A Fascinating Glimpse into the History - and Future - of Laundry
It may come as a shock to some of us to realize that washing machines and dryers haven't always been around. If we're honest about it, we probably take most of our modern appliances for granted. Yet in the overall span of history, the washer and dryer we depend on today are very recent developments.
Sometimes it's good to take a look back in time to appreciate what we have now.
Let's start at the beginning.
WHAT IS LAUNDRY?
Medieval times were a period in history from around 500 to 1450, depending on which expert you ask. We tend to romanticize that time period, but it was, in fact, harsh with many challenges. Doing laundry back then had its own challenges.
For those who find etymology interesting, the medieval word lavandry comes from the old French word lave. Lave in French means to wash, which is why we also call the bathroom the lavatory.
Lavandry sounds like the flower lavender, and for a good reason. The lavender scent was used for washing, bathing, and to mask unpleasant odors, all the way into the 19th century.
The word laundry first came into the English language in 1530 and usually referred to the act and place of washing itself, versus what got washed, as we use the term today.
Through the Ages
Prior to 1800
If you have an image in your mind of women hitting clothes in a river with a rock, you're not wrong. In fact, that's still a common method in some undeveloped parts of the world today. This was called, logically enough, riverside washing.
There were also wash houses and tubs in use in some places. Along with rocks, women used special tools known by various names, such as:
- Laundry or Washing Bats
- Possing-Sticks
- Washing Beetles
- Paddles
- Dollies
- Spades