Ada’s Dolly Blue — The Little Blue Wonder
There was a time when Monday morning meant washday in thousands of Lancashire homes. Before automatic washing machines became commonplace, keeping a family’s clothes clean required hot water, hard work and considerable patience.
And for white washing, there was a curious little product known as Dolly Blue.
What Was Dolly Blue?
Dolly Blue was a traditional laundry-bluing product used to make white fabrics appear brighter.
Despite its name, it wasn’t intended to turn the washing blue. Instead, a tiny amount of blue colouring was added to rinsing water to counteract the yellowish appearance that white cotton and linen could develop over time.
Used carefully, it helped give sheets, shirts and household linen a cleaner, brighter appearance.
Monday Washday in 1930s Lancashire
In the mill towns of Accrington and Oswaldtwistle, washday could occupy much of the day.
A galvanised dolly tub, wooden washing dolly or posser, washboard and hand-operated mangle were familiar household equipment.
Clothes were washed and worked through hot, soapy water. Particularly stubborn marks might require attention on the washboard.
After rinsing, the washing could be passed through a mangle to remove excess water before being hung outside, weather permitting.
Laundry bluing was one of the finishing touches that helped keep white fabrics looking their best.
Why Was It Called Dolly Blue?
The name Dolly Blue became associated with traditional laundry bluing, particularly the well-known Reckitt’s Blue products.
The word dolly was also familiar in the language of old-fashioned laundry, through the wooden washing dollies used in tubs.
For many people, the name still brings back memories of washday, blue-stained fingers and freshly washed sheets hanging across the backyard.
Ada’s Dolly Blue — A Little Lancashire Imagination
Our fictional 1939 Oswaldtwistle wouldn’t be complete without two neighbours who had very definite opinions about household standards.
Readers of Mind The Trams will already know Ada and Mo.
Mo has taken responsibility for the nation’s doorsteps with Mo’s Donkey Stone.
Now Ada has decided the washing requires her personal attention.
Introducing:
ADA’S DOLLY BLUE
The Little Blue Wonder
“If it’s supposed to be white, it ought to look white!” — Ada
Ada’s Dolly Blue is an imaginary period product created for the world of Mind The Trams. It celebrates the real household traditions and everyday objects that once played such an important part in Lancashire life.
Fictional product — not manufactured or offered for sale.
Do You Remember Dolly Blue?
Did your family use Dolly Blue? Do you remember a dolly tub, washboard or mangle in the backyard?
Perhaps you remember Monday washday, sheets hanging between terraced houses or somebody insisting that the washing wasn’t quite white enough.
Those little memories are worth preserving.
And somewhere in Oswaldtwistle, 1939, Ada is probably leaning over the backyard wall to inspect Mo’s washing.
Mind Those Trams. Mind Those Whites.
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