Life before washing machines....

lauren_1

Spendless wrote: »

I don't remember twin tubs with fondness. Not that I've ever used one, but I remmber my mother having 1 in the late 1970's and she used to stand over it whilst she washed and it took her all day. I bought my DD 'My Naughty Little sister' complete book for xmas and wash day is mentioned in that and that it took place on a monday and because of washing there was no time to prepare an evening meal which is why they had bubble and squeak from the previous days roast. At least with an automatic you can put it on and go out.:D

With regards to what you did with children, kids played out at an earlier age, and were out for longer and went further afield than nowadays. Maybe not toddlers, though if they were at the bottom end of a large family they would have an older sibling to go with.

The item I have come across and thought 'wow that's good' is a mangle. There used to be one in the swimming baths when I was young and putting a swimming cossie thru it at the end had it bone dry. That is something I'd like...

I had that on vinyl, oh how i loved that! Felicity Kendal did the narrating but I have failed to find another copy anywhere.

Primrose

I got married in the sixties and certainly didn't have a washing machine. Light laundry was done in the sink. Heavy laundry like towels and bed linen was all soaked in the bathwater after our bath with some washing powder sprinkled it, and generally shaken around to get the dirt out. Needless to say after this performance, and especially in the winter and wet weather, the sheets didn't get washed weekly. I did have a spin dryer though and when it was raining the sheets had to be hung over a line in the non heated bathroom until they dried. I wouldn't go back to those days. I'm still happy to do my light washing by hand and let it drip dry in the garden on good drying days but for the rest of the time I wouldn't be without a washing machine.

I was the first person in our road at the time to have a freezer as we grew stuff in our garden and had an allotment. But without a microwave (not invented then) you had to be terribly organised and plan your frozen meals well in advance as everything needed at least 24 hours to thaw through. I can remember getting a hammer and chisel on one occasion to try and separate two lamb chops which had frozen together, which I was desperately trying to defrost so I could cook them for an evening meal. It didn't work and we had to delay eating them for 24 hours.

meritaten

cookiemonster, you asked about rainy day games? a favourite one with me and other little playmates was 'tents' mum would put two dining chairs back to back with about a couple of foot between them and throw an old sheet over the frame. That was our tent! within that we could be campers, desert people, or it could be a cave and we could be cavemen, or it could be a creepy old cellar! we used our imaginations a lot!
big cardboard boxes were favourites - the bin men NEVER had to pick any up as us kids would always ask for them first! they could be used inside or outdoors and made brill castles, forts, playhouses or could be turned into kitchens, hospitals or any thing else really!
I can however remember playing outside in the rain in summer, puddle jumping! or floating paper boats in the gutters (dear oh dear - elf and safety and social services would have a fit!).
rainy days meant that you had to play in the passage (hall) to keep out of the grownups way! or if you were lucky and the house wasnt overcrowded then the front room was available - but woe betide you if you broke any of the 'good' china or one of the ornaments!

Barneysmom

WE used to make tents too lol, and if we were in the garden we'd make a tent out there by throwing the candlewick bedspread over the washing line and pegging it out on the ground with rocks.
We'd have all the dolls and teddys in there and my brother had his toy cars that he kept in a massive handbag

And we'd open up the concertina clothes horse and lie it on it's side and crawl through from one end to the other, kids are loonies.
Kids love small nook and crannys

meritaten

may I share this memory with you all?
when I was aged between 4 and about 8 or 9 the boy across the road was one of my really best friends. I adored him, such a gentle kind imaginative child! he was a bit of an oddity locally (mining village and the men were mucho macho, in that he took ballet lessons! no his name wasnt Billy Elliot - will tell you later what it was).
he spent many hours trying to teach us rough lot how to dance! I was really into it, had the ballet shoes, tutu etc, unfortunately my parents couldnt afford lessons (his parents owned the local shop and we thought they were much better off than us), not that it would have done me any good - had NO TALENT!.
anyway he would decide on a production and would coach us kids (he had starring role of course) in his parents garden, or on rainy days in the garage! then when he was satisfied he had his part right we would stage the production. parents siblings etc were invited and would sit on the grass while he directed, and starred in this ballet with us as supporting cast!
it was loads of fun for us - and i never ever suspected that the adults didnt think it was the finest production they had ever seen! muffled giggles could be heard - but us kids accepted that as adults were known to be alien strangers anyway!
after I was 8 he went away to ballet school - he came home for holidays of course, but things werent the same - to us he was now a stranger and I am sure he found himself lonely but us kids wanted to do the things we usually did! ballet was not on the agenda!
He danced with the Royal Ballet Company and I am told he sometimes took the principal role! A true talent - but what I remember about him was his gentle ways and his humour with us amatuer dancers and he was only a year or two older than us! A lovely person and I remember him with fondness as he died tragically some years back just after retiring as a dancer!
to Graham Powell - RIP darling! will remember you always! You instilled in me an appreciation for the ballet...........how tough it is to make it in that field and the sheer beauty of the dance! I love watching it and listening to the music - it was YOU who taught me to FEEL the music inside me! thank you!

gailey_2

I was born 1980 and my mam handwashed out terries.
When I was 8temporarily moved in with nan she dident have a washing machine.
She had this weird ractangular tall skinny thing think it was spin drier to rinse in her pantry.She also used to boil her draws on stove in saucepan.
She handwashed most of things in bath and used clothes horses and line.

