Day 23. Laundry Day

 

                                 A 'copper' once used for laundry.

The back kitchen of Park Farm. Two vats - one of copper and one of cast iron - were set into brickwork with a fireplace beneath each. The wooden lids covering the copper when not in use can be seen.

The fire was lit on the metal grate and the ashes fell into the pit below. This was extremely efficient - a small fire could easily heat a copper of around forty gallons - as no heat was wasted.

Laundry was done in a scullery or back kitchen in larger houses, or in a communal washhouse. The copper was filled with water drawn from the soft-water well (see Day 18) – rain water produced much superior results than the mineral-laden ground water – and was heated. The laundry was then pummelled and worked in the scalding water until clean. Soap was made with fat and wood ash; by the late 19^th century, soap powder became commercially available.
When clean, the laundry was squeezed through a mangle to remove excess water then hung out to dry on washing lines or on hedgerows or bushes.

An iron – simply a piece of iron with a handle – was heated by the fire ready for use.

Laundry day for a conscientious housewife was always a Monday. It was a full day's work to process it, which left little time for meal preparation. The leftovers from the Sunday roast took care of the day's meals. Women who washed on other days were considered substandard housekeepers.

By the 19^th century, it was common for better-off households to employ a laundry maid or laundress to do the labour-intensive and unpleasant work. Many widows and poorer married women worked as laundresses to earn a few extra shillings towards their family's upkeep.

By the mid 20^th century, labour-saving appliances were becoming commonplace. Today, laundry is a five-minute job which comprises opening and shutting a washing machine door.