This was done to save on costs since clothespins were easy to lose and often needed replacing anyways. Many women did huge amounts of laundry for their families with only a dozen clothespins. “Waste not, want not” as the old motto goes.
7) It doesn’t matter the temperature, the clothes will be hung out.
It didn’t matter if it there was snow on the ground or the temperature was freezing- the clothes were hung out anyways. It wasn’t a pleasant chore to do in winter, but it saved the clothes from getting soiled inside. If hung by the fire the washing was a risk to get coal or smoke stains, to smell like smoke, or to become musty if they didn’t dry well.
8) Clothespins always come inside.
If you were told to bring the pegs in and you didn’t then you were most definitely In Trouble. Again, wasting things wasn’t an option and so lost pegs was extremely frustrating experience for women of generations past. Frugality was something to be mindful of at each and every chore so that no money or resources were accidentally frittered away.
