The public wash-house

Until the end of the 19th century, ashes from specific woods, sifted beforehand, were used to wash the linen, thanks to the potassium salts released by not water. The « boyandières » or « boyandines » (washerwomen) rinced theirlinen in the streams or in the village harbours (Bonnoirde, Chavoires, les Pensières, les Champs, Veyrier…).

In 1919, the village Council decided to build a wash-house at the centreof the village on the site of the old church cemetery transformed in 1862.

The building of many wash-houses is the consequenceof a law clating from february 5th 1851, stipulating a « Stafinancial help to encourae the creation of public bathsand wash-houses for the villages that would ask for them !
This public wash-house was financed by a subscription from the inhabitants of the villagecentre to whom it was reserved ; it allowed the washerwomen, thans to the industrialization of soap, to work and gossip there.
Ahistorian has called these wash-houses « the women’s parliamenr ».