Most people find household chores a bit of a hassle, but if you could only look back and see what your grandparents had to deal with, you’d probably feel a lot more grateful about what’s on your plate. Back then, keeping a house running required a great deal of grit, creativity, and manual labor. Let’s take a closer look at the home duties of the past that feel almost unimaginable now.
Hand-Washing Every Piece of Laundry
Laundry day wasn’t just a quick toss into the washer and dryer. It meant scrubbing each item by hand using a washboard and soap. The process could take hours, leaving sore arms and pruny hands behind. Imagine trying to clean sheets, towels, and delicate fabrics all without modern machines. It’s no wonder they only did laundry once a week!
Ironing Everything
Even simple clothes weren’t ready to wear without a good ironing. And this wasn’t the quick touch-up we do today; they ironed almost everything, including sheets and undergarments. With heavy cast-iron presses that had to be heated on the stove, it was a painstaking process. Now, many of us don’t even bother ironing at all.
Using a Wringer Washer
For those lucky enough to have a wringer washer, the job was still a far cry from today’s appliances. Clothes had to be fed through the wringer by hand to squeeze out water, often leading to pinched fingers or worse. This step alone took patience and precision that most of us wouldn’t have today.
Beating Rugs Outside
Vacuum cleaners were a luxury, so carpets and rugs were taken outside and beaten with a special tool to shake out dirt and dust. This chore wasn’t just messy: it was exhausting. A thick wool rug could weigh a ton, and the dust clouds weren’t great for your lungs, either.
Scrubbing Floors on Hands and Knees
It’s not too difficult to get the floor clean these days, but a few decades ago, mopping was a hands-and-knees affair. Armed with a bucket, soap, and a scrub brush, your grandparents spent hours making sure every corner was spotless. Skipping this chore wasn’t an option, especially in homes with muddy boots coming in daily.
Canning and Preserving Food
Keeping a stocked pantry wasn’t as simple as a grocery store run. Grandparents had to preserve fruits and vegetables by canning, a process involving boiling jars, sealing them, and hoping they wouldn’t spoil. It was a full-day event, often done in the sweltering summer heat.
Stoking the Furnace
Central heating didn’t exist for many households, so warmth came from wood or coal furnaces. Someone had to stoke the fire regularly to keep the house livable. This wasn’t a quick task either; chopping wood, hauling coal, and managing the furnace was a round-the-clock responsibility during winter months.
Making Soap from Scratch
Store-bought soap wasn’t always affordable or available, so some families made their own. This involved rendering animal fat and mixing it with lye, a caustic chemical that could burn skin if handled wrong. The result was soap that worked, but not exactly the luxurious, scented kind we’re used to today.
Sewing and Mending Clothes
Fast fashion wasn’t a thing, so when clothes ripped or wore out, they were fixed, not tossed. Grandparents were skilled at darning socks, patching holes, and even making garments from scratch. Now, a lot of us wouldn’t know where to begin if a button fell off.
Pumping Water by Hand
Before indoor plumbing became standard, fetching water involved pumping it by hand from a well. Some homes even required carrying buckets of water back to the house for cooking, cleaning, or bathing. It’s hard to imagine doing that every day, especially during winter.
Hanging Laundry Outside
Dryers were a luxury, so laundry had to be hung on a clothesline to dry. This meant hauling wet clothes outside, even in cold weather, and hoping the weather cooperated. A sudden rainstorm could mean starting the whole process over again.
Cooking Everything from Scratch
Pre-packaged foods were rare, so every meal had to be made from scratch. That meant kneading dough for bread, peeling and chopping vegetables, and making sauces by hand. Takeout and microwave dinners weren’t even an option, so cooking consumed a huge part of the day.
Cleaning Chimneys
If you had a fireplace, the chimney had to be cleaned regularly to prevent dangerous soot buildup. This dirty and dangerous job often fell to someone in the family, or they had to hire it out. Either way, it was a whole lot of work to maintain.
Maintaining an Outhouse
Indoor bathrooms weren’t always standard, especially in rural areas. Families had to use outhouses, which required cleaning and maintenance to keep them usable. It’s a far cry from today’s modern conveniences, and something most of us would struggle with.
Washing Dishes Without Hot Water
Doing the dishes was a lot harder without running hot water. Grandparents boiled water on the stove to fill a basin, then scrubbed pots, pans, and plates by hand. It was time-consuming and messy, with no shortcuts available.
Harvesting and Storing Ice
Before refrigerators, iceboxes kept food cool, but they needed actual blocks of ice to work. Families sometimes had to cut ice from frozen lakes or rivers and store it in insulated icehouses. It was backbreaking work just to keep milk and meat fresh for a few days.