Several years ago, a grandmother in Alabama gave a new bride a recipe for how to hand wash clothes she found in an old scrapbook. Here is the recipe, printed as it originally appeared — misspellings and all.
Warshing Clothes
Build fire in backyard to heat kettle of rainwater.
Set tubs so smoke won’t blow in eyes if wind is pert.
Shave one hole cake of lie soap in boilin’ water.
Sort things, make 3 piles – 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags.
To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with boilin’ water.
Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and boil, then rub colored; don’t boil just wrench and starch.
Take things out of kettle with broom stick handle, wrench and starch.
Hang old rags on fence.
Spread tea towels on grass.
Pour wrench water in flower bed.
Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
Turn tubs upside down.
Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.
Brew cup of tea, sit, rock a spell, and count yore blessins.
NOTE: For non-Southerners, wrench means rinse.
