Saturday was bath night

Today houses are built with inside bathrooms and toilets.  Modern drainage and plumbing systems have made this possible.  In the early 1900s new homes were being built with inside bathrooms, but only the wealthy were able to afford them. Older housing still had toilets built outside the property at the back.  After the two World Wars estates were built, bringing the convenience of inside bathrooms to ordinary people.

Our only means of bathing had been in a zinc bath in front of the kitchen fire. This bath was filled with hot water from the saucepans.
Margaret Ward - One camp chair in the living room

We children were bathed once a week using carbolic soap, which was red and so strong that it was guaranteed to keep germs at bay!
Marjory Batchelor - A Life Behind Bars

Friday night was hair wash night. I did not say shampoo because ours was washed with a large square of Lifebuoy Soap .We always used this for washing or bathing. Before the performance could start, all our heads were combed with a fine tooth comb onto a black cloth, because headlice, being white, would show up on it. If any were found, a wash with Quassia Chips and Harrison 's Pomade rubbed in afterwards. If free of lice, after the wash solidified coconut oil was rubbed in. Then we could curl our hair in rags to make it look curly in the morning.
Daisy Noakes - The Town Beehive

Saturday was bath night. In the morning, one of us would take a sack to collect all the cardboard from our uncle's shop, Hook, 77 Islingword Road. This was to feed the copper for hot water for our baths. We would sit on the chopping block and stool and tear up the boxes before throwing them in. They smelt of chocolates and I always hoped one would be overlooked, but no such luck.
Daisy Noakes - The Town Beehive

It was not until I went to stay at Betty's house that I realised how poor my mother's home was. They had a bathroom while we still used the tin bath in front of the fire on Saturday evenings. Mother used to light the copper and fill it with cold water then empty the hot water into the bath. I used to hate coming home on Monday lunch time from school. There were no school dinners in those days. The copper would be lit and the kitchen would be full of steam and there was a smell of wet clothes everywhere.
Barbara Chapman - Boxing Day Baby

When we outgrew the bath, Mum gave us 2d to go to the Ditchling Road Baths at the corner of Rose Hill Terrace and Ditchling Road. Two of us would go together, taking our clean vest and knickers rolled in our towel with our soap and flannel. The attendant would shoot hot water through a pipe into the bath by the bucket-full, according to what you had paid, and cold water was added by yourself.
Daisy Noakes - The Town Beehive

Since I'd got too big for the tin bath we had been going to the public baths in North Road. I used to get into the bath first and then the lady let my mother use it, with a top up of hot water. I think it only cost 2d.
Barbara Chapman - Boxing Day Baby