Ashford remembered the tiring laundry process at Norland, where she trained. "Today's housewife enjoys a multitude of machines to make laundry work a thing of ease," she wrote. "The laundry room was fiercely hot, and soon all our faces were flushed red from the heat. Three big copper boilers, heated by gas flames, dominated the room; and all the sheets, pillowcases, napkins, clothes, and nappies went in there to be boil washed... Afterward the clothes had to be wrung on a giant mangle, which required the biceps of a sailor to turn. Then everything had to be hoisted up onto giant wooden maidens attached to the ceiling to dry. This was easy work in comparison to the ironing... The irons were heavy, too, and one had to press down with great force... But they also required great delicacy and care, because there were no temperature controls, so it was easy to scorch fabrics... It was hot, tiring, relentless work; and we had to complete it all wearing our lisle stockings, uniforms and aprons."
