Washing Laundry by Hand...

Laundry was the responsibility of women. It was hard and time-consuming work, so it was done infrequently. A few times a year, a major washing event called “suurpyykki” (big wash) was held, usually in spring and autumn. It could last several days.

Soap was homemade, boiled in a pot from fat and lye. Both the laundry and the water had to be carried to the washing site by hand. Clothes were scrubbed clean by hand or beaten with wooden sticks to loosen dirt. The laundry was boiled and rinsed multiple times. In winter, rinsing had to be done in the icy water of an opening cut in the ice. Finally, the laundry was wrung out and hung on a line to dry.

Caption: Kemppilä Bridge, early 1920s.
Photo: Veikko Hulkko Collection.