Why did they only wash on Mondays????

[bosch2460]

FWIW

I once heard that Mondays were wash days because all of your best linens and clothing were worn on Sunday. Washing on Monday, there was less of a chance of stains setting into your best table clothes, etc. I have even read once that laundry was gathered and soaked on Saturday nights, since Sunday was a day of rest. The rest of the weekly chores that were set by day, were each set that day for a specific reason. I cannot recall the source that I got all of this info from, honestly. I know I read it somewhere years ago. Washing took place on Monday because of Sunday's best needed to be washed while stains were fresh. Tuesday was ironing because items should be still damp and rolled from Monday washing. Wednesday was mending or sewing, because laundering in those days was rough on textiles, and something was probably always needing mending or new clothing needed to be made. Thursday was churning, because butter has the longest shelf life, when compared to meats and baked goods. Friday was house cleaning, in order to have your house in order for Sunday. Saturday was baking and meal prep for Sunday, because you wanted the freshest possible baked goods for Sunday, with the least amount of work. It seems that almost every household chore was worked around Sundays. Personally, it makes perfect sense to me, as I like to divide up my household chores into daily tasks, rather than doing it all in one day...

 

[launderess]

Mending:

There were two schools of thoughts on that process. Some advised that items requiring repair should be done before they were sent to the wash. OTHO many did not like handling soiled (and considered unsanitary) linen, so they mended after items were laundered but before they were ironed (if required).

Problem with mending after laundering is that small holes, rips, tears and so forth are often made worse during the washing process. Hence a "stitch in time saves nine".

Once sewing machines came upon the scene hand darning and mending went out by many housewives and others including hotels and hospitals. However fancy the various attachments then and now are for sewing machines, flatwork mended by lockstich is often hard and coarse, and certianly not invisable. OTOH a skilled needleworker could produce a darn or repair on even the finest damask linen that was totally invisable. Such work was highly prized and while often found in convents many women knew such skills as well. In fact the term "French Reweaving" the process of mending rips and tears on textiles came about because after WWI and WWII so many European women of all classes landed upon American shores. Many had few other skills besides needlework (which was something all women were expected to know, but some were better at it than others), so they set up shop to do mending. While the more upscale clientle found the "French" bit chic, it was done by Jewish, Italian, German and others as well.

Household tasks divided by days:

Unless one had lots of domestic help there was simply no other way round things in a properly run household. So much work had to be done, much of it manually that in order to get on you needed a plan. Even with help much depended upon things such as when you went to market (until fridges came long meats, produce and such didn't last very long so had to be purchased daily or every other day), the weather (Monday or not if the weather didn't permit laundry day was put off).

Until washing machines for domestic use had safe and effective extraction methods it was best often to let things dry, starch (if required and if not done already), dampen and allow to sit so the moisture could spread evenly. Commercial laundries of course had extractors going back to the early part of the last century. This meant they could often send items from that process to ironing because the textiles were just damp enough. Wringers OTOH are not very good at extraction of water, and the more one tries the harder it is on fabrics and can create creases that make the work of ironing more difficult.

Starting Laundry On Saturday Nights:

Many of my vintage laundry manuals mention this and yes it was to avoid doing work on Sunday which was the Sabbath for most Christian households. Only whites and colourfast items would be left to soak.

Though many today find it odd, Sunday was the universal day of rest round the world in Christian countries. Even today in many parts of the United States/the world either by law or custom things pretty much shut down (Blue Laws).

Another word about mending:

Major mending, repair and making of new (homemade)clothing often took place during the winter months. For one thing the days were shorter and nights longer so people were indoors more. Also because of the weather much outdoor work wasn't done either such as farming and so forth.

 

[westie2]

I think this is the saying

Washing on Monday
Ironing on Tuesday
Sewing on Wednesday
Marketing on Thursday
Cleaning on Friday
Baking on Saturday
Rest on Sunday

 

[wayupnorth]

That last post by bosch2460 was more than likely the reason. Although most, if not all of us were out of the butter churning stage by the time we were born. But all my family did the Monday washing ritual, although I do it when it is a nice day for not using the dryer to hang outside whenever possible. I have a big fireplace that I burn cardboard, paper, and non toxic burnables in, and stink the neighbors out, hehehe, so my burn day could be any day. But the lady of the house, I am sure our Laundress can attest to this, worked her butt off all day Sunday to make sure everything was in perfect order for church and company coming while the kids got dirty and hubby slept in his easy chair.

 

[westie2]

Hallee the Homemaker

I would say really Susie Homemaker.  What to do daily then every dayof the week.

