I never thought of a "washer" in this light before.. what a blessing!


' Washing Clothes Recipe' -- imagine having a recipe for this ! ! !

Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe:

This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all.


WASHING CLOTHES

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin' water.

Sort things, make 3 piles

1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored don't boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
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Paste this over your washer and dryer. Next time when you think things are bleak, read it again, kiss that washing machine and dryer, and give thanks. First thing each morning you should run and hug your washer and dryer, also your toilet---those two-holers used to get mighty cold!

For you non-southerners -wrench means rinse. ;)

AND WE THOUGHT WE HAVE IT ROUGH

I love it my Mom & I used to do clothes the same way. Only she left out the ironing. Ha Ha Boy what memories .

Thank you for sharing this :D:D:D

I'm gonna show this to my kids. They think they are mistreated since I made them start doing their own laundry. =) Although they would probably think it was cool...Once!

My mom had a old ringer washer for the longest time!! She hooked it up to the sink, my brother got his arm caught in it once. She always hung the laundry outside to dry. Four whole clothes lines just for diapers, another set for clothing.

What a darling post!!
I'm going to put this one up in my laundry room (that dear woman would faint to know we have them)

I love reading about simpler times, thanks so much, even though it sure doesn't sound simple, huh???
Sue

Yeah, I remember those days. My little hillbilly Grandma would go out early on a Monday morning and walk around the house, checking out the smokestack smoke. If it was going straight up, that meant the weather was even and good. If it was whirling around the roof top, it meant it might rain, it might not, probably she tossed a coin to see if she should light that fire. If the wind was blowing the smoke horizontal, then probably would have rain and should go inside and catch up on other things till the weather cleared.