Wash-houses were the laundrettes of a bygone era. Public infrastructure, absolutely necessary until halfway through the previous century, nowadays they are a unique monuments that present a human activity that technology has forever left behind.
The Mathia wash-house was built in 1852 in the memory of the mayor at the time Andreas Mazis, and it was among the most important pieces of infrastructure in the village. Water was only available at particular points in the village, such as Dourakas, Katovrysi, and the aqueduct, and a modern water supply system like we have today was out of the question.
Wash-houses were inextricably linked to the life of the women of Kythnos. Besides being a space necessary for doing the household washing, wash-houses were also spaces for social interaction between women, as they all gathered there and shared their joys, their woes, or even village news. Beside the wash-house was the chapel of Panagia Mathia. It is rumoured to have been built to protect the wash-house and the water from fairies. The sounds of nature and distant chatter convinced the women that there were fairies.
Washing clothes was no easy task back then Home makers loaded with their laundry baskets full of clothes set off at dawn to find an empty the wash basin. They spent several hours there, as after being washed, the clothes had to be hanged to drain off the water that made them too heavy to carry back. Then they carried it back home for it to dry and be ironed.
Besides green soap, home makers back then had two more tools for washing clothes: washing paddles, heavy planks that were used to smack the clothes so that the soap could get everywhere, and the ash from their fireplaces, which helped remove stains.
Wash-houses were gradually abandoned in the 60s, when the village got a water supply network. Several homes had their own facility with cement wash basins. Later, plastic tubs came along. From the 70s onwards, washing machines were introduced to homes, and so wash-houses were forgotten.
