Yeah, in my house it was a timing thing. Mom would was laundry while we were at school, but wouldn't iron with 4 kids between 5-11 running around the house. And then it was time to start dinner, then dinnertime, dishes (my job as the oldest), homework and she was done for the day. She had to put the ironing in the refrigerator or she was afraid of that moldy smell and that the wrinkles would set. It didn't have anything to do with cooling the linen (or cotton). I learned a few years ago - here - about ice crystals breaking down the linen threads to make it softer. As a matter of fact, my mother-in-law, raising her kids in Montana and Utah, swears that hanging out the diapers in the snow and the frost would soften the diapers and freeze out any stains.
LynnD On 8/15/07, Wanda Pease <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I am wondering where the cooling the linen before ironing > > originated. Some > > of you mentioned that your mothers taught you to do this. It makes me > > wonder if this method was something that was passed down through the > > generations. I checked in my 1894 Cole's Dictionary of Dry Goods and > > cooling the linen is not mentioned. > > > > Penny Ladnier, > > Actually my mother used to put things in the refrigerator or freezer in > order to keep them from developing mildew before she got around to ironing > them. She had a full time job as a Hospital pharmacist and clothing could > be washed on one Saturday and ironed when she had the time and energy to do > so. > > Wanda > > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
