Medieval laundress is not impressed with modern clothes washing technology
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- Опубліковано 17 січ 2022
- If you were a medieval laundress who saw a magic machine that washed and dried clothes for you, you might feel the same way! Nearly all the historical myths we believe about laundry are medieval facts. To learn more, check out my video on the how laundry was done in the middle ages!
Whatever we think about medieval hygiene, medieval people did do laundry. I love historical myth busting and medieval history myths are rarely true, but the history of doing laundry will make you very grateful you are not washing clothes in medieval times! Medieval laundry day was nowhere near as easy as it is today. Laundry in the middle ages was a complicated process, and historical laundry was done with the same methods for centuries afterwards. Medieval laundry involved intense physical labor, making your own laundry soap, some pretty frightening cleaning products, and literally beating the dirt out of your clothes. This is one of the few middle ages myths that is almost every bit as bad as bad as you think it is.
The history of doing the laundry is, predictably, pretty dirty. Washing machines, and even old-fashioned mangles hadn't been invented, so the history of washing clothes is full of little tasks that had to be done by hand. Most people in Medieval Europe wore linen undergarments that covered their whole bodies to keep their outer layers cleaner, and only laundered their linens. There was no medieval laundry room, instead you had to take your clothes to a stream, river, fountain, or communal city wash-house and do them there. The history of laundry soap isn't any more pleasant, with most people using home-made lye solutions made from ashes or harsh black liquid soap, and gentle Castille soap being much more expensive. Sometimes clothes had to be soaked for hours at a time in lye or ammonia to bleach stains and grayness out, before being taken to the river and rinsed, beaten with a paddle, and rinsed again. Finally, after washing, a medieval laundress had to rely on the weather and spread the wet clothes out on the fields to dry, hoping and praying that it didn't rain.
It's very rare for me to talk about historical myths that are true instead of busting them, but medieval washing clothes was almost every bit as awful of a job as we picture it. Are you feeling more appreciative of your laundry machine now? I know I am!
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That's why we have... THE CHAIR!
And when I have to sit in the chair, "the foot of the bed" 😅
Nah we next level. Leave that shit in the basket until they’re all worn 💀
@@milflover6969 ROTFLMAO! 🤣 aka The Cats Bed in my house! 🐈⬛🐈🛏
Honestly I have two baskets for dirty and clean and call it good 👍👍👍
@@sarahglover1262 Works for me. The *ONLY* times I actually put stuff in drawers. Is if my Mum is coming over, or I have a rental inspection.
Also, you'd still have to iron it!
I can barely bring myself to iron fabric before I cut it 😭
Ironing is so boring... the only way I can deal with it is if I blast opera and sing along.
Especially those super voluminous skirts/dresses that just never end. I can relate to Brünnhilde riding into a funeral pyre.
@@akechijubeimitsuhide
The visual though 😂
Watching my favourite You Tube sewing people makes ironing go faster.
Not unless you use a spray 😏
100% completely agree. I want one that folds may clothes for me too!
"We also have a dishwasher now!"
"It cleans the dishes automatically?"
"Yes! Well, umm, you have to wash the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher otherwise they don't really get clean."
"How is any of this better than 200 years ago?"
"We have TV now where people act out stories like on a stage but you can watch in your living room."
"What kind of 'plays' do you watch on the 'tv'?"
"Uhhh, shows about the lives of servants 200 years ago."
"Am I in the Twilight Zone?"
"Oh that's on later."
Folding machines exist but they are thousands of dollars. not worth it.
I think the two competing folding machine companies both died. They could make machines that would fold normal clothes, but the machines had too high a faill rate for unusual clothes like an asymmetrical neckline or holey clothes etc.
There’s actually a large plastic board and the ends close in on itself and you just have to put the shirt in the middle and fold each end in open it up and it’s folded. (I’m describing it because I forgot it’s name)
The Medieval Laundress should become a series
I wonder, what she would make of vacuum robots. Now, if those wouldn't seem possessed by an evil spirit to a medieval person, I don't know what would be.
Especially with the way cats are attracted to them 😅
I feel like their beeps of distress when they mistakenly attempt to eat the corner of a rug would help persuade her that vacuum robots are too stupid to be evil.
@@Eloraurora
There's a special place in hell for the person, who decided, it was a good idea to make household appliances emit annoying *beeps* all the time.
@@raraavis7782
Especially in response to pushing a physical button, because why would I need a noise to tell me that I've pushed the button when I can _feel_ it?
@@ragnkja
I know. Makes me want to kick things.
Can't they at least use a pleasant sound?
Why does it have to be a *beeeeep* ?
Folding laundry is awful, necessary but awful.
We all agree with medieval V!
lol yep
Seriously, robotics engineers, you need to get on this!
@@SnappyDragon Several companies have tried to make one but they've all ended up folding themselves.
"washing machine?? You want to put yourself out of a job??"
A fellow victorian way enjoyer, i see
Contour sheets. Get on that invention someone. PLEASE.
I want to find out how does a medieval laundress reacts to seeing a simple washboard being used to laundering clothes.
Maybe in another 500 years that issue will be solved too
Can confirm, washing clothes is fun. Folding clothes....... Not so much
People think I like folding clothes because I fold them as I pull them out of the dryer. Thing is I hate it and I'm just trying to get a hated chore ASAP!
It’s nice to fold them when they’re warm because warm
There's a machine that folds your clothes
And you still have to iron it too.
Didn't people only own one outfit back then? Because it was such a process to make clothes?
Clothes can't be tumble folded.
No we have a machine to fold clothes
But it’s out of middle class people reach
But rich people have servants
Um actually, folding is optional.
What you are using on your head?
And thats what kids are for
LOL!
No one does sweetie