I’m confident you might not recognize this. Go ahead and prove me wrong (if you can).
Hand laundering encompasses the process of soaking, beating, scrubbing, and rinsing dirty textiles.
In an era before indoor plumbing, the laborious task involved carrying all the water needed for washing, boiling, and rinsing laundry from a pump, well, or spring.
The water for laundry had to be hand-carried, heated on a fire for washing, and then poured into a tub. This meant the supply of warm, soapy water was limited; it would be reused, starting with the least soiled clothing and progressing to wash progressively dirtier laundry.