I did start a spreadsheet to try to figure out if it would be a better use of my time to earn the money to run the machine or to do it by hand. It worked out at 8 hours a year more work to do it by hand, but this did not take into account the embodied energy of the systems or the freedom from consumerism, which is worth more than 8 hours a year to me. Slightly off-subject, early photos of working women sometimes feature a woman wearing a man's cap - she would be a widow who had become breadwinner and head of the household. I've taken to doing a bit of dyeing while I'm out doing the laundry too and that gets another job done which I would not usually have/make time for.

In the 14th century, Edward III installed a bathroom in the Palace of Westminster. Other people made do with wooden tubs in their bedrooms. Find sources: "Mangle"machine– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( February 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Bucket method

I did a proper clothes washing without a washing machine “dress rehearsal” yesterday and it was pretty successful. A wringer removes a lot more water from your clothes than can be removed by just twisting and wringing them out by hand. Having a clothes wringer speeds up the drying time of your laundry by at least 5 times by removing most of the water from the clothes before hanging them up to dry. So glad it went well! Soon you'll be wondering why you ever bothered with a machine. Just think, never having to wait for the washing machine repair man or search for the best/cheapest new machine when the one you've spent hundreds on part for, finally gives up the ghost. And you can have carbon neutral washing (if that's something that interests you) and get the washing done in a power cut ... That's pretty impressive Cobnut. I've been thinking about a mangle and trying to psych myself up to doing the washing by hand but so far, have always retreated to the launderette, where one can legitimately read or knit or something, so as to ensure that perverts don't make off with your underwear! my grandad added a 1/4 horespower electric motor and half a dozen big cogs to my grans ,no guards but no handle to turn bonkers thing but it dried washing ,i now have a vivid memory of clanking metal and hot soap

Most Tudors cared about their appearance. People carried mirrors made of glass or steel. They also carried combs and used tweezers, ear scoops, and bone manicure sets. In the Summer people sometimes had a bath in the local river. Sometimes they heated a cauldron of water and had a strip wash. Or they could have a ‘dry wash’ by rubbing themselves with clean linen.

Rolling pin method

Some might wonder, though, why anyone would need a hand wringer in this day and age, when washing machines are so common. After all, if you really want to conserve your energy, letting a machine do all the work would be the easiest way to go. But there are a handful of times when a hand wringer will beat out a fancy washing machine.

From about 1800 portable metal bathtubs gradually replaced wooden ones and in the 19th century, some people used hand-pumped showers. A Frenchman named Alexandre-Ferdinand Godefrey invented the hairdryer in 1890. Paper towels were invented by Arthur Scott in 1907. In the 19th century, most homes also had a scullery. In it was a ‘copper’, a metal container for heating water for washing clothes. The copper was filled with water and soap powder was added. To wash the clothes they were turned with a wooden tool called a dolly. Or you used a metal plunger with holes in it to push clothes up and down. I'm trying keep the rubber in good condition, so I've got into the habit of washing down with warm clean water and taking off the pressure after each use.Joel Houghton invented the first dishwasher in 1850. A Frenchman named Eugene Daquin invented another version in 1885. However, Josephine Cochrane invented the first successful dishwasher in 1886. By 2009 36% of households in Britain had a dishwasher. Steel wool cleaning pads were invented in 1913. Any suggestions on mangle purchasing? Should I look for a particular make? I'm thinking in terms of availability of spares etc Oh, well, she'll be all right, she's got a mangle", meaning she could make a sort of living taking in washing. I also remember that communities would raise funds to get a mangle for a widow if she hadn't got one. The Steel Roll Mangle Co. of 108 Franklin Street, Chicago, Illinois, offered a gas-heated home mangle for pressing linens in 1902. In the 1930s electric mangles were developed and are still a feature of many laundry rooms. They consist of a rotating padded drum which revolves against a heating element which can be stationary, or can also be a rotating drum. Laundry is fed into the turning mangle and emerges flat and pressed on the other side. This process takes much less time than ironing with the usual iron and ironing board. How I love an excuse to spend money on necessary items! If only my bank manager was a bit more understanding....