Washing was really an all day chore. Water was pumped and put in the washpot–a big iron pot over an open fire. Tubs were also filled with water and the clothes were rubbed, boiled and rinsed by hand. A long wooden stick was used to stir and lift the clothes from the washpot to the tubs. A piece of bluing was tied in a cloth and put in the last rinse water to whiten the clothes, but if you left it in too long you had blue clothes. The sun and wind did the drying and you hoped it wouldn't rain before you got the clothes off the line.