Vintage Clothes Sprinkler - How We Used to Do It


Growing up in the early 60s, this clothes sprinkler played a big part in taking care of our clothing. We didn't own a dryer. "In our neck of the woods" back then, it was a luxury. The clothes were hung on the clothesline to dry. Afterwards everything was ironed. Wrinkles were rid of by sprinkling the clothes with tap water which is where the pop (or soda) bottle comes in. 

The sprinkler caps were made of either plastic (some of bakelite) or aluminum with cork. The procedure was sprinkle, iron, sprinkle, iron, sprinkle, iron. When you couldn't finish all the ironing in one day, you sprinkled the garment, rolled it into a ball shape, stuck it into a large plastic bag with the rest of the laundry and cleared a space in the refrigerator to stash the bag. This process gave you a few extra days to finish.

This old clothes sprinkler hasn't been used in over 40 years, but it brings back a lot of memories. I do still hang laundry on the clothesline though. Yes, I have a dryer, but living in Hawaii I like to take advantage of the tradewinds. Plus in the islands, we have some of the highest electrical rates in the nation. So stay tuned for a clothespin bag tutorial in a few days and get ready to save some real money on your utility bill. Here's a peek at the bags...


I won't have internet access for the next few days, so I'll post again Friday and catch up on my blogging then. Till then.....be well!


Linking to: </P>
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<P>http://www.thethriftyhome.com and Frugal Fridays on


Comments

  1. What a cute blog you have. I too have a fascination for all things old fashioned. Excited to see your clothes pin bag. My mom used to use an old empty bleach bottle with the top cut off and a slit in the handle filled to hang on the line. Have to follow you now and grab your button. Take care!

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  2. We had one of these sprinkler bottles too! How fun to see that picture. I have to make a clothespin bag for my sister, so I look forward to that post.

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  3. Love your blog. I use my clothesline here in Missouri all the time in nice weather. It really is a money saver! Pair it w/ my home-made laundry soap and fabric softener, and I'll be a millionaire in a few years. HA!!

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  4. Those bags are wonderful! and this just reminds me that I want a clothes line, I really need to get my husband to put one up!! (I grew up with one too, and with 6 brothers and sister that was a lot of clothes to hang out! What a great money saving idea!

    p.s. I had to laugh at your comment about the cantastic! (I should have named the post that, next "can" project, i am totally going to have to steal your clever word!)

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  5. I love all the neat things on your blog. You can bet that I will bookmark it so that I can find my way back to it often.

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  6. Hah! I remember those. LOL! I had to sprinkle the clothes to get the wrinkles out. How fun to be reminded of that.

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  7. I linked this post to mine on the laundry room. I hope you get some visitors.
    grammygoodwill.blogspot.com

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