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Perhaps the soap shortage cam from lack of fats to make it? There has to be fat for the saponification process to occur. Since fats were collected and rationed it simply wasn’t available for soap making? I dunno… I am fascinated that bones were saved and collected…. That must have been super smelly…..  

This is so fascinating! Thank you for posting all of this information. :) But it makes me sad, because if things breakdown these days, we don't have horses and wagons we can easily substitute. I do have my feet, and I have our family bicycle fitted out to carry a few things. I guess I can do without a horse. :) It makes gardens so much more important too. If you can run out of bread because of lack of deliveries, you could run out of produce too, I would think. And it is a good lesson in keeping the pantry full, just in case! 

Matty H -- That's what I read, that the fat shortage started the US on its way to having chemical soaps, because the chemicals were the replacement for the lack of fats. 

The Amish have been very wise in their lifestyle. While the world has chased after the latest and the greatest, the Old Order Amish have retained the same values as their ancestors. Horse and buggy is normal for them. No electricity is part of their daily life. They are allowed propane and many have designed wind mill power for items they require that would use electricity.

Thank you for another wonderful post, Donna. I thought of the Andy Griffeth show where the milk was being delivered by horse and buggy.

When I read this stuff, I immediately ponder the all-out panic that would ensue at the announcement that we'd have to drive much less or go without.  Especially when I know how some people react over much more minor inconveniences!   I once saw a woman completely come unhinged over a freebie running out at McDonald's!  That was more than 20 years ago.  It's worse today.

The horse and buggy make sense, as does the bike.  The bike is great exercise, too!  When we became a one car family in Los Angeles, we were told it could never be done.  Hubs got to his job via both bike and train.  I walked a lot more.  We did just fine.  That generation wasn't far removed from the horse and buggy.  For most, it was probably a simple transition.  

My last dog absolutely loved when I read to her.  When I did my Bible study, she would lie next to me and I would read aloud.  Her eyes would slowly turn glassy and then her chin would drop on my thigh.  I loved the pictures of your girls gathered round! 

I wonder if quick breads took the place of yeast bread for some? A (US version ) biscuit can make a bun for a sandwich. I know some were using sourdough. I remember my dad didn’t like it - he said it had always tasted too sour to him. 

I didn’t know that about going back to horse and buggy for delivery either. I knew people bicycled more but I never thought of delivering goods. So many things were delivered to the home back then.

1942 is close to the time my grandfather went on the draft board. He sent two of his sons to the war but thankfully they both came home safely. 

The little baby washcloths are so cute. How exciting to have a great-grand on the way!  Congratulations!

Stephanie G

wow 

The horse & wagon story is so interesting! I'd never heard of that either.

My grandfather was a farmer who sold his produce in town. I bet it was nothing for him to deliver by wagon!

One thing that came to mind recently as far as keeping a stocked pantry is portion control and a balanced meal. If you eat appropriate amounts you can maintain a reasonable pantry. Most Americans overeat at meals and snack too much. A garden is helpful in this because not only does it save money but produce can fill you up.

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Matty H and Stephanie G,  yes you are correct, the short supply of fats did also have a big part in the shortage of the soap supply.  The many factors that we are now reading contribute to the chain reaction.  The rubber ration causing the rural areas to lose their bread.  

Glenda H_2, I too thought about a few movies as I read some of the articles about deliveries.  When I was growing up, some people still came into town with their horse and wagon.  We had milk deliveries into the 1980s.  Dairy was not sold in Grocery Stores until refrigeration was more widespread. The dairy had routes that delivered to the home. In 1940 64% of homes had electric refrigeration.  

Hello, all! Since I participated in Grandma Donna's 1943 year a few years ago, falling back into this routine, albeit a year earlier, was easier this time and comforting. I'm trying to live as much as possible as it was in my hometown in PA that year. The house I spent years living in was my grandparents' house that they rented, and it had not changed nor been renovated during that time, so it had cabinets and fixtures from at least the 1930s. I'm trying to use the same products that were available then, if they still exist. I put away the modern appliances and am relying on those available then.  Like Donna, I have subscribed to newspapers.com and am reading the daily newspaper from my home town each day.  This tells me all the news, but also the movies that are playing at the local movie theatres in town (we had two) so when I want to watch TV, I see what is playing at the Elks or Majestic theatres that day and watch one of those movies (many are on YouTube).  Since the Elks theatre was still operating up to several years ago, I know exactly what it looked like then.  

My town (thank goodness) had electricity and indoor plumbing  almost everywhere except for homes on the outskirts. We had a big clawfoot tub, but my family didn't bathe every day; sink baths were the norm.  

