Quotidian matters

Quotidian--everyday, commonplace. Mondays are days for quotidian matters--for washing, for cleaning the kitchen, for putting away the toys of the weekend.

I guess Mondays have always been days for washing--there are even nursery rhymes to that effect. I find it interesting that one of the best-selling non-fiction books today is about laundry: Laundry: The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes and Linens by Cheryl Mendelson. This her second book about quotidian tasks. The first was called Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House. It was also a best seller.

I haven't read the book, but I guess my mother would shake her head that someone would actually write a book about laundry. She spent many of her years of marriage loading clothes in the car and taking them to the local laundry--not for someone else to do them, but for her to spend two hours washing them herself in an old round washing machine with a roller for getting the water out. I went with her many times to help. As I remember, the clothes were first put in a tub to soak, then washed in the machine and then the dirty water was rolled out. Then they were put in another tub to rinse, and then rolled again. Then we took them home and put them on a clothes line outside to dry in the sun. No clothing driers available then. I was in charge of hanging most of the things, but I was not allowed to hang the sheets--they were too big to handle.

Of course in drying clothes outside, one must always clean the line with a wet rag first, and then get the clothespin bag (usually a cloth bag with a wire fit into it allowing it to be hung on the line). I remember how tired my arms got while hanging the towels, washcloths, handkerchiefs, my dad's work clothes, and my brother's levis.
Those of us who remember those days also remember how clean and good the gathered laundry smelled when you brought it in. And sleeping on those sunshined -dryed sheets that first night was heaven. By the way, Mendelson says that we really should have beds made up of two easily washed sheets,rather than covered with hard to wash duvets or blankets.Because (our beds) "receive saliva, perspiration (as much as a cup each night)body oils, more intimate fluids and skin flakes". I don't when I have sweated a cup of perspiration at night in sleep, but that is what she says.

I don't remember if we used Tide then or not--I do remember the Clorox for whites and the bluing ( to enhance the white--I don't know if that is made anymore--I haven't seen it in the stores). And of course, we didn't just do one load--there multiple loads--one for whites, one for our better clothes, one for work clothes and one for sheets. You can see why she needed my help in keeping all these going. I don't how much the laundry cost at Mr. Grubbs's laundry, but I suspect he made a very good living from it. The laundry itself smelled wonderful--soap suds, Clorox,etc. The floor was always wet, and we had to watch where we stepped. My mom knew just what day to go, so that enough washing machines would be available for our week's washing for five people.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mr. Kenmore and Maytag for your fabulous inventions which we so often take for granted.