Blue Monday

Laundry has generally been considered by women to be the most dreaded of household chores. Indeed, "Blue Monday" (the popular term for laundry day before the turn of the century) hinted to more than the blueing agent used in rinse water, it also signalled the drudgery involved in the washing process. "Blue Monday" in itself, however, was somewhat of a misnomer. In fact, prior to the automation of laundry, the typical wash cycle involved days of hard labour

The work really began on Sunday. Women sorted and then soaked soiled and stained articles in warm water overnight. This required heating and hauling water. Early the next morning, litres of water were again hauled from a water source to the stove and then brought to a boil in a wash boiler (940154). The rubbing, scrubbing, and scouring of the family's washables then began. Water-laden items, from delicate garments to heavy bed linens, were wrung out by hand. In this way, a woman exposed her hands to water, extreme temperatures, and caustic cleaning agents like lye, sal soda, lime, and borax. A rinsing stage followed. It involved reimmersing garments into rinse water tinted with a blueing agent that counteracted the yellowing caused by soaps (940095). Again, the woman removed excess water from garments by hand. She then lugged the damp lot outside, lifted each piece from the laundry basket and pegged it on a clothesline to dry (840308). The cycle repeated for each load -- a process that took all day. The following morning, the arduous task of starching and ironing began.

Hick's Wash Mitt, a hand-operated washing aid manufactured by Duro Aluminium Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, c.1916 (950570). Photo courtesy of Imager.

An Express washer, manufacturer unknown (950571). The user rubbed this device over wet, soapy clothes. Photo courtesy of Imager.