In my newspaper, there's been no mention so far of bringing back the horse and wagon for deliveries, but there have been articles asking folks to carry their own packages home if they are small and manageable, rather than having everything delivered.  Deliveries were being curtailed. I'll keep an eye out for news of horses and wagons returning. Our little town had buses and trams; I know my grandfather took the bus to his job at the steel mill in the next town.  But all the shops, library, schools, and post office were within walking distance of their house, so they didn't need a car very often anyway.

There are many articles on tire rationing and a Board was established to determine who could buy new tires. Some essential personnel, mainly. There were articles about not driving on bald tires - that was illegal, too!

What did surprise me was an article about the ages of men now having to appear for selective service.  It was raised to the age of 44 (or maybe 45, I can't remember).  My grandfather at that time would have been 41, so he'd have had to appear.  He had always said he was too young for WWI and too old for WWII, but apparently not. I know he didn't serve, so he was either considered in an essential job (steel mill), had a medical exemption, or was the sole wage earner for the family (but I'm doubtful that got anyone out of serving).  

I printed out black and white photos of my mom and her family who lived in that house,  During 1942 she and her siblings were in their teens in high school. The one photo has all of them together with their parents, sometime in the mid-late '40s, looking happy.  I have it on my desk where I can see it all the time, and it causes a bittersweet sadness when I look at it. They have all been gone for such a long time now, and I miss them. I wish I could crawl into that photo and be with them.  

Strangely, this project makes me homesick and yearning for that time, even though I wasn't around then. Does anyone else feel that?

I did find a book about women on the American homefront. There are so many about English women, but not many about Americans.  It's called Our Mothers' War, by Emily Yellin, and is a collection of interviews and information given by women who held various roles during this time. It is very well researched and lovely to read other women's stories. 

Sorry this is so long!  I love this project and feel at home  here. I'm so grateful to Donna for sharing her life with us, and all her information.  

Another interesting topic.  Being an Australian, we were in the war right from the minute it was announced that the Commonwealth was at war - and many relatives were involved, as they had been in the great war too.  War is the most horrifying, terrifying thing and for what when it all boils down.  Greed, power - man is never satisfied with what he's already got.

Donna says a lot of homes over there had refrigeration in the 1940's - I don't think that applied to the general public here in Australia though, my mum was the first in her entire family to have a Snow Queen refrigerator bought for their new house which my dad built himself and we moved in to that home in November, 1950.  Before that it was ice chests.  The same applied to electricity, not everyone had it - and we were living in luxury having had a gas heater installed beside the bath tub, it terrified me as a child but I guess it did the job - instant hot water, unheard of - I might add we didn't have it in the kitchen, just the bathroom.

Lynn J "Strangely, this project makes me homesick and yearning for that time, even though I wasn't around then. Does anyone else feel that?"

Do you think it's because people then worked for the common good rather than self?  Everyone now is about self. There's a personal want or need to be part of something, but now, the herd is being part of everything that is wrong - selfish beliefs, frivoulous wants, being better/prettier/more in shape than others, bullying (which I found, in my experience, the worst abusers to be women in their 40's-50's), thinking they're too good to do "xyz", they think they're all "owed", rather than what is good for others, the common good.   I am not part of the herd and raised my daughter to not be either. The herd is not good, but back then, people came together for things even the simplest things.   I don't see that now and certainly didn't see it raising my daughter.   The "Village" that raises your child was the neighbor(hood) with the same moral and religious beliefs you had, not dumping your children off for someone else to deal with.    

I didn't know that about the horse and buggy either!  Fascinating!  

I always feel such a sense of peace while reading your posts. When I need some relief from this world I come here and fill up on tranquility. :)

"Strangely, this project makes me homesick and yearning for that time, even though I wasn't around then. Does anyone else feel that?"    Yes! I think my soul belongs to another era. I think that is why I'm so attracted to these history studies. 

When I watched the War Time Farm series, Ruth did a section on soap rationing and showed how they grew the Soapwort plant and used it in place of soap. She washed her hair with it. It intrigued me so I got some Soapwort seeds from a Canadian company. I think I'm going to try and grow them this year and see how it works. I'm sure it won't replace my soap but I'm always interested in how we can use plants in unusual ways. I'll include a picture of the flowers.

I live in Chattanooga, TN and a friend of mine is a florist. Her father started the business in 1933. She told me that when tires were rationed and her father couldn't use his vehicle to deliver flowers, he would catch the trolley and delivered them that way. Sometimes he would have 3 or 4 arrangements at a time to juggle on the trolley. He would get orders that way too, because the passenger would comment on how that shows his dedication to quality service. :)

Interesting comments all.