 

 

Weekly Chore/Laundry List

Chart of My Weekly Chore List Broken Down by Day

www.halleethehomemaker.com

 

[mixguy]

Big shift with Automatics

Monday no longer became major washday once automatic washers and many women entered the workforce. In most households once there was enough for a load or two the machines were started up especially after families had washers and dryers. Children were trained to help and could do laundry when old enough to reach the controls. Once my parents had a laundry pair, my sister and I did clothes in Sat morning and during school summer vacation for school we did laundry most every other day usually two loads and every other time three loads. Mom would put aside any special items that needed special attention to be done when sh was home from work. In loading the washer we would inspect during loading for spots needing pretreatment of Wisk liquid or some product for pretreating. Wisk really got out the "ring around the collar." and I was reminded to wash my neck too!

 

[bajaespuma]

My Father used to describe to me, in great detail, my Grandmother's Mondays when he was a boy. They were better off than most in the Depression, but couldn't afford any help whatsoever so she was a professional housewife who took care of herself, four children and a monstrous, abusive old-world husband who was a decent provider when sober. She would put an Armenian "giragour" (like a stew with very little meat) into what was called in NY a "Fendel" that was the prehistoric version of a slow cooker, together in the morning and would start sorting laundry for 6 giving special care to the Sunday outfits that would be worn again for the following Sunday. She had no machines and had to use the kitchen sink to hand wash every article of clothing. He never mentioned what soap she used; I assume it was whatever they used back then for dishes and general cleaning that could be purchased at an A&P. The only chore that my Grandfather would help her with was the changing of the big block of ice that arrived early every Monday when the iceman cameth, it was too heavy for her to wrangle, as was the tub of water that collected at the bottom of the icebox and had to be dragged to a back window and heaved out. As the laundry was washer, rinsed and wrung out, she would put some of it on a line that stretched between the backs of the NY tenements they lived in, and all of the surplus would be hung in various places around the house. Tuesday would be for ironing and folding what was washed on Monday, so she was a busy woman. Her pleasure was being the organist at St. Bartholomeus's Church uptown, where many Armenian protestants worshiped before they had their own church in Manhattan. This was my Father's way of letting me know what a luxury any washing machine was, even if it didn't have lit control dials and lots of bells and whistles (Bah! Humbug!). But the lesson sunk in.

 

[mixguy]

1900 House

I saw that show as well but don't recall seeing the kitchen i was hoping to see more of the whole house. What I saw of the show focused on the life of the self made rich from the city to the country in England. The lifestyle of having a weekend retreat to entertain and a staff of servant---cooks, maids. and grounds keepers.

 

[launderess]

"...wash my neck"

What is it about the male sex and washing their necks? It seems the most powerful masculine instinct for creating laundry soils. Well after the *other* thing that is, *LOL*.

 

[mikeklondon]

Weekly wash days

In my family it was Cleaning and beds on Monday, Wash Tuesday, Iron Wednesday.
Main Shop Thursday, (Smaller Shopping was most days) and Friday was the big cleaning day ready for the visitors over the weekend, Saturdays visiting or being visited by family and the same Sunday. God how I hated Sundays and the family lunch

 

[rinso]

Even when I was growing up, my mother always did laundry on Mondays. Before she passed, I asked her why. Her answer was: "Because ironing day was Tuesday." She did change that habit after getting her first fully-automatic Maytag AMP washer. (which she hated at first because it took much longer to go through a week's laundry for a family of 7 than her wringer machine with rinse tubs) To solve that problem, she started doing 1 or 2 loads every day of the week.

 

[Lewkey]

Any day can be wash day!

I always remember my mom doing laundry on sundays until I started getting older.... I prefer to do it on fridays unless its towels.... I wash them everyday just so I don't get the musty smell and I can wash all the dish towels at the same time (we don't use paper towels). The first machine I ever remember going with my mom to buy when I was 4 (1997) to Circuit City in SoCal when we first moved to Dana Point from LA, That was a Whirlpool Clean Touch washer with super capacity plus. At the time it was just little me, my mom and my two older sisters 16 & 19. So we always had a lot of laundry to do usually all at once just because of my sisters. My mother liked that washer because it was a Whirlpool and the large capacity. They were replaced by Whirlpool Duets in 2006 and they are still running strong! Anyway enough with that tangent, Laundry is pretty much anyday with us but kinda scheduled.

 

[abcomatic]

Sat. was wash day

When I was a kid in the 50's on the farm in Illinois, mom worked outside of the home for awhile and so washday was on Sat. We had salt water in the house and ate all of the plumbing up and the wringer washers too. Dad bought, or was given old wringer machines that worked, but that could be thrown out if the salt water ate them up. We went through an awful 1930's Thor, my grandmother's 1936 Maytag, 50's Montgomery Ward that would barely turn the clothes over, a 1925 Maytag, and finally, we ended up with a 50's Speed Queen that my dad rebuilt and was used. When we moved into town, we used it there until 1963 when we got a Coronado automatic washer and dryer.
My job was to fill the washer and the rinse tubs and hang out all of the clothes. After awhile, I was in charge of doing it all and I would have been 8 years old at the time. I loved it! When we went to the A&P, she would let me choose what brand of detergent to use. I liked: Rinso Blue, Oxydol, Amercan Family detergent, Surf, Fab and if she needed a cheapy towel, we would use Breeze.
When Blue Wisk came out in 1958 we tried a can
(yes, it came in a metal can) and she said. "NO more of that crap!"
Nu Soft came out then too and we used it in the last rinse tub.
I have always been "hooked" on doing laundry.
So,get out the wringer machine and the rinse tubs, fill them up and have a great time of it. Gary

