My apologies for not posting on Thursday and Friday of last week, I have been ill with flu but am feeling better now. My first instinct, apart from getting back to work, was to wash all the linen in a hot wash. Easily done in a modern washing machine but it made me think about how all those sheets and towels were cleaned before mechanical help. So here she is – the famous Dolly tub – this version in galvanised steel dates from around 1920.
Water was heated in the tub and the clothes were agitated using a Dolly – a long handle attached to what looks like a little three or four legged stool. It was said that to wash well the dolly should be twisted 100 times for each item in the tub. Today these period tubs make attractive planters for the garden and, as for the Dolly itself, I’ve seen their long handles put to good use, threaded with a multitude of loo rolls in a large family bathroom!
