During the 1930s, the tobacco company W.D and H.O.Wills gave away colourful and entertaining collectors ‘cigarette trade cards’ in packets of their cigarettes. ‘Household hints’ was issued several times, in slightly different editions from 1930 to 1939. Some of the ideas look antiquated and redundant but occasionally there are forgotten gems that are pertinent today. I am sharing this series as a historical glimpse into yesterday’s home maintenance and the occasional addition to solutions for the modern home.
7. A useful clothesline
“Discomfort and inconvenience are often caused by a shower of rain when the clothes have to be hung on a line stretching over long grass. If the following method is adopted much time will be saved and possibly many colds prevented. Two small pulleys are required. Fasten one to the wall of the house, and the other to the post or whatever is used for support at the far end.
Thread the line through the pulleys, and tie so to make a double line as shown in our illustration. The clothes may now be pegged while standing in one spot, and a rug on the line will save a journey down the garden. Given a suitable support at the garden-end, a clothes line of this type would be found useful to occupants of upper storey flat.”
Not only does DIY save time and effort, but this ingenious pulley system prevents colds. There are a couple of other precedures not mentioned in this handy hint. You also have to drill into the house wall- rather close to the window as seen in the illustration- and secure a post into the ground to take the other end. I love this idea. It could be used for remote bullfighting, removing the need to have a matador.
