We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole (we called them props)) that was used to push the clotheslines up so that longer items (sheets/pants/etc.) didn't brush the ground and get dirty.
I can hear my mother now...
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:
(If you don't even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)
1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top.
2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM/cuffs... NOT the waistbands.
3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes -
walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.
4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!
What would the neighbours think?
6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend,
or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could
hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)
8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry."
9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pegss when taking down dry clothes!
Pegs left on the lines were "tacky"!
10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pegs, but shared one of the clothes pegs with the next washed item.
11. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
12. IRONED??!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject!
And now a POEM...
A clothesline was a news forecast, To neighbours passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep, when clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link, For neighbours always knew
If company had stopped on by, to spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets", And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths", With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth, From folks who lived inside,
As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could, So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed, You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck, As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too, Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "On holidays now", When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged, With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon, If wash was dingy and grey,
As neighbours carefully raised their brows, And looked the other way.
But clotheslines now are of the past, For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home, Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life, It was a friendly sign
When neighbours knew each other best... By what hung on the line.
Cheers - John
moamajohn said
08:33 PM Jun 23, 2014
Hey John ,remember saturday arvo,s ? Baking day! fruit cake, cookies, and sometimes cheese scones ! While listening to the footy on the wireless or crystal set .Cheers John
Big Gorilla said
12:14 PM Jun 24, 2014
My Mum had a clothes line like that... My, we are showing or age now !!
rockylizard said
12:50 PM Jun 24, 2014
Gday...
And thinking about washing day ... this was the sort of laundry we had when we lived in Biggenden in QLD back in the 1950s.
When we moved to Victoria, we had a 'copper' in the laundry like this ...
Cheers - John
Glenelg said
04:05 PM Jun 24, 2014
we had the old washing line as well , we also had a old mangle like this one , guess who had to turn the handle.
had to bucket the hot water from copper to tin bath in front of fire on friday night . bath time once a week in them days
What a fabulous read, and for me atleast not much has changed because my mother to this day has a clothes line still like that, and in the wash house as she still calls it, are her two huge concrete water troughs with still the old taps running into them. Next to that is the copper and yes she still uses it, the Simpson washing machine that we as kids would catch our fingers in while feeding the clothes through the rollers still works and she uses it now and again to keep it going, Mum still places a cloth between the rubber wringer rollers which of course she makes sure are released lol. And yes she even has Irons that she can use if the electricity goes out, they are ancient and she heats them up on top of her Metters number 2 Stove. So yes not much has hanged and I love it......Kisha.
Baz421 said
09:53 PM Jun 24, 2014
Kisha wrote:
What a fabulous read, and for me atleast not much has changed because my mother to this day has a clothes line still like that, and in the wash house as she still calls it, are her two huge concrete water troughs with still the old taps running into them. Next to that is the copper and yes she still uses it, the Simpson washing machine that we as kids would catch our fingers in while feeding the clothes through the rollers still works and she uses it now and again to keep it going, Mum still places a cloth between the rubber wringer rollers which of course she makes sure are released lol. And yes she even has Irons that she can use if the electricity goes out, they are ancient and she heats them up on top of her Metters number 2 Stove. So yes not much has hanged and I love it......Kisha.
Well what a great history reminder Kisha ,,,, ah the memories eh!
Kendo said
10:16 PM Jun 24, 2014
Terrible old photo, but look in the forground. Sometime around 1965 I recon.
Jeff
Glenelg said
07:32 AM Jun 25, 2014
Kisha i remember the irons that gran had , heated up on stove put a rag round handle to stop burning her hand, good old days
Big Gorilla said
07:38 AM Jun 25, 2014
Great memories. I can relate to all the items in this post, clothes line; copper, wringer, wash tubs. I recall as a kid watching my mother doing these household chores, thinking to myself how I wish I was grown up and older. Now I'm well past that stage, I sometimes think how good it would be to be younger !!
Kisha said
01:58 PM Jun 25, 2014
rockylizard your Post along with Glenelg and Kendos pics, has bought back nice memories for many of us here. Also in Mums concrete troughs sits the brass plugs,the corrugated wash board sits in the troughs to, even the stick for stirring the washing in the copper is there lol. I learned to sew on mums Treadle sewing machine, its Brand is White which was introduced before Singer, the wooden cabinet is lovely, everything about that old treadle is just awesome, and its purrs along, my legs would go 100mph lol on that thing. Has an inbuilt brass tape measure, I love it thats it looks so well used and the old wood has character, I never did like the look of new wood, its a bit like us, as we get on in life one look at us and we will never be bored as each line just like those old weathered things tell an interesting story lol. So heres Cheers! to all those lovely old days that I'm so glad have never left me and some of you to by the looks of it.....Kisha
GaryKelly said
07:29 PM Jun 25, 2014
Yep, I remember the old clothes line. As kids we used it as a net for games of shuttle**** in the backyard. And I remember the bloke with the horse and cart yelling "Props!" as his horse leisurely ambled down the street. On hot summer days we also draped the garden hose over the line to provide relief from the heat. Thanks for the memories, John.
