«Previous    Next»
American-Made Washboard Company Still Going Strong
Believe it or not, there’s still a company in the U.S. that makes washboards for washing your clothes.
  The Columbus Washboard Company in Logan, Ohio, has been making washboards since 1895. According to their website, they’re the only washboard company left in the U.S. They still build their washboards one at a time by hand, using the original machinery.
  The company offers 2 models: pail-size washboards measuring 8 5/8 by 18 in., and family-size models that measure 12 7/16 by 23 3/4 in.
  According to the company, washboards offer several advantages over electric washing machines. They can’t break down, and they keep on working even if there’s an electricity outage. They say washboards can be used to compliment your washing machine; for example, to get stains out of your collars and cuffs on shirts, food spills, etc., and then let the washer do the rest of the work. To go with the washboards, the company offers a variety of bar soaps from around the world.
  Their washboards don’t have to be used just for washing your laundry, either. The company offers a variety of entertaining musical washboards with bells, wood blocks and other attachments available. They sell a galvanized wavy crimp model, and stainless steel wavy and spiral crimp models, in both pail and family sizes. They also offer several styles of mini washboards fitted with glass, metal, corkboard, or chalk board. You can also buy decorative brass washboards, and even a variety of bar soaps from around the world.
  The company even offers a “Handi Dandi” laundry kit with everything you need to wash clothes on a camping trip. The kit is designed to fit in a backpack and contains an 8 1/2 by 13 1/2-in. stainless steel washboard, a bar of soap, and 25 ft. of clothesline.
  And when you’re done washing clothes, you can dry them on the company’s old fashioned Sheila Maid clothes airer. It comes with curved cast iron rack ends and everything needed for installation including wooden rails, 2 cast iron rack ends, a single pulley, double pulley, cleat hook and rope.
  A plain, family size galvanized wavy washboard sells for $36.99 plus S&H.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Columbus Washboard Co., Ltd., 14 Gallagher Ave., Logan, Ohio 43138 (ph 740 380-3828; www.columbuswashboard.com).



  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2015 - Volume #39, Issue #3