When we bought our house in 1965 (I'm still here), my MIL gave me an old wringer washer - it was steel, square, and stood on long legs. It was very old, but it did have an electric wringer. I used that machine for years. One day, the wringer mechanism quit working so that you couldn't swing it around and lock it in place every quarter turn. (You would wring the clothes from the washer into the first rinse tub, swing the wringer around so it was between the first and second rinse tubs, then wring the clothes into the second rinse, swing the wringer to the front of the second tub and wring them right into the laundry basket on the floor, then right outside to hang them out. One day the wringer mechanism broke so that you couldn't swing it around. That means that I had to wring the clothes out by hand, and my daughter would help me wring out the sheets, my husband's work pants, towels, all the heavy stuff. She'd stand at one end, I's stand at the other, and we just twisted the clothes until we couldn't twist any longer. It was hard work.
Then one day, an elderly egg farmer lady gave me an ancient wooded wringer that clamped on to the laundry rinse tubs in the middle where they stood side by side. It was hand cranked, but it worked! Used it for the longest time! It was also a good bit of work.
Then my mom offered to buy me a new washer for my birthday which was a dream come true. But you know what? I just loved the way that old wringer machine washed clothes. They got so CLEAN! I asked my mom to buy me another wringer washer and she thought I was crazy what with having no dryer and 3 kids to take care of, housework, cooking, etc. But I insisted, so she got me a new Maytag. I just loved it and used it until the mid-'70's by which time my 2 oldest kids were married and gone. Turns out a relative was getting a divorce and breaking up her household, so I bought her washer and dryer and I must say, I did like the convenience.
However, all those years with the wringer washer were well worth it. I followed all the hanging out "rules" although I didn't know they were "rules" - that was just the way it was done. I absolutely LOVED comparing my laundry on the line to my neighbors' laundry. I can remember thinking, "My whites are whiter than yours"! I was proud of it!
Oh well, now I wash and dry clothes like everybody else, and none of us ever see anyone else's. I don't even have white sheets any more, just colored.
I guess there were lots of "rules" we followed without knowing they were rules - just the way we did things. But the memories are great!