washboards

A washboard is a flat board with a series of parallel ridges or corrugations used as a manual laundry tool. It is typically built with a wooden frame and a ribbed metal or glass surface. Clothes are scrubbed against the ridges in a tub or basin with soap and water, where the raised pattern and friction help loosen dirt.

Historically, washboards were common household items before the advent of electric washing machines. Construction varied by region, but many early boards used a wooden frame supporting a corrugated metal surface. They were portable, inexpensive, and widely used from the 19th into the early 20th centuries, especially in rural or resource-limited settings. With the spread of mechanized washing, the use of washboards declined, though they persist as antiques and in demonstrations of traditional domestic labor.

Beyond laundry, the washboard has a notable role as a musical instrument. Variants such as the Cajun rubboard or frottoir are designed for music and may include attachments like thimbles or bottle caps. In folk and blues contexts, players strike or scrape the ridges to create rhythmic sounds, often in jug bands or Zydeco ensembles.

Today, washboards are largely seen as collectible antiques or educational tools and are occasionally used in demonstrations or period performances. They remain a recognizable symbol of pre-mechanical domestic work and of early street and folk music traditions.