It sits gathering dust/unused as hardly ever make up boiled starch.

If one really wishes to have a laugh (and a good scare), read the section on home dry cleaning, complete with using directions for using petrol.

One must remember until dry cleaning stores popped up on every corner, such work was done at home,even as late as the l950's. The later was especially in the country/rural areas who didn't have a dry cleaner in town anyway. Personally I'd want to be far away from the barn/back yard when anyone was messing with that stuff. On the same website as the Ironrite video, there is a video of a poor woman who dry cleans at home with petrol and ends up setting herself on fire,getting some nasty burns on her head/scalp and pretty much disfigured for life, if she survived at all.

 

[bongobro]

Satina

I have a box I picked up at a yard sale a while back...complete with the bargain hosiery offer on the back of the package!

Does anyone use cooked starch anymore?

 

[tlee618]

Yes, I use to use the cooked Argo starch whenever I washed my kitchen curtains. It put a beautiful finish on them and they seemed to stay cleaner and fresher looking so much longer.