Our Treasures: Laundry day at Whangārei Museum - pegs, sandsoap and a washboard 26 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM 4 minutes to read The box of 'Electric Pumice Sand Soap', one of the early 20th century laundry items at Whangārei Museum. The box of 'Electric Pumice Sand Soap', one of the early 20th century laundry items at Whangārei Museum. OUR TREASURES Today we are going to investigate three very ordinary and common place items of domestic use that can give a more accurate picture of earlier times in New Zealand, compared to more exotic and rare objects. These items are all related to laundering procedures of the early 20th century - the days of the indoor or even outdoor coppers and rope clothes lines where the line was held up to clear the ground with a long wooden prop.