Washday

Before automatic machines, getting through the family's weekly laundry was hard going

- 

As our electric washing machines murmur quietly in the background, and the tumble dryer has clothes fresh and aired in less than an hour, it's hard to remember how laborious and exhausting washday used to be for our parents or grandparents.

In the traditional folk song Dashing Away With the Smoothing Iron, the singer's darling takes a whole week to get through the washing, with starching, drying, airing and folding, along with using a 'smoothing' flatiron that would have needed reheating on the stove every few minutes.

Hard labour