Life before washing machines....

THIRZAH

I was born in 1955. My grandmother had an electric boiler and a mangle for her washing but my mother had a spin-dryer.

If it rained on washday the house would be full of damp washing for days-no radiators to dry clothes on, just clothes horses in front of the fire.

I do remember my mother and grandmother having a long running dispute about "blue-bags" for whites. Grandma always used them but Mum said that they didn't get the washing any cleaner so refused to buy them.

[Deleted User]

anyone remember the 'bagwash' it was a van that collected a bag of washing, usually sheets & pillowcases carted it off and brought it back washed and dried but obviously not ironed for around 2/6d.The first Bendix lauderette in Lewisham,London my mum actually queued with a line of other women to try this new-fangled thing out.She wasn't impressed and never went back ,preferring to do her own handwashing or use the boiler and mangle in the scullery of our house.Her words were
"It'll never catch on women won't want to have folks looking at their underware going round and round in public" :):)