We lived in a small-town pop. 500 or less.  We walked everywhere because we did not have a car.  Dad trucked for a living, so he had a truck.  Mom would pull my sister and me in our wagon to town and then use it to haul groceries home.  In winter it was our sled.  Stores were 5 blocks, school was 5 blocks, and church was three blocks.  The theatre was 6 blocks and none of us kids every thought to ask for a ride anywhere.  When we were old enough for bikes, that became our mode of travel except for church where we always walked.

At that time there was a bakery in town, and I don't know if they made deliveries, but the town was small enough most people would have walked to the store.  My mom didn't bake bread that I can recall.  Rolls and sweet rolls but not loaves of bread.

My grandfather had an ice delivery service, and I don't know if he used horses then or not.  I know horses were used for ice deliver originally.  He often commented that his generation saw the greatest changes known to man from horse and buggy to the moon.  

He also had a filling station and delivered fuel to farms, and I would assume he would have used his "tank wagon" which was actually a truck.  Tank wagon would have been the name when it was a horse drawn unit and the name carried over when it was a truck.  

My mother did not have a refrigerator until 1948 or 49.  I can recall her swearing when she had to dump the water container under the ice box and spilled it.  That's the only time I recall her swearing!  The fridge was an Internation Harvester brand and was still going strong in 1965 because I had it as my first fridge from 1961.  It still was working when we replaced it.  We replaced it because we'd been out-of-town and the power was out for a day or two.  I had fish in the freezer, and it melted and ran down the whole fridge, and I could not get rid of the smell.  The freezer section was in the middle of the top inside the cabinet of the fridge (not separate) and had to be defrosted weekly.

Hi all

Pam, I'm also in Australia and I was surprised about the 'back to horse and cart' deliveries in the US, because I guess I assumed the motorised deliveries didn't start until after the war in Australia.  Maybe it depends on which part of the country you lived in.

I know that after the war in Canberra (our national capital: small city but still known as a 'big country town'), the milkman and baker at least were delivering with horse and cart, at least until the mid-1950s which is when my parents are old enough to remember.

Here is a lovely story for anyone who is interested in two farmers who are farming with horses and antique machinery for the love of keeping the skills alive, and a record-breaking effort where a team of 62 horses worked together to pull a wagon:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-18/heavy-horse... 

I wonder how much of the environmental problem and socio-economic inequality could be solved if, as one of the other posters alluded to, we all pulled together, took only what we needed and looked out for our neighbours? 

Beautiful little washcloths for your great-grandchild, Grandma Donna.  It's wonderful that they will grow up appreciating the beauty of handmade items, and being reminded every bathtime that you love them!

Sounds like the fridge was a "Tarnation harvester" Ann W!

Grandma Donna Wrote, I can never say enough words that mean how much your comments mean to me.  I love hearing your thoughts, ideas and stories.   

I wanted to mention that here in the United States in 1942 Drene and Halo liquid shampoo was sold.   

Some mention of baking soda for rinse was mentioned on the forum in one of the post.  Here is a video of Dr. Sam Bailey explaining how she shampoos her hair with baking soda.  This is a safe link and so I am using it to share with you.  

Sorry everyone, the link that I shared earlier is safe, but if you'd prefer to look up the story yourself, I searched for "abc.net.au horse and plough farming".  ABC is the Australian Broadcasting Commission, our public braodcaster.

I still have a bristle brush which my Aunty gave me when I was around ten years old, over 45 years ago!

Some mention of baking soda for rinse was mentioned on the forum in one of the post.  Here is a video of Dr. Sam Bailey explaining how she shampoos her hair with baking soda. 

I can vouch for this as I did it for a long time and will go back to it. It definitely makes the hair feel clean and soft, and it's very shiny, and of course dirt cheap.

Horses and carts (buggies) were still in very limited use in the early 1960s where I grew up in Yorkshire. I remember the 'rag and bone' man (like Steptoe and Son, the UK TV series) with a big horse and cart. Milk deliveries had gone to an electric vehicle by then.

This is a fascinating study. Thank you Grandma Donna!

The discussion on washing your hair with baking soda and vinegar is very helpful.

Tea S -- If I may ask, how much wood ash do you use to wash your hair? 

I found an interesting Ruth Goodman video on YouTube about washing clothes with wood ash. It's called Ruth Goodman on Matters of Hygiene. I'm going to try both washing my clothes and my hair with wood ash. 

