What is a Wringer?
Wringers were once considered part of essential equipment in just about every home around the country. As part of the machinery that was used to wash clothing, the wringer was a device mounted on the top of an agitating washing machine, and served as the means of forcing most of the water out of freshly washed clothing. The use of a wringer set helped to prepare the clothing for air drying on an open line or in front of an open fire. The design for the wringer apparatus on early washing machines was very simple. Equipped with two rollers that were mounted in close proximity on a small frame, the wringer worked by using a hand crank to rotate both rollers at the same time. As the rollers turned, clothing was run through the tiny space between the units. This helped to squeeze or wring excess liquid from the clothing. As a result, the clothes could be placed on an outdoor line and dry in a relatively short period of time. With later versions of the washing machine wringer, the hand crank
