Window-cleaning in a working class London household in the 1900s

When I was a child in the early 1900s ordinary families in the 1900s did not pay window cleaners to clean their windows. It was yet another task that fell to the women and it always amazed me how they managed to clean inside and outside, upstairs as well as downstairs, without doing themselves a serious damage or even hurting themselves at all.

The windows were sash windows, which could be dangerous because sash cords could snap with wear while they were being opened or closed. Then the window would bang down, snapping on fingers. It was very heavy and could hurt a lot.

Worn sash cords aside, cleaning the insides of the windows was of course relatively straightforward, as was cleaning the outsides of the downstairs ones. Cleaning the outsides of the upstairs windows was a different matter. Then the women would push the lower window up and sit on the windowsill with all the top parts of their bodies outside. I was always afraid they would have an accident and fall.

The women used soap and water and a washleather (chamois leather). Afterwards the windows would really shine, as a lot of elbow grease went into the work.

This website Join me in the 1900s is also known as Join me in the 1900's and is © Pat Cryer.