Washing Clothes
As was tradition, Monday was wash day. First, mom would heat water to almost boiling on the wood stove to fill the washer. One tub was filled with warm water, the second with cold. Sheets and whites were washed first in our electric washing machine, then using an old broom stick they were lifted from the scalding water and fed through the wringers, being careful to keep fingers out of the way. After a good stir in the first tub, they were wringered into the second tub, then hung out to dry in the warm Wyoming sunshine. Light colored, then dark colored clothes were washed followed lastly by the jeans. It was a good half days work getting the laundry done.
One of my favorite jobs was to hang out the clothes, I would make a game of it, hanging small to large items, or hanging out things by color so that if you squinted your eyes and looked at it just right it looked like a rainbow.
Sure makes you appreciate the conveniences of a washing machine and dryer! Of course, I still crave the feel of sheets that have been hung out on line to dry.
ReplyDeleteOH- I so remember those days, too. I was never allowed to use the wringer because my cousin had caught his arm in one and it was wrecked for life. I loved hanging the clothes out but liked taking them off the lines even better. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI don't remember wringer washers, although I remember my grandma's. I never saw her use it, but it was in her basement, where we often played. So many people are a fan of hanging laundry out to dry, but I never was ... even with a good breeze, things were so wrinkled and stiff.
ReplyDeleteI hung clothes on a line with my Oma each summer when I was a child. She had colorful clothes pins -a nd I always HAD TO use the SAME color clothes pins for each item I hung. It drove me crazy to see mismatched clothes pins!!
ReplyDeleteI've never had the "pleasure" of using a wringer washer, but I still love hanging clothes out on the line in the summer.
ReplyDeleteI do rememberin hanging clothes with the sheets and towels on the outside and the "undees" on the inside so no one would see them but we never had a wringer. Sounds like a lot of work to me and yet I bet those woman loved it. Sure beat using a wash board right?
ReplyDeleteI have the most jury rigged clothes line, but I love hanging clothes out every chance I get.
ReplyDeleteI can not imagine washing clothes like this! BUT growing up we did not have a dryer and I know how difficult that was! Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to have a wringer washer but if you were standing in any water you would get zapped by the electricity...I think I was more afraid of getting zapped then getting my fingers caught in the wringer (lol)
ReplyDeleteSuzann ~xoxo~
I do remember how wringer washer and put rubber diapers through that wringer diapers and explodes and I ruined a couple of shirts
ReplyDeleteDid you ever get anything caught in a wringer?or ruined a couple of shirts?
Tell me the stories of where you have lived,
the clothes you have washed with wringer washer
Somehow clotheslines make me think of sunny breezy spring and summer days in my childhood. I've never had a clothesline in any of my homes but my mom hung clothes outside and I loved the smell the breeze left in them.
ReplyDelete