"This is the way we wash our clothes. . . ."

"This is the way we wash our clothes,
Wash our clothes, wash our clothes.
This is the way we wash our clothes,
Early Monday mornings."

Yesterday I attended a scramping (therapy) session at Heidi's house. It is always therapeutic for me when I go to one of these events. I love it, just love it. Anywho. . we made several goodies yesterday, one of them being a card using "vintage" cut outs. One of the cut outs was a picture of an old wringer washer and immediately my mind went back to the "good ol days".

We moved to our little house in Fruitland in l962, the summer before I started third grade. The washing machine we used at that time, and for quite some time after, was very similar to the one pictured above. (I snagged this pic from E-bay.) I don't remember if we purchased it then or if it came with us. I do remember, however, using that thing. Mom would fill the tub with soapy wash water. In go the clothes (sorted, of course). When the wash cycle was done, the lid was removed and the clothes were lifted from the water one piece at a time and run thru the wringer. The excess water fell back in the machine. On the other side of the washer Mom had an old galvanized wash tub full of water with fabric softener in it. The tub sat on a stool so it would be high enough as not to make a splash when the clothes fell in , and when when we reversed the process it wasn't as hard on the back. The wringers were pivotal so they swung around so you could run the rinsed clothes back thru to a waiting laundry basket. Since the wringers were electric, you had be very, very mindful not to let your fingers get too close to them. Unlike the hand cranked wringers where you would simply stop cranking, the electric ones had to be turned off and if you were by yourself, well. . . . let's just say, you only make that mistake once!

The clothes were then taken to the line to dry while the next load was being washed. No, we did not change the water with every wash or rinse. Logic would have it that you would start with the lightest soiled and work towards the dirtiest. Now, if it became way too grody, or we needed to bleach the whites, the water was changed. Why didn't we change it every load? Well, to start with, it was an undertaking to fill the washing machine itself. Then we had to have the drain hose rigged up so it would drain out the back door and into the back yard (otherwise too much water would have gone into our septic tank) when we were done, and not only that, can you imagine lifting and dumping and filling a wash tub with rinse water for every load. I would still be standing a that washer as we speak! !

I washed - I rinsed - I hung on the line (literally sometimes! ! )

Here again, one didn't think about "comforts". A job needed to be done and we all participated in that job. There was no hemming or hawing about my assignment, not if I wanted to remain on my feet!

So, I did my share of lanundry -

On a side note: An electric dryer was never used in that house until 1978, right after my Mom passed away. My dad could not "deal" with hanging clothes on the line. It was "too cold" for him. I did not like him for this. Sorry, but my mom hung clothes all her life, summer heat, bitter cold winter, fall, and spring. And we did too, until we were married and out of the house and then we still came back and helped on occasion. She deserved a dryer. Period.