The Rural Voice, 2005-11, Page 31s
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neighbours would be muttering "I
wonder if Maudie isn't feeling good
to -day?"
I guess this is where the
expression "Hanging someone out to
dry" comes from because the wash
on the line left one's life exposed to
the opinions of the neighbours.
On a good day, the clothes waved
gently in the breeze and by late
afternoon, the fresh smelling laundry
could be unpinned and piled in the
wicker basket -not an unpleasant task.
But if the housewife rose on
Monday to pouring rain, the
washing would be put off until
Tuesday, now wouldn't that mess up
your week? You sure can't iron on
Tuesday if the wash isn't done yet!
Or the rain might come suddenly half
way through the day and the family
would make a mad dash to rescue the
laundry. There was always the
possibility of clothes blowing off in a
stiff wind, or animals escaping into
the yard and trying to eat it or lie on
it.
But the worst was in the winter.
We did our summer wash in the back
kitchen so the piles of laundry and
the rinsing tub didn't cause too much
disruption. In the winter we washed
in the narrow pantry off the large
multi-purpose kitchen. Our hands
froze as we hung the clothes on the
line and hours later we carried them
back in, stiff as a board and only
marginally drier than when they were
put out. They had frozen in their
shape, scarecrow -like shirts, overalls
and long underwear.
A pullout cord snaked along the
longest kitchen wall and the frozen
clothes hung there. It could easily
take a couple of days before they
were all dry and ready to be ironed.
Meanwhile, we might get slapped in
the face with wet bedding when we
filled the wood box or retrieved
something from the buffet.
No wash-and-wear or permanent
press in the forties! Cotton dresses
were stiffly starched, which added
another step to the whole process.
Clothes were dampened and rolled
before they were carefully ironed the
next day, and it was important to
have the right degree of dampness or
the ironing wouldn't go smoothly.
(pun intended)
Many people wore their clothes
longer before laundering in those
days. We changed school clothes for
home clothes without delay and
Sunday clothes were carefully
replaced on hangers. Still, the
amount of wash for a family was
staggering, especially for women
with children in diapers. This process
was not limited to farm families, as
town and city folk followed the same
routine, but perhaps with easier
access to hot water.
In 1947 the first top loading
automatic washer was introduced,
and in 1953 sales of automatic
washers surpassed those of wringer
washers. The problem for rural areas
was lack of sufficient water to allow
each load to have a fresh water
supply. Some models of automatic
washers feature a suds saver, as well
as regulated water levels which allow
the user to set the water level
appropriate to the number of clothes
to be washed.
Early in our marriage we
purchased a wringer washing
machine and I gamely did the whole
process. If Mom did it, I could too,
right? We were living in a factory
town and one cold Monday in
February I filled the line with white
sheets and diapers as well as a week's
worth of white dress shirts for my
husband, running in and out
frequently to check on the baby and
the two year old. Hours later I
brought them all in, now liberally
sprinkled with black specks from the
smoke stacks. I sat down and cried.
We purchased an automatic
washer and dryer the next
week and I have never
looked back. When others
rhapsodize about the wonder of
laundry dried in the fresh air, I just
smile sweetly and say nothing. In
every other aspect of life I am
dedicated to conservation of energ\
but not in this one instance.
Nowadays wash day is whatever
day you have time, or need of
particular clothes, although after
weekend visitors, Monday is still the
day for great loads of sheets and
towels. I am sure there are die-hards
who still consider Monday to be the
only suitable wash -day. Enough of
airing my dirty laundry— the only
laundry tub I cherish these days is the
galvanized washing tub that sits
beside my patio and is home to my
lavender, parsley, and oregano.0
400 Huron St., Stratford, ON N5A 5T5
Office (519) 273-3300
Toll Free 1-800-565-9983
www.perthcomm.com
NOVEMBER 2005 27