[Vella Gonzaga]

Wood-fired copper​

Credits: Facebook/Australia Remember When

Remember the old wood-fired copper? Before washing machines, Aussies relied on this trusty contraption for laundry day. Mums would light the wood-fired copper to boil water before bringing out the washboard, wooden tongs, and Reckitt’s Blue. Do you have fond memories of laundry day? Tell us in the comments.

 

[Jethrotull]

Mum, used to add a blue ball to make sheets whiter.. My job was to lift out the washing with a stick into the basin and push them through the ringer.. it was hard work..

 

[featherfour]

Mum used to wash the dog in the copper. I would see that little gas flame under the big tub of water and our dog in the water, and I'm not gonna lie. I was sometimes a bit worried that Mum might accidentally cook our dog.

 

[featherfour]

I loved having a copper one year in a place we were renting. I was spinning and dyeing my own wool and the copper was fantastic for dyeing, didn't have to add a mordant.

 

[Judio]

Wood-fired copper​

View attachment 39278

Credits: Facebook/Australia Remember When

Remember the old wood-fired copper? Before washing machines, Aussies relied on this trusty contraption for laundry day. Mums would light the wood-fired copper to boil water before bringing out the washboard, wooden tongs, and Reckitt’s Blue. Do you have fond memories of laundry day? Tell us in the comments.

My grandmother also used it to 'steam' the annual christmas puddings - piece of wood set across the top and the puddings dangling in the boiling water. Very versatile bit of equipment!

 

[Rosie2023!]

Sure in those times back in the 40 s. There was no money, the War was on, Parents had little kids, the clothes had to be washed.. the copper went on, then clothes were drained in cement like twin tubs which had a lump of blue to whiten the whites, then went in the hand controlled wringer, and hung out on the line which was in the backyard and held up with a clothes prop, life was not easy.

 

[Nichola]

I loved having a copper one year in a place we were renting. I was spinning and dyeing my own wool and the copper was fantastic for dyeing, didn't have to add a mordant.

A friend of mine did that in the 1970's. She would spin and dye the wool using the copper in the laundry of a big old house we shared. She eventually bought a spinning wheel that was made by prisoners in Pentridge Gaol. We used to save all our onion skins for her to use in dyeing.

 

[Rob/Bob]

Yes I remember it
We had one out the back laundry in the corner
We later on the farm as we got more modernised used it to cook Marron and boil water for lots of things

 

[Pamysmith93]

Sure in those times back in the 40 s. There was no money, the War was on, Parents had little kids, the clothes had to be washed.. the copper went on, then clothes were drained in cement like twin tubs which had a lump of blue to whiten the whites, then went in the hand controlled wringer, and hung out on the line which was in the backyard and held up with a clothes prop, life was not easy.

I remember it well

 

[GoodEnough]

Wood-fired copper​

View attachment 39278

Credits: Facebook/Australia Remember When

Remember the old wood-fired copper? Before washing machines, Aussies relied on this trusty contraption for laundry day. Mums would light the wood-fired copper to boil water before bringing out the washboard, wooden tongs, and Reckitt’s Blue. Do you have fond memories of laundry day? Tell us in the comments.

I see a big irony in today's newsletter fondly reminiscing about wood fired coppers while also telling us wood heaters are bad.

 

[Jarred Santos]

Mum used to wash the dog in the copper. I would see that little gas flame under the big tub of water and our dog in the water, and I'm not gonna lie. I was sometimes a bit worried that Mum might accidentally cook our dog.

It's all fun and games until mum brings out the seasoning... (kidding, I love dogs!)

 

[JustPat]

We had one in the old outside laundry in Shenton Park WA - we lived there over 60 years ago and the front part of the house still had the tinned ceilings and walls and fire places in the front room which was my sister and my bedroom and one in the lounge. Windows in the front part of the house were stained glass. Later dad gutted the outside laundry and converted it to another bathroom with connection through the kitchen putting in a door were the old pantry was. We mainly used the old boiler to old ice and drinks when we hosted parties - biggest ice bucket out along with the two big cement tubs.

 

[Gsr]

My grandparents and lots of friends had these types of coppers in a wash house as we used to call them, the wash house was always outside the main house. Grandma used to use hers to preserve her fruit in the old Fowlers vacola fruit bottles, cook Christmas puddings, boil different meat cuts, cook yabbies from the dams and creeks, as well as washing, for bath water, washing up and anything she needed hot water for., apart from cooking and cuppas. It also warmed the wash house up so it was nice and warm when we had a bath in the cement tubs in winter. There was no bath tub so when you got too big for the cement tub grandma had a large metal dish and we stood in it and bathed that way. Our copper was a smaller version, outside on a stand with an open fire underneath it, clothes were washed in it using a stick to swirl them around in the hot or boiling water. A bag of blue was always added to whiten the whites and brighten the colours. We didn’t have a wringer, so we carefully lifted the steaming clothes out with the stick and tossed them over the clothesline til they cooled enough we could wring some water out of them, spread them out, then peg them with the wooden dolly pegs. We also cooked in the copper, the same foods grandma cooked. Our clothesline also had a wooden tree branch with a forked end as a prop to hold it up high so the larger items were off the ground.