Objects

In the pre-war period, before the introduction of the comforts and amenities we have today, housework required much more time and making particular arrangements. As the author recalls, his mother would take out the washboard once a week and wash clothes and whites, including nightwear. During one of his trips, his father managed to bring back home a very convenient tool – a laundry wringer. A true novelty, the neighbours would often borrow it, and the wringer quickly gave out. The family never repaired it, as they knew that it would once again start attracting borrowers. And so once again laundry had to be wrung by hand.

Large textiles, such as bed linen or tablecloths, were washed once a month. It was a physically demanding task, so the mother would pay a woman – Jadwiga – to come and do the laundry in a big wooden tub placed in the middle of the kitchen. There was no running water, and it needed to be fetched by the water carrier. This is why women would take the soapy laundry to the river and rinse it there. They would then wring the fabrics and take them home.

Małgorzata Bogdańska-Krzyżanek