Thread Number: 74426  /  Tag: Detergents and Additives
Laundry Folk Lore & General Supersititions 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 982243   2/11/2018 at 01:51 (2,266 days old) by mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas)        

Much in my life I've learned from "the old folk," my Grandparents and older adults who have now long passed. Growing up I thought it was interesting, amusing, and educational in learning different beliefs that many lived and swore by, even though many could not prove their beliefs or superstitions. Thought it would be entertaining and fascinating to write some of them down and get everyones input. Would love to hear from everyone. I'll bet we'll learn something. I'll start:

My Grandmother strongly believed the phase of the moon and the weather dictated how the laundry would turn out in the end. A full moon would produce a cleaner wash, the whites would be whiter and overall the laundry easier to process.

Across the street lives an elderly woman in her 90's and she told me that if you had dingy whites to hang them outside and leave them overnight during a full moon. The clothes have to be dry when hanging them out but they'll be much whiter in the morning. She said she didn't why it worked, but she swore by it. I had never heard of something like that.

My mother believed that rainy and / or damp weather caused excessive wrinkling. Even if clothes are dried in the dryer. She ironed many basket loads of clothes during the rainy seasons. Today it was misting drizzling outside and I washed a couple of loads of clothes and sure enough they came out more wrinkled out of the dryer than I would have preferred, she was right!

Lasty, I learned from a cooking show on CREATE TV, red beans and rice was always cooked on laundry days in the south, usually on Mondays. The beans would cook slow while laundry was prepared. Very simple and easy recipe because the focus of the day was laundry.
While we're on food, I was taught that if you eat onions a lot in your diet it will help ward off flu, colds, and illnesses. Planting certain vegitables and flowers was also dictated by the moon.

Anyone else?

Barry





Post# 982246 , Reply# 1   2/11/2018 at 02:11 (2,266 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Cannot help with the rest

 launderess's profile picture
But yes, on Monday (traditional laundry day), dinner was some version of a slow cooked meal, left overs from Sunday's roast/joint, or whatever. That is if the family got hot meal at all; even the most brute of a husband knew just how far he could push for a hot meal on wash day.

As mentioned previously in another thread beauty of those old coal or wood fired ranges or even the gas fired AGA versions, is one could put something into the "roasting oven", leave it and get on with one's day. Throw a bit of meat and somethings else into a dutch oven, shove it into the roasting oven for several hours and you had dinner.

Post# 982247 , Reply# 2   2/11/2018 at 02:14 (2,266 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Other laundry superstitions.

 launderess's profile picture
In many cultures it was "unclean" for a female to do the washing during her time of the month. So if wash day fell during that period it would need to be rescheduled.



Post# 982328 , Reply# 3   2/11/2018 at 15:12 (2,265 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

turquoisedude's profile picture

I remember my Grandma, a good Yorkshire lass, said it was bad luck to do laundry on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday).  I've never been able to find any reference to this anywhere - perhaps it was a very specific regional superstition.
Post# 982349 , Reply# 4   2/11/2018 at 17:05 (2,265 days old) by liamy1 (-)        
Only...

 Sort of laundry superstition I follow (and am not sure if it is true, but I’m sure I did read it somwhere) is that I won’t do laundry on New Years Day (i’m usually out anyway visiting family etc).

I probably wouldn’t do laundry Christmas Day either, but again I’m always at family houses anyway,

Every other day of the year is fair game, but in truth normally only do laundry on none work days (3 or 4 days a week), and it can be anytime of day or night (I have laundry on now at 11pm), I just don’t have time on work days at all.


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