Improvements in Washing Boards for Laundry Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Washing Boards for Laundry Purposes.
We, ROSE ELLEn Lausdell of 131 High Road, and WILLIAM HERBERT
LAUSDELL of 307 High Road, both in Kilburn in the County of Middlesex,
Married Woman and Fruiterer respectively, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in the construction of washing boards as
used for laundry purposes, and consists of the employment of a brush like surface
or surfaces in lieu of the fluted or corrugated surface or surfaces usually provided
upon such boards as hitherto made and used, the objects of our said invention being
to prevent the wholesale destruction of body linen and other fabrics by the intense
friction to which these are exposed by being rubbed and scrubbed upon the said
flutings or corrugations of the boards in present use, in addition to which a great
saving in labour, time, and soap is effected by the use of the boards constructed
according to our invention.
In order that our invention and the manner in which we carry the same into
effect may be clearly understood we bave hereunto appended a sheet of drawings,
in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the working surface of such a board according to
our invention.
Fig. 2 is an edge view of a duplication of Fig. 1 when the board is provided with
two working surfaces.
Fig. 3 is an edge view similar to Fig. 2 having two working surfaces both set
into the same foundation.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the frame for the reception of Figs. 1, 2 or 3,
while Fig. 5 illustrates a complete board according to our invention.
We carry our invention into effect by constructing of any suitable material,
preferably wood, a rectangular frame A, similar to those in general use, and made
in any of the sizes usually employed. The said frame is provided internally with a
groove B, as shewn more particularly in Fig. 4, capable of receiving a board C
having only one working surface as at Fig. 1, or two such boards placed back to
back as at Fig. 2, or a board having two working surfaces as at Fig. 3 whichever
may be required. The said boards may be described as huge single or double
faced brushes, composed of hair, bristles, whisk, fibre, bass or any other material or
combination of materials usually employed in brush making, and when the boards C
have one brush surface D only, as at Fig. 1, the tufts or bunches of hair bristles
or the like may be connected to C by the means technically known as "drawn,"
in which case we prefer to use string for this purpose, but when C has two such
surfaces D, as at Fig. 3, the said tufts or bunches would be attached thereto by
the means technically known as "set."
Upon each working face of the boards C, a space would be reserved for the
provision of soap recesses E E¹ in the usual way, and the single or double brush
faced board C would be slid into the groove B in A as at Fig. 5, and if necessary
therein retained by the means of wooden pegs, screws, or dowels passing through A B
and C, or by any other convenient means, and the manner of using the said board
is as follows.
The free ends or legs of the board A would be placed in the tub in the usual
way, and the surface D to be used would then be charged with soap, and the
fabric to be cleansed after being passed through the suds, would be laid upon the
surface D, and either rubbed up and down the face thereof by the hands, or brushed

page_text: with the usual stocking brush as may be required, when by reason of the yielding
and absorbent nature of the surface D, the suds placed upon the top of the fabric
is allowed a free and easy passage therethrough, carrying with it the dirt to be
removed, thereby effecting the cleansing of the fabric with less than half the labour
usually employed, and consequently with a like saving in the wear and tear of the
fabric, and it will be found in practice that a saving of 50% in soap is effected
for the reason that the major part of the quantity of soap used remains in the
brush surface D instead of being carried away into the suds by the conduits formed
by the corrugated or fluted channels of the boards hitherto made and used, and
the usual flaying of the finger joints by frequent contact with the hard wood
or metal forming the said flutings or corrugations is entirely avoided in the boards
.constructed according to our invention.
In order that the wear of the surface or surfaces D may be to some extent
-equalized, we may arrange that the boards C, may be in two or more pieces as
indicated by ac in Fig. 1 which permits that the order in which these are placed
in the groove B may be periodically changed, and if necessary reversed end for
end or renewed when required.
We are fully aware that washing boards constructed according to our invention
cannot be produced and sold at the same price as the corrugated or fluted boards
at present made and used, but it will be found in practice that such extra cost
will be more than counter balanced by the saving in the soap, time, labour and
boiling required by the use of our improved boards, this much affecting the laundry
business only, but the immense saving in the wear and tear of the fabrics being
-cleansed will favorably affect the interests of the public at large.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declure that what we
-claim is
1st. In an improved washing board for laundry purposes, the employment of a
brush like surface or surfaces, in lieu of the flutings, channels or corrugations
hitherto employed, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and
shewn.
2nd. In an improved washing board for laundry purposes, the combination of a
frame A, with groove B, for receiving a board or boards C, in one or more pieces,
having a brush like surface D upon its or their upper or lower faces or both, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein described and shewn by the accompanying
-drawings.
Dated this 9th day of December 1893.
GEO. THOS. HYDE,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicants.