When did laundry stop being fun?
When I was a little girl, I used to love helping Grandma Agnes with
the wash. There was a comforting and predictable sequence to Laundry
Day. We started early in the morning, and devoted a good part of the
day to complete the task. There was a big tall wringer style washing
machine in one corner of her kitchen, which I was not allowed anywhere
near. Grandma claimed to have once known a boy who had stuck his
fingers in the wringer and got them completely squished, which was
enough to keep me at a distance.
Once the batch of clothes had been put through the terrifying
wringer, I would go with Grandma outside to the yard to hang them out
to dry. If it was a cool day, sometimes the freshly washed laundry
would actually be steaming in the wicker basket! There was a pretty
flowered cloth bag that held the clothes pins, which Grandma would take
down from the line and let me hold. She also had a supply of pins in
her apron pockets and also a couple held between her teeth. I liked
to sit at her feet and hand her the pins ("clothes pegs" she called
them), thinking I was being a big help. I would sometimes pretend they
were people, and put hollyhock blossoms on some of the pins to better
imagine them being princesses in ball gowns. Once I recall taking an
ink pen and marking the knobs on the top of each pin so that they had
faces and hair. I even drew underwear on them for modesty's sake.
Grandma didn't really mind.
During the day, while I played in the shade of the weeping willow
tree or in my sandbox, I could see the clothes gently moving in the
breeze. I loved it in particular when she laundered bedding, because I
could hide in amongst the sheets and blankets and pretend I was
invisible. After a few hours I would help Grandma take down "the
wash", and the clothing would still be warm from the sun and smelling
sweetly of soap and fresh air.
I wasn't all that much help with the folding, but loved to watch
Grandma's precise motions as she created order from the pile of freshly
laundered articles. I especially loved watching her fold the big
sheets into neat manageable stacks. I would chatter incessantly,
constantly asking Grandma silly questions, such as why don't all shirts
have the same number of buttons, why overalls took longer to dry than
underwear, or why Grandpa's clothes were always so much dirtier than
hers. She never minded my babbling and we would chat companionably
while she did her chores. I never felt like a bother to her, even
though it was obvious even to me that I wasn't particularly useful in
my assistance, no matter how willingly it was offered.
So, where did the joy of doing laundry go? Certainly the labor
saving devices available to me cut the time the chore takes by many
hours. Partly to blame for my lack of enthusiasm is the absence of
routine. I have no regular assigned day for doing laundry, and the
task may be interrupted at any stage by errands, other tasks, phone
calls or the computer. The clothes pile up and get washed whenever I
have a load's worth of similar colors. There definitely is no ceremony
about dumping a load of wet wash into the dryer. Sometimes I completely
forget the dryer load, and the clothing ends up so wrinkled I have to
start all over again. The sweet smell of outdoors is lacking, as well
as the loving companionship of sharing the task with another. And
folding? Ugh. I am still no good at it.
I wonder if I got myself a clothesline I could recapture some of the joy?
52 responses to “Laundry”
I have very similar memories of “helping” my Grandmas do the ‘wash’ as we called it…
Thank you for the walk down memory lane this morning. Great way to start the day!
I have very similar memories of “helping” my Grandmas do the ‘wash’ as we called it…
Thank you for the walk down memory lane this morning. Great way to start the day!
I love hanging clothes on the line but I don’t have a clothesline anymore. I feel so good when I hang clothes, like I’ve really done a good, worthwhile thing. I really enjoy it and have thought about getting another clothesline but we have too many birds and trees so they might not stay clean. Thank you for the memories. I also remember wrapping the sheets around me and I was scared of those wringer washers too!
Nancy in WI
I love hanging clothes on the line but I don’t have a clothesline anymore. I feel so good when I hang clothes, like I’ve really done a good, worthwhile thing. I really enjoy it and have thought about getting another clothesline but we have too many birds and trees so they might not stay clean. Thank you for the memories. I also remember wrapping the sheets around me and I was scared of those wringer washers too!
Nancy in WI
I didn’t have a grandmother to help with the laundry but my mom used a wringer washer. Fill it up with soap and hot water, put the clothes in, wring them into the rinse water, wring them again to hang up. Then, when they were dry, take them off the line, fold them, bring them in and then she would sprinkle them with water from a pop bottle that had a “sprinkler(?)” attached to the top. Then my mom rolled them up for ironing later when she could get to it. Today, my laundry chores are exactly like yours – no set day, interruptions etc. Ah yes, lots easier but maybe not so much fun(?) I used to have an umbrella drier outside when my children were little but I got lazy and everything, just about, goes in the drier now.
I didn’t have a grandmother to help with the laundry but my mom used a wringer washer. Fill it up with soap and hot water, put the clothes in, wring them into the rinse water, wring them again to hang up. Then, when they were dry, take them off the line, fold them, bring them in and then she would sprinkle them with water from a pop bottle that had a “sprinkler(?)” attached to the top. Then my mom rolled them up for ironing later when she could get to it. Today, my laundry chores are exactly like yours – no set day, interruptions etc. Ah yes, lots easier but maybe not so much fun(?) I used to have an umbrella drier outside when my children were little but I got lazy and everything, just about, goes in the drier now.
Make me wish I had a clothes line again! And makes me miss my great grandmother.
We do our laundry the same way you do, when like colors makes a full load they go in on any given day.
Make me wish I had a clothes line again! And makes me miss my great grandmother.
We do our laundry the same way you do, when like colors makes a full load they go in on any given day.
Sweet memories, I still use a clothes line for many of the same reasons. When my 4 children were small I even used cloth diapers and loved putting them on the line. I even have pictures of them because it was such a good feeling. (I am weird)
Lizzie
Sweet memories, I still use a clothes line for many of the same reasons. When my 4 children were small I even used cloth diapers and loved putting them on the line. I even have pictures of them because it was such a good feeling. (I am weird)
Lizzie
I try to set one day a week aside for doing laundry. It is my favorite household chore. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I have empty laundry baskets. :~) I love my clothesline! I hang out all of my laundry when the weather permits. I can’t wait of Spring to arrive here in Idaho so that I can begin to hang it out again. There is nothing like the smell of clothes hung outside to dry. Pure heaven!!!
I try to set one day a week aside for doing laundry. It is my favorite household chore. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I have empty laundry baskets. :~) I love my clothesline! I hang out all of my laundry when the weather permits. I can’t wait of Spring to arrive here in Idaho so that I can begin to hang it out again. There is nothing like the smell of clothes hung outside to dry. Pure heaven!!!
I love using my clothes line. It’s the only part of laundry that I do like. Unfortunately, we still have snow and below freezing temps so I can’t use it yet.
I love using my clothes line. It’s the only part of laundry that I do like. Unfortunately, we still have snow and below freezing temps so I can’t use it yet.
I did 11 loads of laundry on Sunday….it is ALL still sitting in baskets…..I love hanging clothes outside…..
I did 11 loads of laundry on Sunday….it is ALL still sitting in baskets…..I love hanging clothes outside…..
Goodness, but your post brought back a lot of wonderful memories. I’m sure it sounds “romantic” to us now, but it was really a tremendous amount of work! I’m also thinking that todays kids would have no clue what you were talking about. And that’s kind of a shame. I have a friend who still hangs her laundry out when we have a nice day, and her kids in Australia don’t even OWN dryers…I guess that’s the norm. They consider dryers a waste of electricity. She says they don’t waste time ironing, either!
Goodness, but your post brought back a lot of wonderful memories. I’m sure it sounds “romantic” to us now, but it was really a tremendous amount of work! I’m also thinking that todays kids would have no clue what you were talking about. And that’s kind of a shame. I have a friend who still hangs her laundry out when we have a nice day, and her kids in Australia don’t even OWN dryers…I guess that’s the norm. They consider dryers a waste of electricity. She says they don’t waste time ironing, either!
I still have a clothes line and once the snow finally all melts everything will be hung out there again. I love hanging laundry. There’s nothing like the smell of sheets that have been hung on a line.
I still have a clothes line and once the snow finally all melts everything will be hung out there again. I love hanging laundry. There’s nothing like the smell of sheets that have been hung on a line.
Great story, thanks for sharing! Last Tuesday my daughter had to decide between a small but soft towel and a large but stiff towel that had been air dried. She chose the small soft one, much to her chagrin, and she vows never to have a small towel near her again! She had to run out of our burning house in nothing but that tiny towel! I just have to laugh at that!
Thanks for sharing!
Penny
http://www.BeeAndBean.Blogspot.com
Great story, thanks for sharing! Last Tuesday my daughter had to decide between a small but soft towel and a large but stiff towel that had been air dried. She chose the small soft one, much to her chagrin, and she vows never to have a small towel near her again! She had to run out of our burning house in nothing but that tiny towel! I just have to laugh at that!
Thanks for sharing!
Penny
http://www.BeeAndBean.Blogspot.com
What a wonderful story, Nicole. We moved to the “country” from the big city when I was 8. There was a wringer washer in the house and my father was going to toss it out and buy my mother an agitator machine. She was adamant that we keep the wringer as it reminded her of her childood in the 20’s….I loved watching her put the clothes through the wringer and then hanging them outside – and there just isn’t anything better than the smell of clothes dried on the line!
Cheers!
What a wonderful story, Nicole. We moved to the “country” from the big city when I was 8. There was a wringer washer in the house and my father was going to toss it out and buy my mother an agitator machine. She was adamant that we keep the wringer as it reminded her of her childood in the 20’s….I loved watching her put the clothes through the wringer and then hanging them outside – and there just isn’t anything better than the smell of clothes dried on the line!
Cheers!
I do love clothes drying on the line, but I have to say my washing machine holds a high place of importance in my life. I lived in Ecuador for 1 1/2 years and had to hand wash all my clothes, linens etc. in a cement tub. It was hard work that took hours. Everytime I dump a load in the washing machine now I smile and say a little thank you to the machine 🙂
I do love clothes drying on the line, but I have to say my washing machine holds a high place of importance in my life. I lived in Ecuador for 1 1/2 years and had to hand wash all my clothes, linens etc. in a cement tub. It was hard work that took hours. Everytime I dump a load in the washing machine now I smile and say a little thank you to the machine 🙂
I myself got my hand caught in the wringer when I was a child. My mama had a wringer washing. I can still feel it. But fortunately, her’s had a feature that caused the wringers to jump apart if something big got in them, like a little girl’s hand. It still hurt, but caused no permanent damage, and Mama was able to put the wringers back together with no trouble.
I myself got my hand caught in the wringer when I was a child. My mama had a wringer washing. I can still feel it. But fortunately, her’s had a feature that caused the wringers to jump apart if something big got in them, like a little girl’s hand. It still hurt, but caused no permanent damage, and Mama was able to put the wringers back together with no trouble.
My Granny had one of those wringer washers too, and I still think of her when I smell linens dried outdoors. I frequently hang things out in the summer when I know they will dry quickly, but working fulltime forces me to use the infernal machines in the evenings just to get it all done.
Laura
My Granny had one of those wringer washers too, and I still think of her when I smell linens dried outdoors. I frequently hang things out in the summer when I know they will dry quickly, but working fulltime forces me to use the infernal machines in the evenings just to get it all done.
Laura
Okay…that’s just creepy! Do we have the same grandma? Man…right down to the Willow tree and drawing on the clothespins…scary!! 🙂
Okay…that’s just creepy! Do we have the same grandma? Man…right down to the Willow tree and drawing on the clothespins…scary!! 🙂
Two things.
One, your grandma must have known my dad, who did, in fact, run his hand through a wringer as a kid. He could never hold his hand out straight after that, but if you weren’t looking for it, you couldn’t tell.
Two, I love to hang the wash when weather permits and even though our neighborhood has a CCR against clotheslines, I have 3 folding racks that hold all of our laundry. I absolutely love the smell of line-dried clothes and especially pillowcases! Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
Two things.
One, your grandma must have known my dad, who did, in fact, run his hand through a wringer as a kid. He could never hold his hand out straight after that, but if you weren’t looking for it, you couldn’t tell.
Two, I love to hang the wash when weather permits and even though our neighborhood has a CCR against clotheslines, I have 3 folding racks that hold all of our laundry. I absolutely love the smell of line-dried clothes and especially pillowcases! Thanks for a trip down memory lane!
Nicole, as I said on your sisters blog when I wished her a happy birthday, I love my clothesline, it has 5 lines and for the 15 years we were raising our grandsons I filled all 5 lines up in about 2 hours and then just watched the clothes blowing in the breezes. Your right, there is something relaxing about it. The greatest thing is that after about 3 hours, or whenever you can get to them (cause they’re not gonna wrinkle) you just carry all your hangers and a laundry basket out and in one fell swoop you have it all folded and ready to put away. As for the ringer washing machine, my grandmother had one too. Scary old thing. My hubby has a huge scar under one arm where it got caught in his mom’s ringer washer when he was 3 yrs old. It took his arm up in to the armpit and just continued to roll until it was almost to the bone. Total time was less than 1 minute but his mom just turned around to get another piece of laundry and when she turned back his arm was in. She had to hit the release more than once to get the bars open and free his arm so there was some pretty bad tissue damage. The doctors told his mother that if he had been a year older or any bigger he would probably have lost the arm. The scar has stayed incredibly tender all his life. Fortunately, he only remembers bits and pieces of it. They were dangerous but they were also progress back then and reading the posts brings back some very pleasant memories of laundry days when I was young. Also, Jan is right, laundry smells so fresh and clean when it has been lined dried. Though now it is just my hubby and I, I barely fill up about 1 1/2 lines so we are going to take it down this summer. Kind of sad…but it does take up a lot of space in my yard. Ah well, life goes on…
Nicole, as I said on your sisters blog when I wished her a happy birthday, I love my clothesline, it has 5 lines and for the 15 years we were raising our grandsons I filled all 5 lines up in about 2 hours and then just watched the clothes blowing in the breezes. Your right, there is something relaxing about it. The greatest thing is that after about 3 hours, or whenever you can get to them (cause they’re not gonna wrinkle) you just carry all your hangers and a laundry basket out and in one fell swoop you have it all folded and ready to put away. As for the ringer washing machine, my grandmother had one too. Scary old thing. My hubby has a huge scar under one arm where it got caught in his mom’s ringer washer when he was 3 yrs old. It took his arm up in to the armpit and just continued to roll until it was almost to the bone. Total time was less than 1 minute but his mom just turned around to get another piece of laundry and when she turned back his arm was in. She had to hit the release more than once to get the bars open and free his arm so there was some pretty bad tissue damage. The doctors told his mother that if he had been a year older or any bigger he would probably have lost the arm. The scar has stayed incredibly tender all his life. Fortunately, he only remembers bits and pieces of it. They were dangerous but they were also progress back then and reading the posts brings back some very pleasant memories of laundry days when I was young. Also, Jan is right, laundry smells so fresh and clean when it has been lined dried. Though now it is just my hubby and I, I barely fill up about 1 1/2 lines so we are going to take it down this summer. Kind of sad…but it does take up a lot of space in my yard. Ah well, life goes on…
How about an Ironrite Mangle Ironer? Such great memories of my grandmother using one! Wish we still had it!
How about an Ironrite Mangle Ironer? Such great memories of my grandmother using one! Wish we still had it!
If I could figure out where to put up a clothes line in my back yard I would. I had one in a couple of the earlier houses we owned and I loved the scent of sheets that had been hung on the line. And shirts! By the time you finish hanging the last one, the first one is dry. It’s sad that we probably have a whole generation or two of girls that have never hung clothes out.
If I could figure out where to put up a clothes line in my back yard I would. I had one in a couple of the earlier houses we owned and I loved the scent of sheets that had been hung on the line. And shirts! By the time you finish hanging the last one, the first one is dry. It’s sad that we probably have a whole generation or two of girls that have never hung clothes out.
You make it sound so poetic I can almost hear the sheets flapping in the wind – that always made such a lovely sound to me.
You make it sound so poetic I can almost hear the sheets flapping in the wind – that always made such a lovely sound to me.
Wonder if your Grandmother looked upon laundry day with such wonder..or is everything that an adult gets to do seem special to a child??
Remember my grandmother’s wringer machine too..her cautionary tale was of a girl with long hair who got it caught in the wringer..ouch!!
Wonder if your Grandmother looked upon laundry day with such wonder..or is everything that an adult gets to do seem special to a child??
Remember my grandmother’s wringer machine too..her cautionary tale was of a girl with long hair who got it caught in the wringer..ouch!!
It is funny you posted this. I am going to get a clothesline put up soon. We always hung our clothes out to dry and when my kids were little I use to hang there’s out as well. Then life became too hectic and the kids got bigger and the clothesline broke. I am ready to get back to less hectic times and at least get out in the fresh air before going to work by hanging clothes on the line. I love the way they feel and smell. I totally relate to your posting!
Thanks.
It is funny you posted this. I am going to get a clothesline put up soon. We always hung our clothes out to dry and when my kids were little I use to hang there’s out as well. Then life became too hectic and the kids got bigger and the clothesline broke. I am ready to get back to less hectic times and at least get out in the fresh air before going to work by hanging clothes on the line. I love the way they feel and smell. I totally relate to your posting!
Thanks.
Nicole
I use my dryer maybe a week a year.. we are lucky to have so much ‘free’ sunshine.. and sunshine helps get some of those chocolate/tomato sauce stains out of your clothes without chemicals… Electricity is so expensive here, and I like to think by doing my ‘bit’ I am also helping the environment… Of course I live in the biggest coal export town in the world, so I am mindful of CO2 etc.. the kids help me hang it out and I wash nearly everyday.. I would love to suds save like mum did as well, but alas, they dont make machines like they used to do to this… but its funny, I still do my whites first then work through to my colours/blacks.. my g/f asked why I did this, and its cause mum did it, but I realised it was because she suds saved! doh!
happy easter to you..
Lissa
Nicole
I use my dryer maybe a week a year.. we are lucky to have so much ‘free’ sunshine.. and sunshine helps get some of those chocolate/tomato sauce stains out of your clothes without chemicals… Electricity is so expensive here, and I like to think by doing my ‘bit’ I am also helping the environment… Of course I live in the biggest coal export town in the world, so I am mindful of CO2 etc.. the kids help me hang it out and I wash nearly everyday.. I would love to suds save like mum did as well, but alas, they dont make machines like they used to do to this… but its funny, I still do my whites first then work through to my colours/blacks.. my g/f asked why I did this, and its cause mum did it, but I realised it was because she suds saved! doh!
happy easter to you..
Lissa
Same memories of wash day when I was little and my grandmothers were doing it, my mother, my aunts, etc. I miss the laundry line also, but our neighborhood policies prohibit them…I know, I know… Fun post. Brought back a lot of memories.
Same memories of wash day when I was little and my grandmothers were doing it, my mother, my aunts, etc. I miss the laundry line also, but our neighborhood policies prohibit them…I know, I know… Fun post. Brought back a lot of memories.
I live in an apartment so I can not hang my clothes on a line. I have found that I can duplicate the freshness by putting them on a clothes drying rack under my ceiling fan or if the weather is nice I can simply move my rack to the balcony.
I live in an apartment so I can not hang my clothes on a line. I have found that I can duplicate the freshness by putting them on a clothes drying rack under my ceiling fan or if the weather is nice I can simply move my rack to the balcony.