Ruth Goodman said that you can wash laundry in cold water with wood ash and it kills the germs, but that soap, even in hot water, didn't kill the germs as well, and that's why they boiled their laundry. I think this would be a wonderful emergency skill, because if the power was off for an extended time, I could make some wood ash on my grill, and soak it to make the laundry solution, then wash my laundry in it in cold water, and know I killed the germs. :) 

Talking to my husband, we decided we could make the ash ahead of time and keep it in a tightly sealed container to use in emergencies. 

Doesn't wood ash contain lye?  I was thinking that lye was leached from wood ash to use in soap making back in the day.

Ann W.,

Yes, it's a different chemical than commercial lye, but both are called "lye" and used similarly in soapmaking.  Natural lye is mild so it takes a lot more of it.  I've done 4 parts lye water "strong enough to float an egg" to 1 part fat, then boil the mixture down until it saponifies. 

Stephanie G.,

First I make hardwood ash water by one of two methods: 

#1:  The simplest but less efficient method is to put about two cups of wood ash in half a gallon of water, stir, then let sit for a few days (make sure no animals or children can drink out of it!) and then I just scoop or gently pour the lye water off the top.  This method makes such a mild solution that I pour a whole cup or two over my dry hair, work it into a good lather, then rinse it out.  Or when using this method for laundry, I add the whole half gallon to a load, minus the ash sludge in the bottom.  This is sort of the quick method I used to use on and off before switching over to ash water completely.

#2:  To make a stronger solution that stores well, I take a very large (probably 4 or 5 gallons) ceramic flower pot with a single hole in the middle (a plastic bucket with a hole drilled in it would also work) and poke a piece of scrap fabric through the hole to act as a filter/spout, then set it up on two cement blocks with a small bucket between them to catch the drips.  I fill it with wood ashes to within an inch or two of the top, packing them down as I go, then pour water over it.  It will seem to absorb all the water, without dripping, but I let it do it's thing and only add more water once a day - enough to cover the surface. Eventually it reaches saturation, and natural lye starts dripping out the bottom.  As you can see this method takes more planning and setup, but the result is a more concentrated ash water that can be stored in a jug and used throughout the year.  Since this is much stronger, I use it just like shampoo.  Wet my hair first, fill the palm of my hand with ash water, lather it into my hair good, then rinse.  Exactly how much I need varies with the batch, but I always get a feel for it after a time or two.  Using that method for laundry, I add about a cup per load, sometimes two cups if I feel that something is heavily soiled.

"Used" ashes are still great for the garden or compost pile, so nothing goes to waste :)

A word of warning: While it's very different from commercial lye and I've never personally had any issues, it's possible some people's skin would still be sensitive to it.  I personally tried leaving a drop on my arm for a few minutes and then rinsing it off, made sure I didn't develop any kind of irritation from that, before dumping it all over my head for the first time.  If you try washing your hair with ash water (which I am neither recommending for or against) please be responsible for your own safety.  Also, store out of reach of pets and children as I have no idea what would happen if someone drank it, but suspect it could be quite dangerous.  

I live in Wales, UK, and Soapwort was well known and used for washing.  It would be grown near the Fulling Mills (Pandys).  I tried it once for washing a wool jumper, and it worked well.

Thank you, Tea S! Ever since COVID and the data about how our modern laundry methods are not fully sanitary, I've been concerned about my laundry. It's why I started ironing more. The Ruth Goodman video was fascinating. I did not know that hardwood ash could sanitize in cold water. I don't have the means to boil laundry, or I would. I know that when I run the sanitize option on my dishwasher, we get fewer colds. I could accomplish the same by pouring boiling water over my hand washed dishes, or maybe I should wash them with ashes. :) I planned to use gloves when washing wood ash laundry, but that was a good point about checking my skin sensitivity before washing my hair. I don't have a lot of wood, just some from my fruit trees, so I don't know that it would be economical to use ash all of the time, but in an ongoing emergency situation having clean laundry is a must. Thanks again for all of that good information! :) 

Jennie C , Wow, thanks for letting us know. I'm excited to grow it now.

In this climate, just hanging my washing on the line is enough to sanitise it - the sun does the job for free.  Everyone hangs washing outside here, there are no laws against it, and it's the most sensible thing to do if we're trying to be kind to the environment, also saves power.  I don't own a clothes dryer these days anyway, I have no need for one.

Pam -- I use the sun too. :) But last winter when I started hanging things to dry in the house, I noticed a problem with sanitizing. According to the data, the dryer isn't that good at sanitizing either, unless you're going to overheat your fabrics regularly, and that's the opposite of what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to make my clothes last longer. It's winter here again, so I'm trying to find ways to make sure everything is as fresh as possible! I like ironing anyway, so it's no hardship for me. :) I wished I lived where everyone hung their laundry out to dry.