The Victorians did their laundry by hand in a washtub. Up to the middle of the 19th century, when some homes had piped water, washing was done outside, and water was fetched from a standpipe or nearby stream. Hot water was used if it could be heated, but this was difficult and expensive. Only the better-off families had laundry rooms with copper tubs or cauldrons, in which the washing could be done as it stood over a fire or stove. Towards the end of the 19th century zinc tubs were introduced which were cheaper, lighter and easier to clean than the original wooden tubs.

This washtub is shallow and quite small, only 14 cm deep and 48 cm in width. It is made of wooden slats, bounded by two circles of iron. This method of making tubs is called stave-built. This tub was used for quite small items of clothing, which would have been rubbed against a washboard. Tongs were used for lifting items out of the water when it was very hot. This would have been necessary for washing that was being done over a fire, when the water could become scalding hot.