My mam used to drag us to launderette which as a kid seemed boring you could be there for 2hours whilst in washed and dried remember playing in launderett carpark with ball and sister, plus shop enxt door used to sell penny sweets.

In infants bus took me school, in small town we always walked but it wasent far people went to nearest.

The way my nan and her sister kept house clean is best front room and normal front room was special occasion if we sat in best or if we had visitors we had best china.

As I got older junior school used to play until bedtime with kids in street was safe neighbourhood even though 80,s seems like short time people were not as worried and paranoid about kids safety back then.

We dident have sky only got kids programmes first thing in morning until 9 then after school used to love rainbow and seseme street.

Used to help my mam put shopping online or play in garden.
dident really have muc electrical toys back then had tv in room at age 10, dident get cd player until was 18 and dident have a computer well console megadrive 2 until mid 90,s.

During hols mum dident take us lots of places mainly park, leisure centre had holiday club and I went to badgers club after school once a week.

My mum couldent drive until I was 10 so we used to do lots of walking.

We had to amuse ourselves with books, boardgames seemed more popular back then and many toys lego was always a hit and is same with my kids.
crafts and arts a good one to keep them quiet my eldest 4 can colour, paint and make stuff for hours.

I let her help me look and she likes to wash up.
I encourage her to tidy up her own mess.

When our machine broke down have handwashed.
in uni either did launderette service washes then was just like eastenders dont think anyone in albert square must have a washing machine.
On hols I handwash a few things.

Quiet_Life

This thread has brought back so many memories.

I remember the glass wash board, the sunlight soap, the mangle, the boiler, and the ‘Shelia Maid’ dryer.
http://www.sheilamaid.com/

Then one day a very large cardboard box was delivered and a short time later a gentleman arrived to demonstrate how to operate the new single tub washing machine with integrated electric mangle that my Mum had just won.
We all gathered round in the kitchen to see this new fangled contraption in action and he emphasised the need to make sure the hose was placed securely in the sink before engaging the ‘empty tub’ button as the water would go all over the floor.
He proceeded to soak himself as he forgot to secure the hose, and Mum gave us one of those looks that meant ‘the first one to laugh, is dead’

The single tub lasted many years before being replaced with a twin tub.

Monday was always wash day which meant it was also leftover vegetable and chicken soup day with wheaten bread, followed by rice pudding, all of course homemade.

We made tents too and played happily for hours.
We had dark red oil cloth [linoleum] in our living room with a large rug in the centre.
One wet, cold day my brother and I were impatient for Mum to finish and take us out [as promised], but the linoleum also needed polishing, Cardinal polish I think we used.
Mum tore up an old sheet, wrapped it round our feet and told us to start sliding and have fun. We danced and slid up and down the linoleum ‘till it shone like new.
It wasn’t a task, it was fun.

meritaten

going back to the original post.........I too had no washing machine when I first married, and we lived 'in rooms' with OHs uncle. who also had no washing machine! not too bad at first just Oh and me - would wash outer clothes in the bath on saturdays, then the towels got boiled up on stove in my largest pot, and cotton smalls got put in with them! when the baby arrived though, I used to do nappies every day - and boy could she get through terry nappies! nagged OH and within a few weeks got a twin tub (the cheapest option then). I alternately blessed and cursed it! blessed it because I could do double the boil wash in half the time, and cursed it because I ALWAYS forgot to put the outlet hose to drain either into the wash tub or the sink and was forever mopping up the floor!!!! and when it was spinning it would go for a walk so you had to sit on it!!!! funny thing though - my little daughter loved the noise it made while washing - would dance away to it!!! so funny! and loved to sit on it when it was spinning! I had it for about 8 years and then decided to get an automatic. I actually sold it for the same price I paid (or rather OH paid) for it, as they had become unfashionable and were hard to find new! and it WAS in excellent condition.

DianneB

lilac_lady wrote: »

You didn't keep children entertained, they entertained themselves. Remember, no tv to babysit, just a FEW toys and items like a button box or empty cotton reels. Sounds boring but the children were happy.

In the '70's my toddler would empty the saucepan cupboard and bang on them with wooden spoons!! I threaded empty cotton reels onto ribbon or shoelaces for him to play with. I do remember that when tidying up all his toys fitted into a very small cardboard box.

meritaten

good point DianneB! I can remember mum playing games like peep bo or round and round the garden with babies but once you could walk you were expected to entertain yourself! in fact I dont remember ever seeing any parent playing with a child - cept for dads who may join in a game of footy or cricket on a nice afternoon or evening in the summer! Older siblings were expected to 'child mind' during the day and no mum turned down an offer to take the babies out in the pram by any of the neighbourhood 'older' children (probably around 12 to 13 year olds - but they were nearly grown up to me at five or six!
my dad did play card games etc with us as we got older and would read to us when we were little.