 

[wayupnorth]

Gary, was it salt? We get very hard well water here because of all the granite. Contains alot of sulfates and turns everything orange and leaves a film without going thru a filtration system with salt and then it tastes salty, just like the Atlanic. Now they are saying we should all put in a whole house air filtration system to take out radon that leaches thru cement foundations or we will get cancer. You just cant win.

 

[vintagekitchen]

Salt water

An ex's aunt had a salt water well, the water was just like the ocean. She went through hot water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, and faucets like mad. Her laundry was always stiff and scratchy from the dried in salt, and the whole family constantly complained of various skin and hair issues from daily bathing in salt water. Not to mention all the trouble they went through hauling tanks of water from a neighbors spring to use for cooking and drinking. As soon as county water became available on her road, she had the house connected, and has been thrilled ever since.

 

[alr2903]

I think it makes real sense historically if Sunday was a day of rest,  Monday would be the best day to tackle the laundry.  People of that era did real dirty work,  there were no synthetic fabrics most things made of cotton linen or wool,  the fabrics were heavy dry, let alone wet and washing on a board and wringing by hand.  Also pumping or drawing water from a cistern or well, making a fire and heating the water. I think after ironing on Tuesday most would of preferred to  " rest" until the next week.  In reality they carried in wood, fed fires, cooked, churned, mended, raised kids, raised gardens and tended livestock.  Today's multi-taskers would be in tears. alr

 

[jeb]

Monday wash day

If you look at school record from the late 1800's-early 1900's you will find girls noticably absent on mondays, an indication that they were needed at home to help with one of the hardest domestice chores- laundry.

 

[gansky1]

You got it right, it was really the most labor intensive and tiring task of the week. No matter where you washed, drying was most always done outside in fair or foul weather. Washday only changed in the event of terribly inclement weather, sickness or death. I remember my grandmother going to a neighbor's house to wash for her while she was "shut in" with some awful sounding ailment. First and only time I'd seen her use a wringer washer, having had an automatic since long before I was born. My mother and a friend used to clean and wash for a lady in town during high school, it was always done on Monday after school - their most dreaded day of the week.

 

[launderess]

Indoor Drying

At least in Victorian and Edwardian period on both sides of the pond could and would be done if weather did not permit. Indeed it was done well before then as well.

All one needed was space to hang the wash, some sort of heat and good air flow.

Many old European castles, estates and other homes have large lofts where laundry was hung to dry indoors when weather did not permit otherwise.

Once large coal or wood fired ranges came along various "clothes airers" or clothes horses would be used to hang laundry near a heat source. One famous version still in use all over the UK and EU is the "Laundry Maid" type of airer where a rack is suspended from hooks and pulleys in the ceiling. One lowered the thing to hang laundry then raised it up again to let things dry. By placing laundry towards the ceiling one not only took advantage of the warmer air up there (heat rises) but it got things out the way so the rest of the kitchen (if a separate room was not being used), was free. The only drawback is that since hand wringer or wringer/mangles may leave laundry less than "spun dry" you often had dripping water all over the place. This not only created a mess but combined with heat from whatever source often made the room into a sauna.

During certian months of the year depending upon where one lived you pretty much had no other choice but to find ways to dry laundry indoors. Winter months in may parts of the United States back then meant freezing cold weather often from November to as late as April. Hanging wet laundry out to dry in freezing weather isn't the best thing. The stuff doesn't dry but merely freezes soild. Once it's taken inside it will thaw but still be quite moist. The only other solution would be to have a vast supply of linens and clothing to last the winter, then have a "Big Wash" in the spring. Or one supposes you just could not change undergarments, clothing, bed linen... for the duration. *LOL*

By the early 1900's there were heated hanging rack dryers for indoor dryers. Martha Stewart's/former Ford estate in NH has one, as does the Vanderbilt estate in North Carolina. These would have been for either commercial use or wealthy homes as they weren't cheap. They also were pretty much made to order and built in as well.

http://www.laundrymaid.co.uk/index.asp

 

[abcomatic]

Drying indoors

In the winter, we had clothes lines in the basement and would hang the clothes there. The basement was warm from the coal burning furnace and the clothes would dry overnight.
I have a basement and in the winter, do the same thing. Works like a charm and helps to humidify the house too.
I only use the dryer for permanent press. Gary