A Tin Bath In Front Of The Fire.
By Jabo
@jaboUK (64354)
United Kingdom
January 30, 2016 6:41pm CST
When I was a little girl in the 1940s, we were only able to have a bath once a week. We lived in a two-up, two-down house, with a kitchen at the back. There was no bathroom, no hot water on tap, and daily washing took place at the kitchen sink.
On bath night the water had to be heated in a big 'copper' in the kitchen. As there was no heating in that room, a tin bath was placed in front of the fire in the living room.
Then my mother had to bring the water in by the bucketload and tip it into the bath. It was hard work for her, but during my early years my father was away in WW2.
During that war, water wasn't to be wasted, (we weren't supposed to have more than 5 inches in the bath), so we three little girls were bathed in turn. My two older sisters would get in together first, one at each end of the bath, then when the oldest one got out, I would join the other one.
As I was the youngest, I was always last to do everything. I didn't question or resent this - it was just my position in the family.
We had a lot of fun while we were thoroughly scrubbed, hair washed, nails cleaned, and a lot of water was splashed around! If I was lucky Mum would top up with more hot water, as by the time it was my turn to be bathed the water would be considerably cooler.
Once I was done, that was that for another week. This always took place on a Saturday, which ensured that we were in pristine condition to go to Sunday School the next day.
We had special dresses that were only worn on Sundays and special occasions. These had been made by Mum out of better material than our everyday clothes, and were identical apart from the colour - I always had blue.
Mum used to say that the sight of us three little girls tripping off to Sunday School in our 'Sunday Best' gave her great satisfaction.
For my part, since those days, I have always appreciated having a long hot bath all on my own!
Photo supplied by @maggs224 used with her permission. This bath was is a lot shinier and in better condition than the battered grey thing I remember, but it gives you a good idea of what I'm talking about.
70 people like this
69 responses
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@Asylum My mother and grandmother used them to rinse the washing in after it had come through the mangle. Then they had to go through the mangle again.
As you say, there must be some around somewhere. Ours used to hang on the wall outside the kitchen.
5 people like this
@allknowing (136446)
• India
31 Jan 16
It looks as though you are telling my story. The only diffierence was that we had a big bathroom. The water in a huge copper vessel would be heated using firewood. We too had our head bath as we called it on Saturday just so that we were clean for Sunday mass. Saturday was a depressing day as we could see smoke all over the neighbourhood. I did not much like that bath the way mother scrubbed me Then we had confession and that too on Saturdays 
6 people like this
@allknowing (136446)
• India
31 Jan 16
@jaboUK We have well water here but we have installed pumps. Back then we had to draw water from the well We girls did not do it. Once a year we had to clean the well and all of us had to pitch in . We would engage a man to go down there and fill up the goblet which we would draw up and empty it. It was fun and at the end of it all Mother would entertain us with some sweet she would make for us. We even used to bathe near the well in cold water and this just for fun. Those were the days.
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@allknowing I think you should make a post about all that Grace - it sounds so interesting.
3 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@allknowing At least you had an actual bathroom, even if you din't have hot water on tap. Funny how we have these similarities across the cointinents.
2 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
31 Jan 16
I wasn't thought of until forty seven years later. I have heard about the old tin tun bathing though, from my grandmother.
On a bit of an aside, It would not hurt us now to be a bit more conservative with our water.
7 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@ScribbledAdNauseum As you say, we should be more careful with water, it's a precious commodity.
5 people like this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104628)
• United States
31 Jan 16
@jaboUK A few years ago we had an coal ash spill into one of the rivers that our State gets it's water from. A precious commodity indeed.
5 people like this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
31 Jan 16
I love reading your posts, especially of your childhood. Mine was so different, but I have read so much on life in that era, that I feel as though I have taken baths such as yours. I was the only girl in my family, but took baths in our bathtub with my brothers when we were youngsters. We had so much fun playing with our toys. And yes, as you, I enjoy a nice long, luxurious soak in the tub.
9 people like this
@Juliaacv (51214)
• Canada
31 Jan 16
This discussion reminds me of Saturday bath time at our home also. I grew up on a family farm and we relied on a well for our water, and we were always on guard not to ever waste water. My mother would draw a tub, and not one full of water by any means, and I was always the first of us four kids to get a bath. My three brothers always followed and by the time she finished I would notice that there was twice as much water, she'd add more hot water as the water cooled. And today we have a nice deep soaker tub, not that its used for soaking in a bubble tub often, although last night I did give Ellie a nice good scrubbing in it.
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
31 Jan 16
i simply adore readin' yer stories'f the past, ms. jabo. warms my heart 's i envision myself by yer side. women these days tend to think they've got life so rough - if'n only they knew what past generations endured! 'twas gigglin' o'er the shiny tub versus yer's'f past, one that was much used (did she use such to tend laundry's well? that 'twas ours 1st life, baths 'fterwards).
thanks 'gain fer takin' me back to simpler times, though diff'cult fer many to comprehend. big hugs!!
4 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@crazyhorseladycx Yes, that tub came into use on laundry day too - the clothes were rinsed in there after going through the mangle.
Glad you enjoyed coming back in time with me again, thanks.
