There was a song back when we had wash day at our house. The words to the upbeat music were: “Rubbin’ and scrubbin’– wash ’em out, ring ’em out, hang ’em on the line– washday blues”. Do I ever remember those washday blues.
The electric washing machine was invented in August of 1911. Heck, it was almost the newest invention on the market when I was a girl. I said, almost! When I was 8 years old we had the updated 1939 Maytag model #108 that came complete with attached wringer and two rinse tubs. It sat in the corner of our enclosed back porch and was quite a beauty with its green splattered enamel finish.
Wash day was a major project in those days. My mother would have my brother roll it out to the middle of the floor and fill the tubs with water while she and I separated the clothes; whites here; lights there; darks over yonder. We would roll up our pant legs and go barefoot during the process because so much water was sloshed around. Besides, we had a few water fights during the rinsing.
The wringer was often contrary, but it was usually because my ornery brother tried to put too many clothes through it at once. He was always in a hurry to get the wash done wishing he could be somewhere else. After each load was washed he would carry the basket out to the clothes line and it was my job to hang them out to dry.
There was certain unwritten etiquette for hanging clothes. Items were hung together in order. Wash cloths in one group, clothing in another; sheets and towels were always hung on the outside lines, personal clothing on the inside lines. Nothing was hung out helter-skelter.
One of my friends confided in me that her mother wasn’t allowed to hang “unmentionables” to dry on the clothesline. Her dad was pastor of the Methodist church in town and the congregation frowned on such things. To pacify them her mother her hung their undies inside pillowcases to dry.
Of course, the very first washing machine was known as a scrub board which meant back breaking work. The revolutionary hand powered washers were introduced in 1851. The first electric powered washing machine was invented by Alva J. Fisher and patented on August 8, 1910. Not many households could afford this new invention though the manufacturers claimed it would reduce cost of washing to 2 cents, the time to 1 hour and would do away with all the “usual health destroying work” of wash day.
My next door neighbor had a Bendix automatic washer that stood near her back door. Since I often baby sat her two boys she taught me how to use it. It was both fun and funny to wash clothes in it. It was a front loading machine and the reason it sat close to her back door was that it would lose balance and the water would run over and soap suds spilled out the front. I figured it wasn’t much easier than using a wringer machine. But I like watching it dance across the floor spewing suds everywhere.
My wash day blues have diminished over the years. When my youngsters were growing up my laundry room was humming every day. I don’t know how my mother managed to just wash once a week when my brother and I were growing up.
I certainly don’t hang anything out on a clothesline these days. The pollution would probably destroy the fibers in a very short time. Besides, I wouldn’t want the neighbors wondering what I had hanging inside the pillowcases.
The Rejoicing Soul 