Object Record

Images

1 of 1977

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Metadata

Object Name

Washer, Clothes

Source

Heartland Museum Foundation

Iowa History Era Tag

Prosperity to the Depression (1897-1939)

Chronological Tag

The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Catalog Number

2018.054.007

Credit line

Heartland Museum Foundation- Clarion, Iowa

Description

Clothes were first washed on a wash board. Then a stomper was used and the washboard was used to rub spots. Eventually a washing machine came to be used. At first there was a lever that was pushed back ad forth to agitate the clothes. Later the agitation was powered by a gasoline engine. Water had to be hauled in from the cistern or the well and heated on the cook stove. This often happened on Sunday night so the water would be hot Monday morning. Homemade lye soap was added to the water. After the washing, the clothes were fished out of the washer and fed into a wringer and dropped into the rinse tub. Then run through the wringer again into a second rinse and finally into a basket so it could be hung out on the line. In the winter, the clothes would freeze. When they were brought into the house, they would need to be hung to finish drying.

Content can be used with the following standards: 4th grade SS 4.25 Technological Change in a lesson on new inventions that helped with household chores.

For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.

Primary/Secondary Source

General primary source

County Tag

Wright

Multimedia Links

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Search Terms

Innovators
Washing machines

Legal Status

Ownership of this resource is held by the Heartland Museum Foundation and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney.