M: Pounding, rubbing, agitating, kneading – the communal wash day came around every three or four weeks!
F: We should probably say "wash days". Because before the invention of the washing machine, the "big wash" took at least two days.
On the preceding evening, the items to be washed were soaked and left in the soapy water over night. The next morning, large quantities of water were heated and the laundry was boiled and agitated in coppers and tubs. These days, the bell-shaped washing dollies hang on the wall, right next to the washboards on which the soaked, boiled and pounded laundry was rubbed to remove stubborn stains. The washing process was completed by kneading and squeezing. Then the laundry was rinsed and finally wrung out.
M: The lucky ones were the people who had a clothes press at their disposal! Later, that hard work was carried out by the mangle. Depending on the weather and the humidity, the laundry was left on the line to dry within a few hours or over night. Then it had to be ironed or put through the mangle again and folded. And hey presto, there it was: the wonderful scent of clean linen.
F: Heavy-duty detergents and spin dryers only appeared in the early 20th century. And at some point, every household had its own washing machine. The exhausting but sociable wash day had become a thing of the past.
Fotos: © Tanja Heinemann
