Oh pshaw, on Wed 14 Nov 2007 08:03:42p, Boron Elgar meant to say...

> On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:54:43 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>>Oh pshaw, on Wed 14 Nov 2007 07:46:04p, Boron Elgar meant to say...
>>
>>> On Thu, 15 Nov 2007 02:30:54 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>>Oh pshaw, on Wed 14 Nov 2007 03:23:10p, Mark Thorson meant to say...
>>>>
>>>>> The Cook wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In the mid 1960's no iron sheets became available. Someone asked
>>>>>> me if I had used them. I replied that my sheets had always been no
>>>>>> iron.
>>>>>
>>>>> Yup. I can't imagine ironing sheets. Why would
>>>>> anybody do that unless it was for a photograph
>>>>> to be used in an advertisement for selling sheets
>>>>> or beds or something?
>>>>>
>>>>> And how would you do it, even if you wanted to?
>>>>> I suppose you'd have to do it a section at a
>>>>> time, advancing it by one ironing-board-width
>>>>> section at a time. If it's a large sheet
>>>>> (king or queen size), you'd have to repeat that in
>>>>> ironing-board-length swathes. Utter insanity!
>>>>
>>>>My mom ironed every fabric in the house except towels and underwear.
>>>>For large flat items, she had an "electric ironer" similar to this:
>>>>
>>>> http://tinyurl.com/2nr8k9
>>>>
>>>>It made pretty fast work of flat pieces.
>>>
>>>
>>> My mom's mangle was actually quite a thing to look at. It came in a
>>> beautiful wood cabinet that, when closed, looked like a high legged
>>> sideboard. Quite lovely.
>>>
>>> I have early childhood memories of her late-night ironing sessions.
>>> She did sheets in a flash and my dad's shirts almost as fast. I loved
>>> to watch. I liked the steam that arose from the damp clothes and the
>>> hissing sounds and fresh smell.
>>>
>>> Boron
>>>
>>
>>That does bring back memories! My mom's mangle wasn't in a fancy
>>cabinet, just white enamelled steel, but it was kept in our finished
>>basement. I'd forgotten that she also did my dad's shirts on it too.
>
> My mom had an Ironrite. Scroll down this page until you see:
>
> The Wood-tone Ironrite Model 88
>
> The one in the photo is not in good shape at all, but that is close to
> it. Everything in that room was mahogany, so I assume her Ironrite
> was, too. When it was closed up, it had a doily and a bowl of wax
> fruit on it!
>
> Boron
>

Very nice! I can see why one like that could have it's place in a room
full of nice furniture.

At the time my mom had the mangle, she was still using a wringer washer and
double laundry tubs for rinsing. It was a large old house, and we had a
"drying room" in the basement as well. Clothes lines strung from end to
end, and hotter air piped from the furnace. Of course, in better weather
the clothes were hung outdoors.

Laundry was really an all day job back then.

--
Wayne Boatwright

(to e-mail me direct, replace cox dot net with gmail dot com)
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