Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Washhouses as we know them developed mainly in the 19th century in France. However, the use of communal places to wash laundry dates back to Antiquity. The real rise of public washhouses in France came following the law of 3 February 1851, which encouraged municipalities to build washhouses to improve public hygiene. This law followed the cholera epidemics that had struck the country in the 1830s and 1840s.

There were several types of washhouses, adapted to local conditions and available resources:

• Covered washhouses: the most elaborate, offering protection against the weather.
• Washhouse-fountains: combining a washhouse and a public fountain.
• Washhouse-troughs: used for washing laundry and watering animals.
• Floating washhouses: installed on rivers, notably in Paris on the Seine.
• Simple washhouses: often just open-air basins.
• Washhouse-dryers: fitted with spaces to hang out the laundry.

A typical day at the washhouse generally went as follows:

1. Preparing the laundry the day before (soaking in hot water with ashes).
2. Arriving early in the morning at the washhouse with the laundry in wheelbarrows or baskets.
3. Soaping and scrubbing the laundry on the washing stones.
4. Beating the laundry with a beetle (paddle) to dislodge the dirt.
5. Rinsing in clean water.
6. Wringing and hanging out the laundry to dry.
7. Conversation and social exchange throughout the day.

Washing at the washhouse was a physically demanding task that could last a whole day, or even several days for large families.

Washerwomen used various tools for their work:

• The beetle (paddle): a flat wooden tool to beat the laundry and extract dirt.
• Marseille soap: the main cleaning agent.
• The brush: to scrub stubborn stains.
• The tub: a container to carry water or laundry.
• The washboard: a grooved surface to scrub the laundry.
• The cart or wheelbarrow: to transport the laundry to the washhouse.
• The wringer: to wring out wet laundry.

You should check the applicable regulations; it is common knowledge that wastewater (such as laundry water) must be treated before being discharged into nature (watercourses, soil).

So it can be inferred that using "industrial" detergent in a washhouse is prohibited.

However, there are products reputed to have an almost negligible impact on the environment:

• Ashes from the fireplace
• Marseille soap / black soap
• Baking soda (for its whitening properties)
• Lemon essential oil (for its antibacterial properties and fragrance), lavender...

See the many "recipes" available on the Internet for making your own laundry detergent.

And check with the municipality concerned.

Washhouses played a crucial social role in communities:

• A place of meeting and exchange for women, hence the nickname "women's parliament".
• A space for passing on local news and gossip.
• A place of integration for newcomers to a village.
• A space of solidarity where women helped each other with difficult tasks.
• A place for passing on knowledge between generations.
• Sometimes, a place of songs and oral traditions.

The arrival of the washing machine in French homes, mainly from the 1950s-1960s, gradually made washhouses obsolete:

• Gradual decline in the use of washhouses.
• Abandonment and deterioration of many washhouses in the 1960s-1970s.
• Some washhouses were converted into decorative fountains or places of remembrance.
• Renewed interest in washhouses as cultural heritage from the 1980s-1990s.
• Today, many washhouses are restored and valued as witnesses of local history.

We do not have a directory recommending professionals and other experts who could support you in your project.

You can contact La Fondation du Patrimoine, whose essential purpose is to safeguard and enhance unprotected rural heritage such as washhouses. It helps public, private and non-profit owners fund their projects.

The Foundation's primary missions are five in number:

• Raise awareness among French people of the necessary common effort in favour of our national heritage;
• Help identify buildings and sites threatened with disappearance;
• Foster and organise partnership between heritage associations, national and local public authorities, and companies ready to engage in sponsorship;
• Take part in carrying out restoration programmes;
• Promote job creation and the transmission of trades and know-how.

It depends...

You are allowed to use the photos / texts published on www.lavoirs.org subject to certain conditions:

• credit the work with the author's name (if available) and mention the source www.lavoirs.org
• no commercial use
• no modification

See the Rights and reproduction section of the legal notice.

The washhouses published on www.lavoirs.org are there thanks to contributions from internet users.

The list is not exhaustive and grows over time.

If this washhouse is not yet listed, it is simply because no one has yet sent photos of it.

You are therefore warmly invited to contribute via the dedicated form (registration required).