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Jeff Rankin: Before automatic washers, steam laundries relieved drudgery
By Jeff Rankin
The Rankin File
Throughout much of the 19th century, most laundry was done by hand in a laborious process that often stretched over three days. Some cities offered commercial laundries, but the work was still done by hand, often by Chinese immigrants who toiled long working days for minimal wages. The invention of the steam laundry began to change all that.
Steam laundries did not clean with steam. Rather, they made use of a boiler and a steam engine to power the machinery. The boiler also created hot water for the laundry and steam for a commercial press that eliminated the need to use hand irons heated on a stove, which could scorch clothing. ....

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