I guess that means you never participated inthis great weakly ritual of your forebearers? <G> > ---------- > From: Sue Bosevich[SMTP:bosevich@ilinks.net] > Reply To: bosevich@ilinks.net > Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 1997 11:51 PM > To: PENNA-DUTCH-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Monday Was Warsh Day! > > Monday has been "warsh" day since way back. Per "Our Own Snug > Fireplace" by Jane C. Nylander whose book covers 1760-1860(excuse the > typos): > > Laundry was always a difficult task, especially for large families and > for those caring for infants or the cronically ill. Family members > dreaded laundry day, which was often the subject of jokes and satire > focused on bad tempers, cold food, and exhausted women. If men and > boys > were advised to keep out of the house on laudry day, it was for good > reason. Mondays were the favored day for this hard work, probably > because women were relatively rested after the tranquility of the > Sabbath, and they wished to complete the heaviest part of their work > early in the week. In the best of weather, doing laundry meant a day > outdoors carrying large quantities of water in heavy and awkward > wooden > containers, maintaining fires, and tiresome lifting, rubbing, and > scrubbing. In wintertime, when laundry was done inside, warm steam > from > the boiling water filled the room, but spilled water might freeze on > the > floor, and drying was never accomplished easily. In the coldest > waeather, clothes put out to dry would freeze stiff. The recommended > washday procedure was: > > "Assort the clothes, and put the white ones to soak the night before > in > warm water. In assorting the clothes, the flannels are to be put in > one > lot, the colored clothes in another, the coarser white clothes in a > third, and the fine clothes in a fourth lot. Wash the fine clothes > first in suds and throw them, when wrung, into another tub of suds. > Then wash them in the second suds, turning them wrong side out. Then > put them in the boiling bag and let them boil in strong soapsuds for > half and hour, moving them about with the wash-stick to keep them from > getting yellow in spots. Take them out of the boiling water into a > tub, > and rub the dirtiest spots. Then rinse them, throwing them, when > wrung, > into a tub of blueing-water....Then wash the courser white articles in > the same manner. Then wash the colored clothes....Lastly wash the > flannels". > > This is an utterly fascinating book. It's primarily about New England > homes, however, when New England subject matter is lacking, the author > looks to Pennsylvania German sources to fill in the gaps. Almost > makes > you appreciate the days of the wringer-washer.....(well almost!). > > Sue (Miller) Bosevich >