‘Warshing’ Clothes

This was shared by a friend on Facebook. It originally came from the Pecan Valley Genealogical Society Facebook page.

Years ago a Texas grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe.
This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrapbook, spelling errors and all.

WARSHING CLOTHES

Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.

Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin water.

Sort things, make 3 piles:
1 pile white,
1 pile colored,
1 pile work britches and rags.

To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boiling water.

Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard and boil, then rub colored don’t boil just wrench and starch.

Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, then wrench, and starch.

Hang old rags on fence.

Spread tea towels on grass.

Pore wrench water in flower bed. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.

Turn tubs upside down.

Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

. Photo credit: Mrs. Bostain washing clothes, vicinity of Penland, N.C. ca. 1930. Bayard Morgan Wootten Photographic Collection, University of North Carolina.

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8 Responses to ‘Warshing’ Clothes

  1. texan59's avatar texan59 says:

    We warshed our clothes in the countryside of IN, but it wasn’t near this much fun.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Slightly before my time there, but I remember the grannies doing it.
    We had the wringer washers, and all the perils that came with them. That’s where the expression “tits thru the wringer” came from….LOL.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Stella's avatar Stella says:

      I remember the wringer washing machine. In fact, I used my aunt’s old one in the 1970’s, because it was left in a house I rented from my aunt and uncle. Kind of wrecks some of your clothes though.

      Liked by 6 people

      • tonytran2015's avatar tonytran2015 says:

        I used one wringer washing machine in Australia. I fed my bath towel into the roller and held the other end of the towel. A moment of distraction let my hand fed into the roller, stuck with the towel. The safety catch for overloading in thickness did not release. Fortunately I could use my foot to kick the main operating lever on the front of the machine to Off position.
        It was my Scarry experience with that design. I am glad that there is no more of such machines.

        Liked by 5 people

      • Pa Hermit's avatar Pa Hermit says:

        My issue was wringing out a button shirt. If not careful the rollers would strip the threads on buttons if not fed through correctly! I was warshing clothes as young teen-ager. Early 60’s,.

        Liked by 2 people

  3. weather257's avatar weather257 says:

    “Pore wrench water in flower bed.”
    LOVE it!!

    Liked by 5 people

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