Gina Heslop
Long ago, before fancy gadgets disappeared socks, people were smart and made tools for chores. One handy tool was the wooden peg, which later became the clothespin. It helped folks hang wet laundry to dry outside, instead of letting the wind steal their clothes.
Recently, someone found old-fashioned wooden dowels with two legs and asked online what they were. Boomers remembered and explained they were clothespins used to hang laundry outside to dry.
Clothespins are simple tools made of two wooden pieces held together by a spring. They’ve been around for ages, even in ancient times when people used different materials like wood, bone, or stone to secure their laundry.
The clothespins we know today started appearing in the 19th century, thanks to a guy named David M. Smith who patented an improved design in 1853. His design ensured that clothespins stayed attached to clothes even in windy weather, sparing washerwomen from losing their laundry.
As factories started making clothespins in bulk during the 19th and 20th centuries, they became more common in households worldwide. Despite plastic alternatives, wooden clothespins remained popular because they were simple, strong, and cheap.
Today, wooden clothespins are still made and used in homes globally. Some people use them for crafts, but many still rely on them for hanging laundry. They’re loved for their nostalgia and eco-friendliness, even though plastic clothespins are more common in some places.
