Historic Hood River
“Laundry Queen”
Notes
The museum’s archives include several old washing machines like this one. As electricity quickly spread through Hood River County starting about 1904, tools like this one which reduced the drudgery of household tasks proliferated. People quickly traded their hand cranked models for machines like this which not only automatically agitated the laundry to loosen dirt, the wringer was also machine powered. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that a machine with a “spin cycle” was marketed, and they quickly made these wringer machines obsolete.
We saw a later generation here. It looks like Alva Day was selling the latest technology at the Pacific Power store, as that machine was one of the first with a spin cycle.
I like the “Safety Release” for the wringer mechanism. You can imagine fear of getting sucked through the wringer must have haunted many homemakers.
Roger H Sheldrake
I been wondering for weeks what to get my bride for our anniversary . A new fangled washing machine is just the ticket!!
L. E.
You had to have a rinse tub close by. You ran the clothes from the washer, through the wringer, into the rinse tub. You swished the clothes around in the rinse water, then ran them through the wringer a second time, into the laundry basket, to pack out to the clothes line for hanging to dry.
They also made gas powered ones, like a lawn mower engine, for areas that did not have electrical power.
L. E.
Looks like a scythe hanging up on the wall behind the lady.
nels
I remember these as a kid in the 1940’s. Maytag electric agitation, then run through the ringer, rinse and run through again into a big wicker basket. Then my 100 lb. mother lugged it up the basement stairs and then down the porch steps. Hang on line. If it starts raining, go out and throw back into the basket and then hang again to finish drying. Spread on kitchen table, shake a bottle of bleach on clothing, roll up and put in frig, then ready for ironing day the next day. Everything is cotton so high temps and no AC back then. Brother stuck his hand in the roller once. Never heard anybody yell like that.
Judy
I had a Maytag. Washed & rinsed clothes, diapers etc
clothesline – the whole bit. I did have drying racks in the house if needed. .
The ringer ruined many buttons & zippers.
Oh, I sprinkled the clothes that needed to be ironed & I couldn’t get to right away with regular water, NOT bleach water. Then they went into a plastic bag & then into the fridge so they would not mildew.
In my opinion
those were NOT the good old days😩. LOL
Pat A
Summer 1971 Fernwood Idaho.
We used a ringer machine at our multi family work encampment.
I visited there 2 days before this post.
I was just discussing it with my mom last week, she still remembers me sticking my finger in the ringer.