Clothes Wringers

Clothes wringers are machines for wringing clothes dry. They consist of rubber-covered rollers, adjusted by screws and operated by a crank. The frames are of maple.

The springs which control the rollers and the gears are usually hidden in the casing to prevent the clothes and the fingers from being caught. The springs may be either coiled wire, one such spring at either side, or an arched steel pressure spring reaching from side to side and controlled by a cross bar of wood. This style distributes the pressure very evenly over the rollers. In the best wringers the gears are ball-bearing.

All metal parts must be heavily galvanized to prevent rusting. The greater the diameter of the rollers, the greater the pressure they can exert and the drier they will wring. It is good economy to purchase a first-class wringer, and one as large as possible; 16 or 18 inch rollers will wring a good-sized blanket when it is doubled lengthwise twice.

The life of a wringer is greatly prolonged by good care. The screws which tighten the rubber cylinders should be loosened after use to remove the pressure from the rubber. A weak solution of ammonia will preserve the rubber. Grease should never be allowed to come in contact with the rollers. The cogs may be cleaned with kerosene and then oiled with a good machine oil.

Not all styles of wringers can be used on round tubs, and the salesperson should ascertain which kind of tub the customer has.

Wringers save work for the worker. They also are less hard on the clothes than hand-wringing.