Laundry Facts

The Evolution of doing laundry

June 23, 2022

vintage washboard laundry day paul ward

Washing your clothes today may seem like a chore that takes more time than its worth. You spend hours washing and then drying and then there is the dreaded folding. Well, a look into the past may give you a new appreciation of today’s washers and dryers.

Washing clothes has always been a necessity but how you did it has evolved considerably over time. For instance, urine was once used as a spot remover! And lye was the detergent of choice. Prior to that you simply beat your dirty clothes on a rock and then rinsed them in a river. When the washing board came around it was a miraculous invention!

In the 1800’s the rudimentary washing machine was invented. There were a couple of different ones that involved a hand crank and a washing tub. Less work than before, but still not easy. It was not until the dawn of electricity that the modern washing machine was born. Electric motor-driven wringer washers to be exact.

Since then, washing machines have become more efficient. Modern machines use less water and are more energy saving. What once took a group of people and several days to do now only takes a few hours. So, while doing laundry may not be your favorite thing to do, it is definitely better than it used to be!

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