The Bag Wash.

My Mum had an immaculate sack, our name printed with black indelible marker. Into this would go all the sheets and towels, and she took them to 'The Bagwash' as it was called; a tiny local shop. We collected it the next day, washed and dried, and no doubt this saved my Mother so much work. She spent all day each Monday washing clothes by hand and wringing items that would survive the wringer. I have just remembered that the neck of the sack was always closed with a twisted steel 'wire' with loops on each end - this was used every week and lasted forever. I had forgotten all of this completely - lovely to remember this childhood weekly event!

Boat, if you have a smooth clean surface, lay the item out when wet and smooth it with your hands, then drip dry on a hangar.

I had heard of bagwash, but don’t think I had seen them. Recently we were on holiday in Cornwall, and mooching around the back streets of St Ives, I saw a couple of bags of laundry, left outside the cottages. The bags looked like sail canvas, red, certainly heavy duty. Maybe they were holiday lets and the changeover laundry waiting to be collected.

Thanks 00mam00, I'll give that a try.