"Warshing Clothes"

The following is a set of instructions for washing clothes that a Kentucky grandmother gave to a new bride in days gone by.  It has been presented just as it was written and found in a scrapbook, and despite the spelling, it has a bit of philosophy and some good ole common sense.   If you have to ask a grandparent or another appropriate "old timer" to explain some of this, you're either way too young or you've lost touch with your roots!  Enjoy!

Warshing Clothes

1.  Bilt fire in backyard to heat kettle of rain water.
2.  Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert.
3.  Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water.
4.  Sort things, make 3 piles, 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile
work britches and rags.
5.  To make starch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down
with bilin water.
6.  Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then
bile.  Rub colored, don't bile, just rinch and starch.
7.  Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and
starch.
8.  Hang old rags on fence.
9.  Spread tea towels on grass.
10.  Pore rinch water in flower bed.
11.  Scrub porch with hot soapy water.
12.  Turn tubs upside down.
13.  Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs.
14.  Brew cup of tea, sit an rock a spell and count your blessings.

There you have it.  While water was not so much scarce in those days, having to tote it all made one think conservatively and to make it do double duty!