Washing day in the Rector House: Children experience laundry care as before!

Washing day in the Rector House: Children experience laundry care as before!

Pinneberg, Deutschland - On June 11, 2025, a very special washing day took place in the historic Rector House in Bönningstedt, which was held for the fourth time. In wonderful sunshine and ideal laundry weather, after rainy days, ten primary school children experienced an educational afternoon. The event was part of the OGTS campaign "OGTS flies out" and impressively gave the participants how difficult the laundry care was in earlier times.

The children slipped into the roles of former washing women and men and used traditional utensils such as Tragjoch and bucket to get water. A special highlight was the filling of water in zinc tubs, whereby the home club informed those present about the wash utensils used. So the kids learned how to deal with washing boards and woodenwasch scores and how the laundry was stretched on clothesins at the time. Handy washing, rinsing and spinning the laundry by hand made the event an interactive experience for the children.

insights into historical laundry care

The requirements of laundry care in the past were anything but easy. Before the invention of modern washing machines, it was necessary to insert the laundry in Liege the evening before. On the washing day, the laundry was then boiled in the washing kettle, which was often fueled in a brick fireplace with wood and coals. This information was conveyed, among other things, at the washing day in the Rector's house, where the children, stimulated by the explanations, asked many curious questions.

historical washing techniques were not only practiced, but also discussed as part of an exhibition. This shows how the clothesmit wooden stems or spoon -like devices were removed from the wash and washed. It was only towards the end of the 19th century that the first tub washing machines came up, which were operated manually, later electrically. This brought an enormous relief for laundry care.

from the first washing machine to modern technology

Washing has changed a lot over the years. In 1851 James King patented the first drum washing machine, and in 1908 the Hurley Machine Company launched the first electric washing machine. Until the 1950s, the laundry and the technical processes had to be carried out manually and time -consumingly. With the introduction of programmable models and the use of microprocessors in the 1980s, washing not only became easier, but also smarter.

Nowadays, energy efficiency and sustainability are among the most important aspects when purchasing new washing machines. Many manufacturers rely on advanced technologies that optimize water consumption and hold back microplastics. The developments in the field of washing machine technology remain exciting, and the future could even deliver AI-controlled models that independently recognize the optimal washing parameters.

The washing day in the Rector's house will not only be remembered as an educational experience, but also as an important part of the cooperation between the school and the home club, which brings the history of laundry care alive. After the "work", the little washing women and men were able to look forward to a small snack and hope for repeating this extraordinary event soon.