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.
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 THNK WE HAVE IT ROUGH?
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Yep, been there did that, the recipe is about right. We called the P&G soap, push and grunt. Mother made the lye soap. I also don't see balls of bluing.
I can give you two versions of wash day. I have the Oconee version, and then there is the bottoms, or Marmaduke version., basicily they are about the same.
I can give you two versions of wash day. I have the Oconee version, and then there is the bottoms, or Marmaduke version., basicily they are about the same.
The Oconee version, we did not have a well so we carried ALL of our water from a spring about 75 yards from the house. We had a five boy water brigade. I cut the wash wood from the hillside above the house with an axe. I remember one summer mother moved wash day operations down to the creek. It made water and wood more available but that was about it. It was a long ways to the creek This was after we moved from the old home place to over on the road.
Murrel and I for some reason was always the wash boys. Wayne seemed always to have other duties and the rest were too small. We had two wash pots and four wash tubs. We had a tub apiece and two to rinse clothes in. first rinse and final rinse.
After the move to Marmaduke we thought we had arrived. We had a hand pump on the back porch and ELECTRIC LIGHTS. Other than that the procedure was about the same as the recipe below. I never did get to where I could use a rub board without making blisters on my knuckles.
We really hit it big time when I was about 15 or 16 years old. Mother ordered a wringer type washing machine from Sears and Roebuck. It was the most beautiful piece of machinry that I had ever seen. They backed up to the porch with a pick up truck and unloaded it.
It was cold out there in the winter but at least you did not have to get your hands wet.
Overalls and shirts and other unmentionables for Dad and five boys was a pile of clothes.
I also remember the saturday tub baths, Sand storms, sand in the bed, now that was rough. That pump water was sort of
