Laundry day

Most Amish women tend to wash clothes using an old-time tub-style wringer washers. Some Old Order and Swartzentruber Amish still use boiling water in a large pot and “swoosh” the clothes around until the clothes are clean. There’s usually a set schedule for laundry day, for many Amish families it is Monday.

There are different ways to get clothing dry. Many Amish, especially in the Midwest, use the traditional head-level T-pole clotheslines.

A number of Amish ladies rely on one or two extra-long lines strung up to a tree, a high pole or the barn. A rotating wheel or pully mechanism brings the line in and out to hang the wash on and collect it when dry.

A sunny, breezy day is a great day for getting clothes dry. Laundry day takes up a big chunk of the day. The clothes must be washed, rinsed, hung out, gathered in, pressed, folded and put away.