posted 12-13-2005 01:50 AM
I suppose doing laundry was a good deal different back then. Let's think up some possible complaints:-People wear their clothes till they're falling apart, and then get mad when they come back ripped.
-The dirty clothes are REALLY, REALLY dirty. Try hand washing the stablehand's socks yourself if you please!
-All the men that go by watch you doing work in a WET SHIRT, and there are no sexual harrassment laws.
-hand washing things all day leaves your entire arms wrinkled.
-cold water, cold climate... 16 hour work shift. Ever tried scrubbing out a stain with a runny nose?
-Fleas and lice were pretty common back then. Some got in the clothing.
-My sister went to a castle where they said the nobles would hang their clothes in the privy at night... They believed the fumes killed the lice and such, but I wouldn't want to clean it afterwards.
Does this help shift the scales against laundry in the middle ages? I dunno. Cleaning those stables still doesn't sound so great to me...