Re: [Cz-L] Prima Laundry

I am sure that I heard the name Spiegelblatt, from my mother and definitely
not in connection to laundry. Does anyone in our list know of other
Spiegelblatts? I think I heard about "Die Spiegelblatt", which would have
meant that Mrs. Spiegelblatt was of some renown or importance, like
Dr. Samet, was "die Samet".
In the 1934 address book, there are two Spiegelblatt families, but in the
1936 address book, there are none.

As to laundry:

Families did not take their laundry to a shop, this would have been
considered "nisht balebatish" ( not proper from a good housekeeping point of
view). Those families who could afford it, had a washer-woman, who came
once every two weeks and usually spent two, three days washing and ironing.
First the laundry was soaked in water for at least one night. Then it was
wrung out, boiled in water containing washing soda, taken out of the boiling
water, still steaming, with the help of a wooden stick, then it was soaped
and washed on a washing board, wrung out again, then it was rinsed in cold
water and wrung out yet again, then rinsed again in water containing starch
and a solution of a blue dye. The starch, usually was potato starch,
obtained from grated potatoes and had to be rinsed and cooked before it was
used.
Then the laundry was hung to dry in the attic. When it was dry it was taken
down, sprinkled with water, rolled up, so it would become uniformly damp and
then it was ironed. Mostly, the irons were of the old fashioned variety,
into which hot coals from the stove had to be put.
I remember that we did have an electric iron, but it seemed to break down
very frequently. My father would take it apart and fix it and I liked to
look at the mica and asbestos, which were in it.

Mimi

On 5/7/10 1:12 AM, "HARDY BREIER" <HARDY3_at_BEZEQINT.NET> wrote:

> http://pics.livejournal.com/whasup/pic/00q4pd66
>
> Laundry on Hauptstrasse 23.
> A.Spiegelblatt.
> Hand washing and ironing.
> Rufe si Lingerie - that is underwear and linen.
> Ironing of shirts , collars and cuffs.
> To make the shield impressing the ironing man is accordingly
> represented.
> The washing girl demonstrates the washing procedure.
>
> Hardy
>-

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Received on 2010-05-08 12:04:03