Almost every farmer had a big cast iron pot.  The fat was put into the cast iron pot.  A fire was built under the pot.  The heat liquefied the fat.  As the fat was turning into liquid it had to be continuously stored usually with a wood stick or paddle.

When lye is mixed with the fat it becomes soap.  Lye could be bought at the store. But more commonly the farmer made his own.  When ashes are mixed with water and heated it becomes lye.  As the fat was being turned into liquid a smaller pot was used to heat the ashes and water.

 After the fat had become liquid the ashes which had become lye was slowly mixed with the fat constantly stirring with the wooden stick.  After it had become thoroughly mixed the mixture had become soap and was left  to cool.  After the soap had cooled there was a big chunk of soap.  The soap was then cut into bars using a knife or saw.  These bars were yellow in color.  It was then stored until needed.  As a little kid it was your job to bring wood to place under the cast iron pot and to help stir.

Before the farmer got electricity there were no dryers or washers.  All laundry was done by hand.  Even in town most washing was done by hand.  Everyone had washtubs usually identified by size.  A number 2 washtub was made of galvanized steel and has about 20 or 24 inches across.   The tub was placed on the cook stove or a wood fire outdoors.

After the water was hot clothes were placed in it.  A bar of soap was at hand.  One by one the clothing or bedding was removed from the tub and the bar of soap was rubbed on the clothes and they were placed back in the tub.  Then a wooden paddle was used to stir the clothes around.  When you thought the clothes were clean the water was poured out and clean water added to rinse the clothes.  Sometimes instead of this you simply washed them in a creek.

After the clothes were washed and rinsed the excess water was removed.  This removing was by taking each piece and wringing it out by hand.  There was a very efficient dryer available to all.  It was sunshine.  After wringing out the clothes they were placed on a clothesline with closepins to dry.  Sometimes instead of clothes pins articles were simply draped over a clothes line.  This clothes line was a piece of rope tie to a support at each end often trees.

Later on mechanical wringers became available.  Instead of wringing clothes out by hand you used this wringer.  The wringer was two rubber coated cylinders about 18 inches long placed very close together. There was a handle which, when turned, rotated the cylinders.  Clothes were placed between the cylinders and as the handle was turned the clothes went through the cylinder and water was pressed out.

Ironing was another matter.  Everyday work clothes were not ironed.  Hand irons with a wooden handle were placed on the cook stove and heated.  They were then removed and the clothing was ironed by hand.

 Laundering was hard work and usually done about once a week frequently on Mondays.