It's amazing what laundry can cause!

Lillie has always helped with the laundry in some way - from jumping into piles to learning how colours are separated. From helping with loading and unloading the washing machine and how important it is to wash your hands after handling unclean laundry. And of course hanging up laundry for drying and folding dry clothes in preparation for them to be ironed.

However, this morning Lillie loaded, placed the detergent in the drum, selected the correct cycle, switched it all on and during the washing time we researched some history on how the washing of clothes etc has changed over time.

We began with looking at how clothes were cleaned in rivers and how stones were used for the actual cleaning. This of course still happens in some parts of the world today, including Europe. Wash houses were buildings designed for the public, but women would be the ones to use them. These wash houses were not only built to wash the laundry, but would indeed help combat illnesses and diseases from spreading in poorer areas and a place that the women would have a chance to have a good old natter/gossip as well as help each other with larger items, usually on a weekly basis.

Lillie came across some new terms while researching - 'epidemics', 'pandemics' and 'outbreaks' which we went on to investigate their meanings, in relation to the world around her, near. afar and globally.

We continued on with looking at washing items such as, scrubbing boards, mangles, the first electric washing machine, twin tubs, a public laundry outlet and of course modern day washing machines, designed to be economically and environmentally friendly.

Here are some pics of what we found...

Wash tub and scrubbing boards

Mangle

The first electric washing machine

A Twin Tub (my Mum had one of these!)

A public laundry, since the time of 'wash houses'

Wavertree Wash House - 1958

To finish, a Nursery Rhyme that gives a mention about 'laundry'

Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Bake on Wednesday,
Brew on Thursday,
Churn on Friday,
Mend on Saturday,
Go to meeting on Sunday.

I asked Lillie what she thought the last line meant - she answered go to Church. I agreed! According to http://www.rhymes.org.uk/a125-wash-on-monday.htm

'the words of the old Rhyme, 'Wash on Monday...' reflect the English tradition of washing clothes on a Monday. This tradition was taken to America when the women of the Mayflower came ashore on Monday, November 13, 1620 and the first thing they did was the washing.'

Lillie is aware of the Mayflower, due to researching the origins of Thanksgiving some years back and indeed us leading to celebrating this day ourselves. It seems quite logical too that the women would want to wash all the clothes and linen, in regards to washing away the illnesses and diseases that occurred on board the Mayflower, during the passage from England, UK to New England, USA. I know I would have instinctively wanted to do the same and Lillie said the same too.

So, you see, it is amazing what laundry can cause!