Laundry Through The Years
How Laundry Day Has Changed
Do You Remember Grandma's Washing Machine?
Laundry rooms have changed dramatically through the years, at one point in time you did not even have a designated laundry room in your house. Washing machines were on rollers to be brought out when needed, and clothes were hung on a clothesline to dry. You had to fill the washing machine up with water, let it churn your clothes and then pull the washed item through a "wringer" on the top to get the excess water out. Hence the name, "Wringer Washer".
Through the years with the introduction of electric washer and drying machines homes started to have rooms just to sort, wash, dry, hang, and fold laundry. These rooms were known as "utility rooms" and often had extra shelving for food, canning, and sometimes an extra fridge or deepfreeze. You can also see the sink which would have been used for soaking your whites in bleach or a solution to get stains out. Sometimes small cabinets or shelves were built for storage of the laundry soaps and cleaning agents.
Today The Laundry Room Is So Much More.
Baskets for storage, rods and hangers for drying your delicate clothing, and laundry tubs can be hidden neatly under drawers for extra storage. Windows are added to allow a nice breeze to flow through and sunlight to brighten the room.
The stacking washer and dryer are perfect space saving ideas if you are limited on space or some homes have a stacking washer and dryer in the walk in closet, a great idea as you can just take clothes from the washer or dryer and hang them up.
Grandma would be amazed at how much doing laundry has changed. The units we have now save so much time and energy, clothes do not have to be pre-soaked or washed in hot water. One thing I do believe is that even though it was so much more work back in time for laundry, nothing smells as nice as sheets that are "clothesline fresh".
Blog written by Laurie Turmel for Casa Decor. Photos compliments of Pinterest.