Unfortunately, few households had just one batch of laundry to do; most had four or five. It paid to begin with the finest and cleanest load and work towards the coarser and dirtiest. This allowed one to reuse the water rather than having to carry four new tubs for each batch. Women’s caps, doilies and other fanciful or delicate items – if you were fortunate enough to own them – formed the first load, whereas shirts, drawers and nightclothes made up the second.
