[Suzanne rose]

Old washing machines​

I remember mum and nan using one if these and my mother getting her hands caught in the wringer .

We have come so far with household white goods and young wives of today think they have it hard !

 

[Ricki]

My first washing machine was like the one pictured. Don't miss it a bit.

 

[Jarred Santos]

My first washing machine was like the one pictured. Don't miss it a bit.

Given what @Suzanne rose said, I'm dying to ask if your fingers are alright @Ricki?

 

[Penny4]

When I was at primary school, there was a boy who lost his feet due to those wringer washing machines.
It apparently happened when he was little, and couldn't resist it when his mother wasn't looking.
Didn't stop him doing anything, as he had artificial stumps back then and could run so fast on them.
I'm sure even today, he would be okay.

 

[Jarred Santos]

When I was at primary school, there was a boy who lost his feet due to those wringer washing machines.
It apparently happened when he was little, and couldn't resist it when his mother wasn't looking.
Didn't stop him doing anything, as he had artificial stumps back then and could run so fast on them.
I'm sure even today, he would be okay.

Oh dear, this really puts things in perspective, and I apologise for making light of it... Hopefully they're fine, wherever they are!

 

[Penny4]

Oh dear, this really puts things in perspective, and I apologise for making light of it... Hopefully they're fine, wherever they are!

He had an older sister who looked after him, if anyone said nasty things to him. Both would be okay I'm sure.
My mother hated those wringers. Before those she used a copper with boiling water to wash clothes. She was very happy when electric twin tubs came in.

 

[Ricki]

Given what @Suzanne rose said, I'm dying to ask if your fingers are alright @Ricki?

Never lost any digits but destroyed some sheets that got wrapped up to tightly

 

[Jarred Santos]

He had an older sister who looked after him, if anyone said nasty things to him. Both would be okay I'm sure.
My mother hated those wringers. Before those she used a copper with boiling water to wash clothes. She was very happy when electric twin tubs came in.

In another post, a member said how they loved their washing machines (as opposed to the old methods) and I have to say I understand the relief in not having to jump through hoops just to have clean clothing

Never lost any digits but destroyed some sheets that got wrapped up to tightly

Better the sheets than any digits, I say

 

[RTS]

I fed my arm into an old model in Auckland. Luckily the electric socket was close enough to reach with my other hand.
Later models had a safety release mechanism.

 

[Milica]

i remember using one of these still in the early 70's (westinghouse or simpson?) - when my son was born and still a few years after that-as a child myself-we grew up with the copper that my mother used to boil the clothes, the scubbing board & cement troughs that we helped with the smaller items of the wash & the clothes line between two poles, with the branch in the middle! It was a hard way of life for mothers then - everything was done by hand, not too mention all the home cooking - they deserve more than they received - it was a simple but grateful life, full of a mothers love! When i got older i helped with the wood chopping for the metters for cooking and in the house/bathroom for the hot water for baths! It still to me was a good life, i loved the time & the way that i was brought up in!

 

[Jarred Santos]

i remember using one of these still in the early 70's (westinghouse or simpson?) - when my son was born and still a few years after that-as a child myself-we grew up with the copper that my mother used to boil the clothes, the scubbing board & cement troughs that we helped with the smaller items of the wash & the clothes line between two poles, with the branch in the middle! It was a hard way of life for mothers then - everything was done by hand, not too mention all the home cooking - they deserve more than they received - it was a simple but grateful life, full of a mothers love! When i got older i helped with the wood chopping for the metters for cooking and in the house/bathroom for the hot water for baths! It still to me was a good life, i loved the time & the way that i was brought up in!

Surely your mum appreciated all the help you could offer

I fed my arm into an old model in Auckland. Luckily the electric socket was close enough to reach with my other hand.
Later models had a safety release mechanism.

Oh no! No lasting injuries from that, I hope

 

[Milica]

Surely your mum appreciated all the help you could offer

Oh no! No lasting injuries from that, I hope

I'm sure - & she did, it was just something you did as part of the family back then - growing up in the 50's - way different for mothers & familys now as times from then, "they are a changing" - just the natural progression of living! Nothing stays the same forever, luckily! life is meant to become easier, especially as we age:_)

 

[RTS]

Surely your mum appreciated all the help you could offer

Oh no! No lasting injuries from that, I hope

No injuries, just a greater awareness of things that bite and catch.

 

[Macarj]

Yes when I was a kid in early 1960 we had one of those we also had what was called a copper that used to heat up to boiling point to do all the whites my grandmother lived with us from 1964 and she would threaten us with the copper stick if we misbehaved ,the copper stick was a flat length of timber she used to stir the clothes around in the copper

 

[Gsr]

I remember when my mum got her first washing machine, it was one of these. She got her arm caught in the wringer one day and by the time I heard her yelling for help and stopped the wringer her arm had gone through up to her elbow. She had an extremely painful, swollen, bruised arm for a few weeks, could have been worse but luckily the wringers had a little bit of give in them for thicker clothes. I had to stay home from school until she was able to look after the three under school age kids, one a baby, on her own. Dad worked away at a sawmill all week and back then sick leave for any reason wasn’t a thing so with eight kids he couldn’t afford to take the time off work. I was ten when this happened, second eldest of eight kids. Just the way life was back then and I wouldn’t change it for anything.