Remembering Mum's Clothesline
We had a long wooden pole (clothes pole (we called them props)) that was used to push the clotheslines up so that longer items (sheets/pants/etc.) didn't brush the ground and get dirty.
I can hear my mother now...
THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:
(If you don't even know what clotheslines are, better skip this.)
1. You had to hang the socks by the toes... NOT the top.
2. You hung pants by the BOTTOM/cuffs... NOT the waistbands.
3. You had to WASH the clothesline(s) before hanging any clothes -
walk the entire length of each line with a damp cloth around the lines.
4. You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.
5. You NEVER hung a shirt by the shoulders - always by the tail!
What would the neighbours think?
6. Wash day on a Monday! NEVER hang clothes on the weekend,
or on Sunday, for Heaven's sake!
7. Hang the sheets and towels on the OUTSIDE lines so you could
hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts & busybodies, y'know!)
8. It didn't matter if it was sub-zero weather... clothes would "freeze-dry."
9. ALWAYS gather the clothes pegss when taking down dry clothes!
Pegs left on the lines were "tacky"!
10. If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so that each item did not need two clothes pegs, but shared one of the clothes pegs with the next washed item.
11. Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.
12. IRONED??!! Well, that's a whole OTHER subject!
And now a POEM...
A clothesline was a news forecast, To neighbours passing by,
There were no secrets you could keep, when clothes were hung to dry.
It also was a friendly link, For neighbours always knew
If company had stopped on by, to spend a night or two.
For then you'd see the "fancy sheets", And towels upon the line;
You'd see the "company table cloths", With intricate designs.
The line announced a baby's birth, From folks who lived inside,
As brand new infant clothes were hung, So carefully with pride!
The ages of the children could, So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed, You'd know how much they'd grown!
It also told when illness struck, As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe too, Haphazardly were strung.
It also said, "On holidays now", When lines hung limp and bare.
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged, With not an inch to spare!
New folks in town were scorned upon, If wash was dingy and grey,
As neighbours carefully raised their brows, And looked the other way.
But clotheslines now are of the past, For dryers make work much less.
Now what goes on inside a home, Is anybody's guess!
I really miss that way of life, It was a friendly sign
When neighbours knew each other best... By what hung on the line.
Cheers - John
My Mum had a clothes line like that... My, we are showing or age now !!
Gday...
And thinking about washing day ... this was the sort of laundry we had when we lived in Biggenden in QLD back in the 1950s.
When we moved to Victoria, we had a 'copper' in the laundry like this ...
Cheers - John
we had the old washing line as well , we also had a old mangle like this one , guess who had to turn the handle.
had to bucket the hot water from copper to tin bath in front of fire on friday night . bath time once a week in them days
What a fabulous read, and for me atleast not much has changed because my mother to this day has a clothes line still like that, and in the wash house as she still calls it, are her two huge concrete water troughs with still the old taps running into them. Next to that is the copper and yes she still uses it, the Simpson washing machine that we as kids would catch our fingers in while feeding the clothes through the rollers still works and she uses it now and again to keep it going, Mum still places a cloth between the rubber wringer rollers which of course she makes sure are released lol. And yes she even has Irons that she can use if the electricity goes out, they are ancient and she heats them up on top of her Metters number 2 Stove. So yes not much has hanged and I love it......Kisha.
Well what a great history reminder Kisha ,,,, ah the memories eh!
Terrible old photo, but look in the forground. Sometime around 1965 I recon.
Jeff
Great memories. I can relate to all the items in this post, clothes line; copper, wringer, wash tubs. I recall as a kid watching my mother doing these household chores, thinking to myself how I wish I was grown up and older. Now I'm well past that stage, I sometimes think how good it would be to be younger !!
rockylizard your Post along with Glenelg and Kendos pics, has bought back nice memories for many of us here. Also in Mums concrete troughs sits the brass plugs,the corrugated wash board sits in the troughs to, even the stick for stirring the washing in the copper is there lol. I learned to sew on mums Treadle sewing machine, its Brand is White which was introduced before Singer, the wooden cabinet is lovely, everything about that old treadle is just awesome, and its purrs along, my legs would go 100mph lol on that thing. Has an inbuilt brass tape measure, I love it thats it looks so well used and the old wood has character, I never did like the look of new wood, its a bit like us, as we get on in life one look at us and we will never be bored as each line just like those old weathered things tell an interesting story lol. So heres Cheers! to all those lovely old days that I'm so glad have never left me and some of you to by the looks of it.....Kisha