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Wooden lye dropper,
1845
Before there were mechanical and later electric washing machines everything
had to be washed by hand. There was no soap powder, but a solution called
lye was used. Lye softened the water and made any greasy marks dissolve
more easily. Lye is a solution made from water and the alkaline salts produced
by wood ash. Ash is all that is left after wood has been burned. Taken from
the fireplace and placed on a cloth at the bottom of the lye dropper, water
was poured over the ash and allowed to drip through the holes in the bottom
of the dropper. The mixture of water and ash is strained and lye is the
result. Washing with this solution was known as bucking with lye. Clothes
were placed in a buck, or large bucket, and lye was poured over them. This
method of washing, once used for everything, was later particularly used
for children's clothes and table linen. |
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