Tuesday, March 3, 2009

You Have To Be Older To Remember These......

Yesterday, we (the gals from my high school graduating class) had another potluck luncheon. One of the gals brought her old scrapbook and she had the page from the paper that featured a picture of our 1960 high school graduating class. That was fun to see and I've borrowed it & made some copies.....but another interesting thing was the ads in this section of newspaper.


For instance; Geraniums, 3 inch pot for 19 cents each, hanging Fuchsia baskets for 98 cents each and a Stratolounger for $89.88.

One of the things that really caught my eye was this ad for a Spindrier.



My mom had one of these. It was the first washing machine she had after the wringer washing machine. It was a real big deal when this came into our utility room. It not only washed & rinsed the clothes but then spun them , so it didn't take them a long time to dry. Much like our washing machines do today. Although this had to be filled with water and drained into a laundry tub. We did not have an electric dryer so it was important for them to have lots of the wash/rinse water spun out of them. We had indoor clothes lines in the attic (dad made a stairway out of the utility room up to the attic and there were ceiling lights up there. It was like a big empty room with just clothes lines) and of course there outdoor lines for fair weather drying.


Like I said, only the older readers may remember these contraptions. In 1962 when my daughter was a baby, my first washing machine was a wringer washer, along with laundry tubs in the garage, with clothes lines outside and wooden dryer racks all over the house for bad weather drying. Today I feel blessed to have a wonderful washer & dryer inside my house, convenient anytime of the day or night.



P.S.~After reading Gerry's comment I remembered that in 1960 while living in my first apartment, my room mate & I either hauled our laundry about 10 blocks to a laundromat or used a scrub board that my grandmother had given me, in our bath tub to wash our clothes. That's when I bought the first of my wooden drying racks.

19 comments:

nancy said...

Okay, my mom did have one and it was stored in our basement for years. I wish I had a chance of another lifeline. I would put it in my backyard and use it as a garden. I wish I could of have think twice to take its picture before we gave it away before we moved into this house. I can also remember watching "The Coal MIner's Daughter" when Sissy Spacek played LOretta Lynn. She had it on the fromt porch and she kicked every time when its died..lOl. Take care and have a good week.

Gerry said...

Yes, we went through different washers, but the worst was when we had to carry the water from the ditch, heat it in a big tub outside, and then carry it onto the porch into the washer, along with filling up a tub for rinsing. My sister 9 and I 10 were taking turns doing this every Saturday. We had to wash about 7 or 8 batches in the same water! My grandma would boil her whites on the stove, and be washing from dawn to dusk! Atleast we did not have to take our clothes to the creek and scrub them on a washboard! I thought only the Anazazi Indians had it worse than us. They had to grind all that corn. We found a circle of grinding stones where they gathered.

Anonymous said...

Linda, I also remember that washing machine. Not sure what we had when we got married but we did not have any children until 1964 or so and I thought we had a modern type washer and dryer.
The thing I do remember was that my wife used cloth diapers for all four of our children. There was diaper services available but she would never use them. Wonder when the disposable diaper came along and if you can even find a cloth diaper anywhere. They were really great for washing and drying a car.
I miss the old days but not that much that I will not survive, Stay warm, spring is coming. Bill

Sharon said...

Tom loves the spinner..he uses it at the laundry mat when he does the comforters. Makes a difference. I am SHOCKED at the way prices have jumped (and wages have slumped).

Kathy said...

My grandmother had a wringer/washer in the basement of her house. I can still remember the smell of the detergent and the humidity in the room after she ran a few loads. As a kid, we had a washer but no dryer. We took turns hanging and taking down laundry. My mom used those wire pant stretchers for my dad's and brother's jeans. This brought back good memories.

DB said...

I remember, I remember.

Joyce said...

Oh yes. Memories of the 'good old days'. I just laugh when I hear someone say "I wish we could go back to the 50's and 60's". Not me. I like my conveniences to much.
Hugs, Joyce

betty said...

my mom had a washer like that; boy that brings back memories! it must be fun to reminisce with your friends and look back and remember the good old days!

betty

Marie Rayner said...

My mother had an old wringer/washer for most of the time I was growing up. We were almost grown and gone before she got an automatic washer and drier. I have an automatic washer now, but no dryer. With only the two of us I haven't really missed having a dryer, except when I have larger items to wash. It would be nice to have a dryer then!

Ally Lifewithally said...

Linda reading this makes me so appreciative of the things we have today ~ our washing machines ~ cleaners and all the other gadgets we have ~ No I don't think I would want to go back to the "GOOD OLD DAYS" ~ my Mum had a Boiler in the outhouse where she spent most of Monday's doing the washing ~ Ally x

garnett109 said...

My grand mother had one of those wringer washers

sober white women said...

It was only about 10 years ago that I use to walk with my children to the kaundymat to do our stuff. Man that sucked!
I still have drying racks and cords strung between items. I love the smell of line dryed stuff. This summer I so want Rusty to put up an out door line for me! LOL
Kelli

Traci said...

I remember going to the laundromat with my mom and getting my hand stuck in the automatic wringer. I was about 4.

Sugar said...

remember the wringer, & also the scrub board, from my mom & gma.
i also had the adventure of using a creek & rocks while on my missionary trips.
things have came a long way.
huggies...

Jimmy's Journal said...

I remember them well and I remember getting my fingers pinched many a time while wringing clothes into the rinse water (yes, guys wash clothes too except in my case it was forced child labor),

Jimmy

Robin said...

That comic is a HOOT! Now if I had my washer and dryer set up like that I might actually get some laundry done!!!!

Barb said...

On my grandmother's farm she had a wringer washer. I LOVED wrining out the clothes & helping to hang them outside or the "washhouse" as it was called. In the winter we'd have to use the washhouse. In the summer there was an oildrum mounted up in the rafters that we could "shower" from. Ahh the good old days. I never DID remember to take a weapon to the outhouse though. LOL
I heard from Robin you're in the hospital. Something like this can be so scary. i hope you're feeling like a shiny new penny by morning.Please know you're in my prayers. Take care.
Hugs, Barb *queeng8261

Maria said...

Hi, Linda! I am definitely feeling a little older today but that's ok..when I was about 7 I would help my mother with the washing and ironing...she had one of those wringer washer machines and one time I do recall not paying attention as the automatic wringer pulled a peice of laudry through and my arm went with it up to my elbow...however...it must have been designed to accomodate small arms like mine at the time since it didn't break anything. It scared me to death though and I paid more attention after that!...we didn't have a dryer so clothes had to hang to dry....and then they had to be ironed....to this day I take most of my clothes to the dry cleaner..gee I wonder why?...LOL...

Joann said...

DANG!!!! And I complain because I have to lug the laundry down the stairs!! LOL!!