From about as long as I can remember, my mother took the washing to town to the laundromat. I think her old tub washer gave up when they were planning to pull down the old house to build another. And the small town of Dexter had a new laundromat. The washer and rinse tub ended up in a nook in the barn.
Well, the old house didn’t come down until I was a junior in high school. Three years later, Mom, Dad, and Gloria (I guess she was even in college by then) moved into the small mouse-free house. There was room for a washer and dryer in the back room, but they couldn’t afford them then. So Mom drove from the farm on Old Creamery Road four miles to Dexter or eight miles to Earlham to do their washing.
One time she got to the Earlham laundromat with a dead chicken on her bumper. Someone remarked about it. There was a farm family along the gravel road who let their chickens run all over, even the road. I wonder if they kept count of them.
There were no washers in the dorms at the State College of Iowa, so we hauled our laundry down to “the hill” with dimes and Tide. After we were married and Guy was got orders for Idaho, we used the laundry room at the trailer court. Then there were the laundry areas of the Colorado apartments. (I worked days and Guy worked shift work so he took over the washing during that time.)
What bliss, when we bought our first home, to have a washer and dryer so handy! When Dan was born, the office folks figured I’d order diaper service. Oh, but I launder them at home! And hang them outside, or tumble them in my own dryer! Having a washer and dryer is one of the best things about living in a house.
Mom and Dad finally got a washer and dryer at home when Dan was a baby. She was 57 years old.
One day when we were at the farm, Guy found the rinse tub in the barn. Mom was glad to get rid of it. It’s been on the porch as a fern stand for years, but I’d forgotten its original use until I noticed the drain hose on the back side. A drain hose. The old ringer washer would also have a drain hose, for the water someone had to run into the tub through a hose attached to a faucet in the first place.
Then after the washing machine had run long enough, the items were fed through the rollers of the ringers and into the rinse tub. Then squeezed through the rollers again and into a basket to carry out to the clothesline! No wonder Mom was glad to get rid of them.
Would you ever decorate your porch, or anywhere else, with an old washtub or something similar?
Well, now you’ve got me wondering where Mother’s ol’ washtubs got off to. That’s what we called them; washtubs. Our tiny back porch held a washer and two tubs for rinsing. I would definitely use one on the porch if I could find it. That’s a gorgeous fern, by the way!
I called this the washtub until working on this when I realized this was for the rinse water. I know Grandma used two rinse tubs, but did Mom as well? I think there was only one in the barn. Our porch isn’t as story-creating as yours, but hey, it’s a porch! That fern, yes!
I think the closest we have is the antique milk can in the landscaping. (It came with the house, although I’d always wanted one.)
Oh, I wonder what happened to our milk can! Landscaping would be perfect for one.
The old rinse tub, as well as the mention of the ringer washers and clotheslines bring back memories of my childhood. My grandmother had a old rinse tub under a grapevine near her garden. A rain gutter drained into it, and she had an old saucepan hanging near the tub, and that’s what she used to fill her watering can and water the garden.
Smart lady! It was naturally softened water as well.
I never thought of that. I was young, and my job was to run the watering can back to the tub and refill it.
The old washtub is perfect for that glorious fern. How old is the fern? I don’t know where mom’s washtub ended up but I had one 1/2 of dad’s rum barrel that he used to store his nails in for a planter in Canada. It was perfect for my Himalayan orchid. I had to leave it there when we moved to Spain. I also had some of the old cream cans from the farm.
Old stuff is fun, huh, Darlene! A neighbor usually throws her ferns out at the end of the season, and Favorite Guy rescues at least one of them! It’s not that old.
I’m not sure I’d call it “decorating” but I brought home a dairy milk can from my great-grandparents’ farm as a gift from the current owner. It sits next to the garage.
Good place for it!
Dan’s mom, Gertie, raised 6 children, 5 of them boys, on a farm with no washer or dryer. Can you imagine? They lived in the small town of Paulina, Iowa and on Thursday evenings she would take all of her dirty laundry to the laundromat in town. She filled all the washers and then went to have coffee with friends until it was time to switch to the dryers. Then she enjoyed some more socializing until the dryers were done. Dan’s dad called it her “night out”. That used to rankle me until I was old enough to realize it probably did feel somewhat like a break. When I found out that I was expecting our first baby, my parents surprised us with a Kenmore washing machine. Dan was able to keep that thing going for almost 20 years,….20 years of who knows how many loads with our 7 busy children? I often thought of Gertie, wondering how she handled the sickness in the middle of the night, football uniforms or the dirty farm clothes early in the week before Thursday laundry night came around. She was made of much tougher stock than me. I’ve never taken our washing machine for granted. It truly is a luxurious blessing. Oh, and I would totally put a wash tub out on my front porch. 😊
Hurrah for Gertie, and for somewhere to have coffee with friends on Thursday evenings! And for your parents, Lynne, surprising you with a washer–the perfect first baby gift. All of this also reminds me of all the fun stuff Diane Hall displays.
I enjoy repurposing old items that can no longer be used for their original purpose. Your story reminds me that my mother used to have a mangle for getting the water out of large items such as blankets. I have often wondered what happened to that.
Anne, I don’t think I ever knew anyone who had a mangle at home!
It looks great, Joy! I have an antique wood stove that I use for a plant stand. My friend, Teresa, gave it to us when she purchased a modern heating unit for the first time a few years ago, so it’s only recently been recommissioned! 😊 It’s beautiful!
Love it!
I remember Mother’s having a rinse tub like that. It sat beside her wringer washer.
Yes! Mom’s old wringer washer is still in the barn somewhere.
It’s good you used the rinse tub for plants, Joy. It looks really nice in the picture. This fascinating story of your past makes me glad that my wife and I only had to use a laundromat when we lived in a trailer. I’m glad you posted this. 😍
Thanks, Tim!
My pleasure, Joy! 😍