City of Riverside California Metropolitan Museum

Back Porch...

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COPPER BOILER     (no picture...)

Maria Parloa, writing in the "Ladies' Home Journal", offered the following advice regarding laundry day:

On Monday, as soon as the water is warm, put the clothes to soak in strong suds. After the breakfast dishes have been washed begin to wash the clothes. While one boilerful is being scalded and a second batch of clothes has been prepared for the boiler, put out the line. Now put the scalded clothes in the rinsing water. Take nearly all the hot suds from the boiler, and replace with clean cold water, and put the second batch of clothes to scald in this. Rinse the first lot and put on the lines to dry; continue the work until everything except the flannels and the colored articles have been washed. When all the clothes have been washed, clean the laundry. Do the chamber work, and then prepare the family dinner. After the noon-day meal, wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. Bathe and change your clothes; after resting, take your clothes from the lines and sprinkle and fold them. Iron the flannels, and after that prepare the evening meal.

The major ironing was reserved for Tuesday.

WASHING MACHINE     (Picture...)

This washing machine with an agitator powered by a mighty hand and arm was the state of the art for doing laundry in the late nineteenth century.

PIE SAFE     (Picture...)

The sides of the pine pie safe are not of woven wire, but of pierced sheet metal.

COOLER ROOM     (no picture...)

The cooler room was the home of the ice-box, which had a maintenance schedule all its own. Miss Perloa, in the "Ladies' Home Journal", advised:

On Thursday, after the regular work is done, the morning should be devoted to various odd tasks. First clean the refrigerator, removing everything from it, even the ice. Wash the ice rack and the shelves first, and, if possible, dry them in the open air; wash and rinse the refrigerator, being sure that every crease and corner is made perfectly clean. Be sure that the pipe which carries off the waste water is perfectly clean. Wipe the sides, top and bottom with a dry towel. Keep the door open for half an hour; then replace the shelves, ice and food. 

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