Re: {The Good Ol' Days} "Washing Clothes Recipe" I LOVE MY WASHER AND DRYER!!

[SactoTeddyBear]

A Friend of mine sent this to me and I couldn't think of a better place to share this "Recipe" but with the Club Members and other Friends, enjoy this as much as I have...It certainly makes you appreciate Washer's and Dryer's, knowing what people went thru to do Laundry, way back when...

I want to also add to this a Newspaper Cartoon, from quite some time ago I remember about. Picture 2-Heavy Women sitting on Rocks in the River doing their Laundry and one Woman says to the other "I wish I knew what I could do about that Darn Static Cling"

Peace, Happiness and Hug's, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

"Washing Clothes Recipe" -- imagine having a recipe for this ! ! ! Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe:

This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all.

WASHING CLOTHES

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

Paste this over your washer and dryer. Next time when you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks. First thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer, also your toilet---those two-holers used to get mighty cold! For you non-southerners -wrench means rinse.

 

[agiflow]

SactoTeddyBear

You said it all brother!! Thank god at least KM/WP still makes porcelain STEEL washbaskets in their tl machines. GO WHIRLPOOL.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re:

I guess my hopes were bigger than what I've seen happening with the Thread that I started. I thought that this was a neat comment about how Laundry was Washed, in the "Good Ol' Days" and that my adding the funny Newspaper Cartoon would have created a great response from quite a few other members. I'm finding out that as with many other Postings that I add a Thread to, seem to get a "Kiss of Death" as if I'm not even a member of the Club and whatever I write, doesn't matter to many other's. I did get a real nice E-Mail Reply from one of the Club Members {name with-held} and they have E-Mailed me personal comments in the past as well, letting me know their opinion's from what I've written or shared and that really makes me feel real good. I do notice that quite a few Thread Postings do only get maybe 1 or only a few Thread Posting Replies, but it also seems like the "Same Old, Long-Time Member's" take over and add Threads of their own, but only if it were another "Old, Long-Time" Member's has something to share...This is supposed as mentioned by several newer Members to be a happy and informative Site to help others out and for sharing as equally as possible, but lately it seems to me like it is getting way too many replies about basically the same info that someone has already commented about, or just repeating something already said...

Anyway, sorry but I needed to "VENT" somewhat and I'm not wanting to start anything wrongfully or to have anyone get upset with me, but I'm asking to show more respect to other's about sharing and commenting of our thoughts and opinion's on Thread Postings.

Peace and Happiness, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[alr2903]

SactoTeddyBear

You recipe for a wash was one time published in one of the rural electric cooperatives monthy print in the midwest (in the 70's). I remember thinking after that new bride smoothed her hair and had that cup of tea, She still had to watch for a rain quickly coming up, and also gather that washing in before dark. The ironing would of been tightly rolled "damp" and placed in a cool place until tuesday, that was probably her ironing day. After that she probably had to get a few sticks of "cook wood" and get supper. Sacto you are so right we all should count our blessings everyday. ... Side bar.. I never saw my grandmothers hand wash, they had wringers, but i sure did see them heat that water over a fire in a kettle, and carry it in buckets to a wringer washer.

 

[kenmore1978]

Grandmother's washing

Amazingly, my Father's mother didn't have a washer until 1971 when I gave her a curbed KM that I fixed. My Grandfather and I always went to the laundromat. My Mother's mother had a 1956 GE automatic that wasn't actually INSTALLED until 1960. Neither Granny ever had a dryer.

 

[alr2903]

Hi kenmore 1978

Those Ladies might not of used dryers if they had them. My grandmother, as well as my mother prefer clotheslines. "the clothes smell nice", "It doesnt cost anything". My Mom can wear out 2 or 3 washers to one dryer. She uses her dryer in the winter.

 

[cehalstead]

grandma's washing

My paternal Grandmother never had a clothes dyer, but after she got rid of her Thor wringer, she always had the "best" automatic washer money could buy. Her first...a 1954 Frigidaire, second...a 1969 GE Filter-Flo, which lasted the rest of her life....but never a dryer. My maternal Grandmother always had a Speed Queen wringer, on the back porch, and filled by bucket with water drawn from a well and heated on the kitchen stove.

 

[launderess]

Sacto, you are NOT Radioactive!

*LOL*

I for one enjoy your postings, including this one; couldn't respond sooner because things have been so hectic. Weather is finally starting to warm up, and I've got to plan my garden!

Posting reminds me of that PBS/BBC show "1900 House" when the wife gets a dose of what doing laundry was like Edwardin style. Imagine taking almost three days to wash, dry, iron and put away laundry. By the time it was finished, there was only a few days before one had to start all over again.

Few facts:

Laundry was usually the first chore any woman of means got off her to do list. Either by sending it out or having a washer woman come in. Up until the end of WWII it was quite common for many people living in both cities and small towns to send their laundry out or have someone come and do it. After the war and factories turned to producing appliances (and advertisers took to marketing them), women found themselves once again doing laundry. Saw somewhere that the average housewife spends on average the same amount of time doing laundry as her grand mother, even with modern machines.

Popular sayings having to do with laundry:

Can anyone guess the origins of these laundry day bon mots?

"If that doesn't take the rag off the bush"

"Airing your dirty linen/laundry in public"

"Tattle-Tale Grey"

"Blue Monday"

"No Tickee - No Washee"

Launderess

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Thank You Launderess:

Hey! Launderess, thank you for the re-assurance, that I'm not "Radio-Active"

"BTW" Notice who's doing a lot of the Laundry these days!!!

{LOLMAOROFL}

I guess we "Guys" have come a long way, thru the years and either learning from our Mother's or on our own, to make sure that we always have Clean Clothes and doing proper Stain Removal, besides our personal preferences of Brands of not only Laundry Appliances, but the Detergent's, Bleaches, Fabric Softener's and the other Laundry Aids necessary for helping us to get everything Clean Smelling, and Stain-Free...

Peace, Happiness and Good-Times, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[launderess]

Guys and Laundry

Actually quite a few men helped with laundry during the "boiling" days than one would think. IIRC out on the farms and in the mid-west laundry was "man's work" since it involved so much heavy lifting/labour".

Mind you, a man might not go around his office/town advertising the fact the helped/did laundry, but many husbands did, since it was so much work. It was either that or go out and make more money so wifey could hire a girl/launderess.

Some one once told me he wanted his shirts hand washed/ironed. I smiled sweetly and handed him a bar of Fels soap with the words "knock yourself out".

L.

 

[kenmore1978]

Dryers for Grannys

Hard to say if my Grannys would've used dryers if they had them. In both cases, there was no room (both of their houses had large laundry tubs, Dad's Mom had TWO laundry tubs that only left space for a washer and Mom's Mom, had 1 laundry tub, but the hot water heater was in the same room so there was only space for the washer between the tub and the heater. Plus there were no connections or connections for dryers, I'm sure they would've not wanted to pay to put in gas or electric connections.

 

[spiralactivator]

Laundry day for grannies

My father once told me his mother had a Kenmore wringer washer with recirculating filter and an Ironrite (or other automatic ironer). During my lifetime she had a '77 Lady K set in "tawny gold."

When my mom was a kid, her mother used a round-tub wringer (brand unknown). Then when I was a kid, Gram had a late '60s/early '70s FilterFlo and no dryer. According to Mom, there was a dryer in the house when Gram bought it, but she threw it out. I guess she liked hanging clothes in the bathroom during the winter months.