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Wash day
on the farm
always fell on Mondayby Delbert Trew
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Down
through time, as sure as death and taxes, Monday was wash day. Like
the Ten Commandments, the event was carved in stone and postponed
only by funerals or bad weather.
Though family wash day routines varied, Mondays on the Trew farm proceeded
as follows.
A black, cast-iron pot was set upright on bricks with a fire started
underneath. Wooden benches were aligned to hold four galvanized wash
tubs, a hand-cranked wringer attached to No. 1 tub along with a regular
rub-board. The pot and three tubs were filled with fresh water.
A laundry basket containing a poke stick, a bottle of Mrs. Stewart's
Bluing, a box of Faultless Starch, starch pan, a bag of clothes pins
and several cakes of lye soap was fetched from the back porch. While
the water was heating, bluing was added to No. 4 tub, and the clothes
line wire wiped with a damp cloth.
With the pot water hot, a portion was dipped into the No. 1 tub and
more into the starch pan. A pocket knife shaved slivers of lye soap
into the hot water with a mild mixture made in the tub and a strong
mixture made in the pot.
Dirty laundry was sorted, soft into the pot, light whites into the
tub. Work clothes and rags were left until last to boil in the pot.
Light whites were scrubbed on the rub-board before being wrung and
rinsed. Pot items were stirred and poked until clean. Eventually,
all items were stirred, poked, wrung and rinsed before hanging on
the line. Some items were rinsed in the bluing tub and others were
dipped in the starch pan.
After finishing the washing chore, all rinse was carried to pour on
flowers and shrubs. The pot and tub of lye water was poured on goat-heads
and grass-burrs in the driveway. Once dried by sun and breeze, the
clothes were gathered and sorted on the dining room table. Work clothes
were shaken out and hung on nails. Bedding was placed back on the
beds. Few families had excess bedding or clothes. Most homes had no
closets, with all clothing hung behind bedroom doors.
Hold on, it's not over yet. All ironing was dumped on a bed with an
ironing board standing nearby. Each piece was spread on the ironing
board, sprinkled with a water bottle and made into a tight ball with
all ends tucked in tight. With all items watered down and packed into
the laundry basket, a damp towel was placed over the top to prevent
evaporation.
Just as Monday was designated as wash day, Tuesday was ironing day.
I have never heard any practical reasoning why these days were chosen,
but the routine never varied at the Trews. |
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