How many of you remember the old ringer style washers??

Question

There was no spin dry, you had to put them through the wringer to squeeze the water out!! You just had to remember not to let your fingers caught in them!!

Answer 1

You bet I remember them...Clothes came out real clean and then got hung in the breeze. The white ones got laid on the grass because it was suppose to make them whiter...think it might have been a wives tale. It was fun running them through the wringer playing dodge with the roller. I think about everyone got their finger in them at least once. It sure beat doing them in the bathtub with a plunger and a scrub board. Ah those were the days. One time I had to hang a big sheet out on the line and every time a corner would hit the dirt no matter how hard I tried so I would have to go rinse it off again. Finally got smart...hung the sheet and then took a pan of water and threw it on there lol. Thanks for the memory. Mmm

Answer 2

When I was growing up we had a wringer washing machine and an outhouse. I did get my hand in the wringer as well, but I was doing laundry at the time. We had 3 big wash tubs sitting right there beside the washer. One was to soak the clothes in before they got washed and one was for the bluing that was used on the whites and the other was to catch the clothes as they came threw the wringer. Once the jeans were washed and ready to hang out on the line, we would put stretchers in each leg to make them straight. All the clothes were hung on the line as there was no dryer. To this day now, mom still has the wringer, but now it is outside in the shed. I am pretty sure that it still works, but she has an automatic washing machine now. I still hang my clothes on the line even though she has a dryer. One of these days I would like to get that wringer out and see if it still does work and see about using it again. Now the outhouse has been gone for years. I hated that thing, way to many spiders in there, lol.

Answer 3

I actually only have seen 1, working when i was very young and am sure probably only like less than 1% were left in existence, a little old lady next door had one. I remember so well Mom telling her she needed to get a new washer,she was going to get caught in that thing. Sure enough, one day she did. I had came out back and heard Mrs. Quinn, she was already weak and out on her feet. Poor old lady lost 2 fingers and almost her hand before it was over with.
Gives me the "roocy-goulahs" just thinking about it........
Have a good-one!

Answer 4

Yes I remember thanks to you Ginny and I did get my fingers smashed in the wringer several times. It was one memory I like to forget. Just a note: Each year, over Labor Day weekend, there's a show called Midwest Old Settlers&Threshers Reunion held in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. They demonstrate the operation of the wringer washer.

Answer 5

My grandmother had one when I was little. I loved to watch the clothes go in the wringer and come out so flat.

Answer 6

As I reached puberty my mommy warned me about getting something besides fingers caught in the wringer. And there is an old cliche.....never mind, you've heard it.

Answer 7

Yes, we used one up until I was in high school...That was a lot of work....My sister ran her arm up to her elbow in the wringer once.
Peace.

Answer 8

My grandmother had one. I use to love turning the wringer.

Answer 9

Oh my gosh!
How I have not thought of this until I read your question.
When I was six years old, I got my arm caught in the wringer...I had to wear a cast...They had to call the ambulance to get my arm out...Gee, thanks for the memories..I gotta call mom...Thanks!
(This was back in 1969)

Answer 10

My mother had one that I had to use when I was a teenager. No washing machine can get the clothes any cleaner than the wringer.
Yep, gotta watch those fingers as well as your hair if it was long!!