3 people like this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
31 Jan 16
Having to dash across the yard in your pyjamas, flickering flashlight in hand, to go to the loo at night was not very pleasant either - such was the case when the thumping engine that drove the generator had been shut-off for the night!
3 people like this
not. Did you not use chamber pots at night? We called them 'jerries'.
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
I am far too young to remember such a thing and no doubt have wallowed in a life of luxury since birth compared to how it was then. I guess we were very lucky to have not endured such a thing, I guess you were lucky being the youngest and only having two sisters any more and you could have been thrown out with the bath water!
5 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@garymarsh6 Yes, you rub it in! You are a babe compared to me
. I'm glad I managed to avoid being thrown out with the bath water
. I'm glad I managed to avoid being thrown out with the bath water4 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@jaboUK That is a good thing Janet because I was brought up to respect my elders!
and I am glad you were not thrown out with the bathwater!
and I am glad you were not thrown out with the bathwater!3 people like this
@Elizaby (6902)
• Pensacola, Florida
31 Jan 16
I had an Aunt in the 1960s who did not have an indoor bath adn when we went for vacation in the summer we too "saturday night" baths in the creek and unto her older children were married (they were when we went as the Aunt was a lot older than Mom and though the younger 3 were near our age) four of the older were on their own and siblings went to their homes in winter to bathe, but thee was also the tub there.
5 people like this
@rebelann (112879)
• El Paso, Texas
1 Feb 16
The only time I recall not having running water is when we visited dad's folks back in the 50s and 60s but I do recall mom having this huge white table that had runners under the tabletop for her to put a gray tub. She would pull the table apart so the tub would be revealed and then she'd fill it with warm water to bath my sibling. Lucky for me I was old enough to sit in the regular tub but still we'd never bath more than once a week except for dad, when he wasn't overseas he'd always shower before he'd go to work.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (112879)
• El Paso, Texas
1 Feb 16
It wasn't a fun era for either of them @jaboUK but I do believe it was much harder for your mom than mine.
I wonder if the girls of today could cope with the lack of modern amenities like washing machines, dishwashers and indoor plumbing.
I never got to know either of my grandmothers because dad always took us with him when the army sent him to different bases but I do recall when I was 5 watchin his mom boil water in a huge black kettle in their yard which she used to boil clothes. Of course I probably didn't really understand what that meant back then but now I wonder how she managed to handle such a big cast iron kettle, at 5 I thought it was big enough for me to climb in.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
31 Jan 16
I think I did better than you, I was the youngest by 15 minutes so I beat my brother and got in first!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@41CombedaleRoad So you are a twin, I didn't know that.
.1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
1 Feb 16
-"gave her great satisfaction. " That's the bottom line!
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
2 Feb 16
@GreatMartin It's funny that - my sisters' dresses stayed nice, but not mine!
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
1 Feb 16
@GreatMartin You're right there, she did her best for us, and her reward was seeing us in our pretty dresses, all clean and tidy.
1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2 Feb 16
@jaboUK And how long did the dresses stay clean, neat and tidy??
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
31 Jan 16
Interesting!! I have only read about tin bath in couple of stories very briefly.... You have me wondering about the life at that time....
The carrying of hot water in bucket kind of worried me. I find it hazardous. We had trouble with warm water once so, we have to boil water to use it and had to carry that water.
Well Mom accidently dropped the hot water on her foot and yeah wasn't a pretty sight. She got burned and had blisters on that foot.....It happened awhile back...
So I get that it must have been a lot of work and risky too....
People at that time were more involved in tasks physically. There weren't that many machines to ease their work load.
We are kind of spoiled now....
And you have two elder sisters??? Was it fun being the youngest?? I mean usually the youngest one is treated like a baby of the family, isn't it??
How was that for you??? (If its not too personal... I don't want to pry, just curious)
I smiled thinking of three little girls bathing taking turns... Must have been fun with the splashing and playing the way the little kids have.
Can I ask what two-up and two-down house is???
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@Daljinder Regarding the carrying of the water being hazardous - yes it was, though it wouldn't actually have been boiling. Sorry about your Mom's accident. (Another story - I scarred my sister for life in an accident with boiling water).
We three girls were very close inage - there were less than 3 years between us, so no I wasn't treated like the baby. In fact, bath nights were about the only times it made much difference. Though of course I was always striving to keep up with them.
A two-up, two-down house was simply two rooms downstairs, two bedrooms up.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
1 Feb 16
@Daljinder Regarding the accident - I accidently knocked a kettle full of boiling water onto my sister (and myself to a certain extent). Our legs were the only part affected fortunately, hers a lot worse than mine.
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
1 Feb 16
@jaboUK Hmm..... 3 yrs age difference meant you have playmates about your age.........
Sorry about your sister..... Was the accident really horrible???
Thanks for clearing up the house thing... I got mixed up not understanding what it meant...
1 person likes this
@BillKasman1 (49)
• Edinburgh, Scotland
31 Jan 16
I also used to get bathed in a tin bath. When we moved to a new tenement flat in Glasgow my mother used to bath me in one of the twin sinks in the kitchen - right in front of the window!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64354)
• United Kingdom
31 Jan 16
@BillKasman1 Oh dear - at least we were only in view of each other!
