Public wash houses: how your ancestors did the laundry

Anyone today can enjoy countless conveniences that make everyday life far more manageable.

One of these tasks is washing clothes — something that these days is as simple as sorting the laundry basket, loading the machine with detergent and waiting for the appliance to do its job. You can do this easily and conveniently at our launderettes in Adeje and El Fraile.

But before the washing machine arrived, how did people wash their clothes? In the past, housewives had to wash by hand in the house sink, a domestic space set aside for the purpose, and if we go back to the 19th century, we come across the public wash houses.

A wonderful resource from the 19th century onwards

What are public wash houses? They were public spaces built for precisely that purpose: to allow the people of a village to wash their clothes in a dedicated place.

They were usually located on the outskirts of the more populated settlements (and, naturally, near some kind of spring), so they were already a privilege not every family could enjoy, and one that neighbours in hamlets of fewer than 50 people fought over.

Today it sounds impractical to have to lug a basket of dirty washing to a place that might be a few kilometres away, but less pleasant still was having to wash bent over in a river or an irrigation channel. Back then, many women suffered back complaints from having to wash in poor conditions.

Archaic as it may seem, it was the most popular way to wash clothes from 1820 well into the 20th century. The washing machine, first born in 1901, was something reserved for a very small, privileged slice of the population. In fact, its use didn't become widespread until the 1970s.

More than a place to wash clothes — a place to socialise

But the reason for their popularity wasn't only that they were the most practical way to get the washing done (in fact, to a 21st-century eye they're anything but practical…).

Other factors come into play here beyond the practical ones, namely the social ones. Until not so long ago, household chores were reserved solely and exclusively for women.

This idea was even more pronounced at the start of the last century, so a municipal wash house wasn't just a space for women — a man's presence was very much frowned upon, even if he was there to help his wife. He could even be fined…

Not only that. It wasn't just everyday custom and the belief that washing clothes was women's work. It was also that, in those years, women's standing in society wasn't given the value it deserved, and this was something that could, in a way, be perpetuated within their own homes.

Put another way, a public wash house became a little corner where a woman could talk freely, where she could be herself and speak without fear of holding her own opinion. It was a place where, as well as scrubbing a shirt, many took the chance to unburden their conscience and their sorrows.

What's more, it was almost the only meeting point a woman had to talk with other women (whereas men could do so in bars, squares and so on), so more than a place to wash clothes it was a place to socialise.

And although in this case it was for little girls, they also served as a makeshift paddling pool — ideal for summer, and something not every settlement could enjoy.

It's also worth remembering that, especially in the post-war years, poverty was fairly common, so almost no one had the means to have their own place to wash. Hence this coming-together of neighbours to share the cost of doing the laundry.

Believe it or not, they're still in use

The arrival of a simple household washtub — never mind the washing machine or the laundry centres — began to empty out the gatherings that for many years served thousands of women as a meeting place.

Today the role of these municipal wash houses seems relegated to a historical one, helping to explain the development and history of each village (and of the country as a whole), but incredible as it may sound, there are still people who wash their clothes in one of these spaces.

The main reasons might be the following:

• The woman may be an older lady for whom simply going to the wash house lets her hark back to her childhood. That's why in this case we've used the word woman
• She finds in these places a haven of peace and quiet where she not only washes her clothes but also uses the morning to mull things over or get away from the daily grind.
• They're still meeting points. Sporadic ones, but they still serve to let two people chat while they go about their chores.

Obviously the results, especially in terms of time and convenience, aren't the same. It takes far longer and takes more effort, but the results (in terms of cleanliness) really can be the same.

Either way, a wash house is part of the recent history of any town, and of the country in general. Any village that still keeps one of these structures can surely tell a thousand and one stories connected, directly or indirectly, to them.

There are even two Spanish expressions you've surely heard many times, such as:

• airing your dirty laundry: this expression refers to sharing someone's private affairs in public.
• there's washing on the line: a warning that you can't talk about a certain subject because someone is around who shouldn't hear it.

both of which have their origins in the municipal wash houses.