Life before washing machines....

sueeve

I remember having to sit on the spinner so that it didn't walk across the floor.
Had a boiler for the nappies etc. I sterilised them before they went in. Then you washed in order as temperature decreased, ending up with woollens. Yes when I had a twin tub it made a big difference. So much more economical than today's machines, on water, electricity and detergent.

and I had a gate on the kitchen/hall door so that the toddlers, 20 months apart, could play safely in the hall and not come near the hot water.

kittiej

OP I've got to apologise I've turned your thread into 'the joys of twin-tubs'

msgnomey

I used to wash all of the clothes by hand in the bath and they dry them on the fire guard if I couldn't get them pegged out, with a tray underneath to catch the drips or once a month I'd collect all the washing up and go to the laundrette. That was in 1993 when my DD was 3 and we didn't have a wm, then someone gave me a Twin Tub and I was over the moon!! Eventually I saved up for an automatic and was in heaven !!

Funny how you forget these things!!!

sueeve

And when we did all this heavier work we stayed slimmer even with old fashioned puddings.

lauren_1

seabright wrote: »

But how did you keep an eye on/keep entertained the children while doing it? Especially really young toddlers who can't really entertain themselves? Washing by hand always seems to take me ages when I do it - or maybe it just feels like it takes ages because I hate doing it!

I dont have tv on until 6pm then its just the bedtime hour. I dont entertain them either, i include them. They are 4 and 8 now and have their own chores.

Eldest does her own laundry, hangs it out, dries up the dishes, hoover's hers and youngests bedrooms, dusts anything that will stay still long enough and is chief dropped scone maker.

Youngest helps drag all the dirty laundry down stairs, picks up leaves and twigs for the incinerator, likes to mop the conservatory floor and keeps his room pretty spotless (he doesnt like the hoover yet).

Eldest has cleaned the bath a few times but i have to go over it again but they're learning.

lauren_1

Also half the laundry can be rinsed out in the sink like vest's, bra's, school skirt.....things that only get worn for a few hours before they go to the washing machine.

beemuzed

I remember my Mum getting her first twin-tub in about 1962. She bought it to help with one of her little jobs - washing all the towels for a local hairdressers! She actually used to boil wash them on top of the stove for ages, until she had enough put by to buy the machine. By this time she also had four children, with all the washing that entailed! And we didn't have a TV until a wee bit later than this too!
I also remember sitting on the lid of the spinner when we were first married (1970)! My dear MIL bought us a twin tub when our first baby arrived in 1973 - I thought it the height of luxury!
I'm sure the comment about being slimmer in those days despite proper puddings is spot-on too - all our labour saving devices mean a lot less calories expended. We didn't have a car either before I was married, and Mum thought nothing of walking across town twice a day pushing a pram and all the shopping.
However, I'd not really like to go back to the old ways - despite wishing I could shed the weight!!

meritaten

I was a child of the mid fifties and we lived with my nan and grancher til I was ten. Nan had a boiler thingy and a mangle first then later a twin tub. Tv - well, we did have one but only an hour a day was for childrens programs - which is why they called it childrens hour! anyone else remember bill and ben and muffin the mule? they all sounded like the queen had done the voiceover too!

as for mum playing with us!!!!!!!!!!!!! you must be joking! she was too busy, us kids entertained ourselves........I have photos mum took of me aged about four or five playing with the boy next door in the garden. I was lucky I think in that there were about four or five kids of around my age in the very small street where i lived. and mum thought nothing of us playing on the pavement! was on a bus route and all!
I had plenty of toys, lots of dollies and cuddlies and dress up stuff. paints paper pencils chalks etc. and books. lots of books.
most of us kids were in bed really early compared to todays kids though.
It was tougher for our parents I think, but, in most communities everone was in the same boat and keeping up with the Jones's meant your doorstep was scrubbed daily and your whiter than white whites were put on the line at the crack of dawn!

mary-op

Gran used to light a fire under the boiler in the shed to do the washing then it all went through the mangle.

When I got married (early 60's) we had a Burco boiler and fold away mangle.............hard work but we managed with terry towling nappies -no disposables then and they worked out a lot cheaper.
Got first twin tub type washing machine in 1970......the spin dryer could be used separate........Hoover Twosome I think it was called.
Made a lot of difference but I couldn't go off and leave it even though there was a propeller sort of thing that went round. Spin drier always wanted to run round the kitchen on its own...............lol
Soon as I could afford it I got an automatic with tumble dryer.............oh bliss ! Mind you, when the dryer packed up I didn't bother to replace it..........used a lot of electricity !

katieclampet

seraphina wrote: »

I reccommend a book called Family Britain, which has a great contrast between the improvements in men's working lives in the 1950's (unions instigating shorter working hours, free healthcare, leisure time, disposable income as you only had to hand over pin money to your wife and it was up to her to make it stretch to feed the house/dress the kids and herself etc) with that of women (15 hour days of unrelentless drudgery, washing by hand, social opprobation if your whites weren't whiter than white etc...)

An Italian once got into trouble recently because he claimed the washing machine had done more for women's lib than all the rest of the feminist movement put together. I'm not sure he's not wrong - certainly it improved women's life no end.

And it makes me want to weep when people on this board whinge about modern life and say "oooh, wouldn't it be nice to live in the Victorian/Wartime/1950's, everything was much easier then!"....

I totally agree. I LOVE my automatic washing machine. I'm with the italian guy!!! :rotfl:It certainly saves me loads of time, and I wouldnt be without my hoover, kettle or toaster. There is always nostalgia for past times, but each era had its problems and dark side, as well as the "nice" part we see. I like the time we live in, its not perfect, but I am not sure there is a "perfect" era.

katiex

please dont throw me off the os board