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Washday 1912
Years
ago a Kentucky grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe
for washing clothes. It appears below just as it was written, and
despite the spelling, has a bit of philosophy.
1. Bilt fire in backyard
to heat kettle of rain water.
2. Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3. Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.
4. Sort things, make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work
britches and rags.
5. To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down
with bilin water.
6. Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then
bile. Rub colored don't bile, just rinch and starch.
7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and
starch.
8. Hang old rags on fence.
9. Spread tea towels on grass.
10. Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12. Turn tubs upside down.
13. Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea,
sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.
Hang this above your automatic washer, and when things look bleak, read
it again, and count your blessings!
