Champanges Village 24 May 2025 Cindy Parisse 13 1
A glimpse into life in days gone by
In days gone by, these wash houses were not just places for doing the washing, but veritable social hubs. The village women would gather there to wash their laundry, chat and enjoy each other’s company. In Champanges, this age-old tradition lives on thanks to the guides’ stories. Here, you’ll learn how the village women used a very specific technique to clean their laundry. The water was heated in a ‘bouillandire’ (the local name in the local dialect), a large container, before being poured over the sheets and fabrics
The secret of natural laundry
The tour also immerses us in the traditional methods of preparing laundry lye. The women of Champanges carefully collected the ash from their wood-burning stoves. Once sieved, this was placed at the bottom of a bucket and mixed with water. After two to three days of maceration, a sort of natural laundry detergent was extracted from it. Finally, they added fragrant herbs to scent the laundry, before washing it in the washbasins.
Another essential tip involved ‘terre de Sommières’, a natural, local product commonly used as a stain remover. This fine powder, with its absorbent properties, helped remove grease stains and other stubborn dirt.
An enriching walk and a hands-on workshop
This guided tour not only offers a unique insight into Champanges’ heritage, but also concludes with a hands-on workshop. After discovering the secrets of traditional laundry methods, participants can try their hand at these natural techniques for themselves. It’s a fun way to test the quality of ash-based laundry detergent and to understand the effort involved in this daily ritual.
Practical information
Tours are free for schools as part of the “Pays d’Art et d’Histoire” programme and can be booked at the Pays d’Évian – Vallée d’Abondance tourist information offices, or directly online via the official website:
Larringes 170724 Marie El Hajal 04
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