Thanks for sharing the "Recipe of Old".....I loved it. I watched my great-grandma, Emma, many a time doing this very thing in her back yard on the farm, and she made her own soft lie soap. My job at 5 & 6 was making the starch and then dipping the left over water up and throwing it on the flowers, & vegetable plants. (I was too young to just dump it out of the tub). This was in the early 1940s in California. While she never would let one of those new-fangled electric things with the wringers onto her property, she was right proud of her grandson's wife (my Mom) having one. Have to tell you, though, Mama never used her wringer washer in the house. It sat in the back yard under an old canvas 'til washday. Then it was moved to the edge of the garden, filled with hot water boiled in a tub on the kitchen stove, had the soft soap put in it.......plugged in to the electric outlet via a long extension cord run from the house, turned on, and the wash day began....ending with the water being drained via hose into the flower & vege gardens. Mama had an old Philco with two wash tubs separated by the wringers. She was still using a wringer washer when I left home in 1959. I don't know how any of these women did what they did in the old days. I thought it bad enough I had to use a laundr-o-mat for years raising my 6 children. Now I have a nice laundry room in my home with a state of the art washer & dryer. Marlene P.S. Thanks again. The posting brought back many happy memories. ===== ===== In a message dated 9/20/04 4:25:59 PM Central Daylight Time, lin.ziemann@verizon.net writes: This is something from ME to all of YOU..read this and smile! A cousin sent this to me..and we both are in awe of how our GREAT Grandmothers had to do things. Just a little tidbit of history for us to think about...and you know what just dawned on me? My husband is the Maytag Man...he would not have anything to do back in those days, would he? He sure does stay busy now, though.....Linda Years ago an Alabama grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook - with spelling errors and all. (imagine having a recipe for this ! ! !) WASHING CLOTHES Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. 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. (For you non-southerners -wrench means rinse )