You are probably tired of hearing about washing your hands frequently but it must be done. Today we hit on soap and water.
Soap
·
Most people, except very rich
people, didn’t use soap until about the second half of the 19th century.
·
Soap, made from tallow, was specifically for
washing of clothes. Only the wealthy had access to the imported, specially
wrapped, and expensive perfumed toilet soaps.
·
Soap could be bought at the
general store, but most people preferred to make their own. Basic soap was made from lye and grease. Other ingredients, such as borax, ammonia,
resin, wild ginger leaves and tallow of bayberry were sometimes added.
Soap Making
·
Lye was made
from ashes when trees were burned down around the homestead and were placed in
a barrel, called a leach, which was put on top of a board.
·
The board
was raised at one end, the bottom of the barrel had a narrow slit which allowed
water to seep through, a bucket was placed under the slit and as the water
passed through the ashes, it trickled out as lye. Lye was very dangerous; it could burn the
skin badly and the throat if the fumes were breathed in.
·
Animal fat
and water were boiled in a kettle and became tallow.
·
The lye was
added to the tallow and they were boiled together over a fire, usually
outdoors. Tallow took the strength away
from the lye.
·
Bayberry
tallow was added to the grease and lye for bath soap.
·
Ammonia and
borax for laundry soap.
·
The liquid
soap was poured into a pan or box and allowed to harden overnight and was cut
into bars the next day.
Washing
·
Being presentable was
generally accomplished by washing the face and hands and otherwise showing a
neat outward appearance with emphasis on the smartness of clothing. Such hand
and face washing usually took place in one's bed chamber, with a basin and a
relatively small amount of water.
·
The stand-up wash was the
main form of personal hygiene and the start of most people’s daily
routine. For men and upper and
middle-class women it happened as soon as they rose from bed.
·
All a person needed was a
bowl, a slop pail, a flannel, some soap and a single jugful of hot water. Cold water was also an option and many used
it, hoping to improve their circulation.
·
With a single jug of water
it is perfectly easy to wash and rinse the whole body. A little water is poured into the bowl and
the flannel is dipped in and then wrung out.
Some soap is applied and scrubbing the body can begin. When this first bowl of water became murky,
it is emptied into the slop pail and freshly filled from the jug.
·
Body washing could be done
in sections and it also allowed a person to remain mostly dressed
throughout. Once the last drop of clean
water was used finally to rinse out the cloth and washing bowl, the slop pail
was taken out and disposed of.
 |
| Washstand at Backus-Page House Museum |
Water
- · Some
settlers got their water from a nearby spring, but most dug a well as near to
the house as they could because hauling water was backbreaking work, usually
done by the women and children.
- · People did not bathe or wash their clothes very often and when people did wash themselves or clothing, the dirty water was often thrown right outside the house so seeped into the nearby well, sometimes making it dirty or causing illness.
- · Water was boiled in pots over the fire and poured into a bathtub for those that could afford one. Bath water was shared. The head of household would be first and he would get the fresh warm water, and then the next person according to station or age.
Here's a link for making soap with pre-school age children. https://www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-crafts-activities/121163-making-soap-activity-for-preschoolers/
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