Not only were there no washing machines back then, but water wasn’t always readily available either. If the water source was far, the woman would load the donkey in the morning with clothes, firewood, the laundry basket, a pot to heat water, the soap she had made herself, ashes to help whiten the clothes, and of course the washbasin (called “plystro­pinako”). If there was a lot of work, she would also bring her meal.