The Old Wringer Washing Machine
November 4, 2011
The old wringer washing machine stands in our farmhouse basement.
My Dad still uses the old Maytag wringer machine for his Monday laundry.
This post is a followup to yesterday’s post about housework. When I was growing up, all housework fell in the realm of girl chores. We even had to make our brothers’ beds! (It’s no wonder I’ve become a feminist!)
My Dad is now a widower and lives alone, so he has had to take on a full share of “women’s work.” He has to shop for his groceries, prepare his meals, wash up his dishes, do the laundry, and yes, even make his own bed. He does very well indeed, but I notice that whenever I come home, he is more than happy to make us breakfast and then leave the rest of the meal planning and cooking to me. It gives him a welcomed break.
Dad still uses the old wringer Maytag washing machine for his Monday laundry. My mother refused to upgrade to an automatic machine (she thought they wasted water), and my Dad carries on in the same way. I suppose the wringer machine will finally get to rest when Dad can no longer cope with the basement stairs. I hope that’s a long time yet.
Watercolor sketch of the wringer washing machine
Rosemary's Blog 
November 4, 2011 at 6:09 am
What a lovely post. I have so enjoyed the pictures of your home & home town. From a prior post – your family church is beautiful. So much history, so many memories.
November 4, 2011 at 6:32 am
does this bring back memories…I absolutely love the stone basement as well…both vintage
November 4, 2011 at 6:53 am
oh rosemary, these posts are just pulling at my heartstrings. this is just priceless. having just taught my 87 year old dad how to do the wash (on a new washing machine) this post is especially wonderful to me. and as always i love your watercolors.
November 4, 2011 at 7:14 am
One of my earliest memories is of helping my grandmother do the laundry on the farm, feeding the clothes through the wringer and hanging them on the line to dry using plain wooden pegs. Beautiful photos and watercolor!
November 4, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Priceless photos…
November 4, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Your watercolor of the old Maytag strikes right to the heart! Any chance I might get a print?
November 5, 2011 at 9:19 am
Isn’t it interesting, too, how those old machines just keep on going, while the new ones seem to last just a few years? The refrigerator my parents set up housekeeping with was finally let go – still in fine working order – about 55 years later, when the kitchen was remodeled.
November 5, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Well, I should say that there TWO Maytag wringers in the basement — one fully functioning and the other for spare parts. I believe my brother picked up the second one at a farm auction for about $5, and if I remember the story correctly, the former owner used it for washing cucumbers/pickle-making, not for laundry!
Every time I go home I seem to be reminded how farmers like my dad or brothers are true jacks-of-all-trades. When something breaks, they tinker around and always manage to fix it, even temporarily, so that work can continue. It’s admirable.
November 9, 2011 at 9:45 pm
I found your blog through a comment you left on Gene Logsdon’s blog, and I must say it’s lovely. I would like to put out there that if your father ever thinks of getting rid of his two maytags, and if no one else in the family wants them, I would be very interested in purchasing them. Newer wringer-washers are extremely expensive and from what I’ve read they tend to wear out quickly. Just a thought!
November 10, 2011 at 9:38 am
Melissa,
Thanks for your comment! We’ll refer back to this should dad ever need to sell them!
November 11, 2011 at 8:21 am
pioromano reblogged this on She Loves To Do Laundry.com and commented: The most updated, state of the art equipment.
July 11, 2013 at 6:00 am
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