Frugal Laundry Choices - wonderwash and other items

[thinkgreen]

I see that awakenedsoul has ordered a wonderwash. This makes me wonder whether anyone here can give a review of it as I am interested in how well it works.

Looking the wonderwash up on the internet I saw an old product with a new twist. A solar laundry line. It is an umbrella type clothesline with a solar panel that allows the umbrella to rotate and dry the clothes faster....

http://www.greenwayhp.com/home_products/details/gcl7sunfd/

Does anyone else know of some great laundry items that we can learn about?

[awakenedsoul]

thinkgreen,
There are a lot of reviews on Amazon.com of the Wonderwash and the the Nina dryer, (spinner) that I ordered. I'm interested in hearing if anyone here has used them, too. Mine should arrive next week. I'll check back and let you know how they work...

There are some videos on Youtube, too. It sounds like people who have to go to the laundromat really appreciate having them. They can do small loads at home, without hook ups. They're also great for camping, from what I hear.

[larknm]

I like soapnuts.

[thinkgreen]

Thanks for the replies.

awakenedsoul I never heard of the wonderwash before and it sounds like it would be very simple to use and energy efficient. I am interested in how it works for you. I looked at Youtube and it seems to wash several shirts, socks, undies or a couple pair of jeans. Since I only do 1 or 2 loads a week this could really work for me and save water, power, and going to the laundry.

larknm I have seen the soapnuts in the store and almost tried them. They seemed expensive but I liked that there is no fragrance.

[awakenedsoul]

thinkgreen, I only do one large and one half load of laundry a week, too. In the winter, I have more hand washables, since I knit all of my sweaters and socks. I stopped using my dryer last year, and I don't miss it. I have two clotheslines in my back- yard.

larknm, I've been wanting to try soapnuts for ages. I've heard such good things. Can you use them for hand washing, too?

[ToomuchStuff]

thinkgreen, I only do one large and one half load of laundry a week, too. In the winter, I have more hand washables, since I knit all of my sweaters and socks. I stopped using my dryer last year, and I don't miss it. I have two clotheslines in my back- yard.

larknm, I've been wanting to try soapnuts for ages. I've heard such good things. Can you use them for hand washing, too?

What is your location? Do you dry on a line, outside in winter?
Here, growing up, we had some lines in the basement for small winter loads. (large loads use the dryer, and almost never use a dryer in summer) I've pretty much gone to, if I have something too large, or lots of loads, (rare) I will go to a close laundramat and have them all washed and dried in about an hour. (time verses money)

[awakenedsoul]

I'm in Los Angeles. Yes, I line dry year round. We have a very dry climate. The other day I hung out my sheets on the line and they were dry in an hour. It's been 99 degrees here. Hanging a second clothesline has really helped.

I did some research on places like England and Australia. Those women don't have dryers, from what I've read. They hang things in the basement, around the house, near the wood stove, etc. Even when it's freezing outside, they line dry. I found that fascinating. Their electricity charges are also much higher.

(My electric bill in the winter is about $11.00 a month.) It'll be interesting to see the change with the Wonder Wash...I'm using one window air conditioner and two ceiling fans right now, so my bill will be around $35.00.

[early morning]

My son used soap nuts for a while. In his experience, they weren't good at removing heavy dirt or body odor smell. He says he got just as good results washing in warm water with no soap at all, and better results rubbing hand-made soap on the smelly/dirty spots and washing without other detergent or soap. I have not tried them, so I'm just passing along his observations. I too am interesting in hearing reviews on the Wonder Wash - keep us posted, awakenedsoul, please?

[awakenedsoul]

early morning, That's how I used to hand wash my leotards and tights when I was taking dance classes and/or teaching every day. I use a combination of baking soda, washing soda, and liquid goat's milk soap for my laundry. It does a really good job. I also use hot water. I know many people are against that, but with sweaty workout clothes, towels, and flannel t.p. it makes me feel better. I also add white vinegar to the rinse water. I've heard that hydrogen peroxide mixed with baking soda is a good paste for stain removal...

Thanks for the info on soap nuts. I think what I'm doing is less expensive, although I'm still curious to try soapnuts. (Just too cheap to spend the money, I guess!)

Will keep you posted about the Wonder Wash. It might not be that different than washing by hand in the sink...

[awakenedsoul]

Just received an email that my order has been shipped. I was a little nervous, since the company received several on line negative reviews. But, I placed the order on the 30th, they charged my on line debit card, and it's already on its way...

[ToomuchStuff]

How do you stop it from spinning to load or unload?

While the sun helps, I think circulating air, is as much a factor in clothes drying. No breeze and clothes have been stiff on the line (feel startched) which I get on occassion from a neighbors tree's blocking the breeze.

[awakenedsoul]

How do you stop it from spinning to load or unload?

While the sun helps, I think circulating air, is as much a factor in clothes drying. No breeze and clothes have been stiff on the line (feel startched) which I get on occassion from a neighbors tree's blocking the breeze.

I'm not sure. Maybe there's a stop button. I'll let you know once I receive and use it. I read something about line dried laundry being stiff, but I can't remember what it was. My clothes are fine, but my hand knit cotton dish cloths do come out stiff. The dryer softens them. It doesn't really bother me, since I wet the dish cloths when I use them, anyway.

I use white vinegar in the rinse water as a fabric softener. Have you tried that? We've got good air circulation here. It's breezy.

[profnot]

Wonderwash sounds great. Too bad it rains Sept thru mid-June here.

I like the vinegar idea. I'll try it soon.

My friend adds baking soda to his wash.

I ran out of laundry soap so I tried spraying Simple Green in the wash. Works better than the soap!

We can't use bleach because the whole town is on septic. I wouldn't use it anyway unless something had mold on it.

[awakenedsoul]

profnot, That's a lot of rain! Are you in Oregon? Let me know how you like the vinegar. I use it for all kinds of cleaning.

I just did a small load by hand in the bathroom sink. It was mostly underwear, plus a pair of hand knit socks and several squares of recycled sheets turned into flannel t.p. I used hot water, a small amount of washing soda, and a bit of goat's milk soap. I added white vinegar to the rinse water and hung everything but the socks out on the clothesline. The socks I rolled in a towel, walked on it to discharge the water, and then laid them flat to dry inside. I'm wondering if doing laundry in the sink is almost the same as the Wonderwash. We'll see when I get it. I think it'll be good to have for travel.

The technician came today and replaced the timer on my old Kenmore washer. As he was fixing, it, the knob broke. He's replacing that, free of charge. It feels good to get these repairs done.

[Float On]

I use vinegar for the rinse as well. I just put it in the fabric softner dispenser. If you use fabric softner have you ever noticed how gunked up and nasty the dispenser gets? On my new washer I tried some fabric softner that came with the machine as a free sample. One little bottle worth almost clogged the dispenser. Went back to my trusty vinegar which does help towels stay softer if line dried.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks for the replies.

awakenedsoul I never heard of the wonderwash before and it sounds like it would be very simple to use and energy efficient. I am interested in how it works for you. I looked at Youtube and it seems to wash several shirts, socks, undies or a couple pair of jeans. Since I only do 1 or 2 loads a week this could really work for me and save water, power, and going to the laundry.

larknm I have seen the soapnuts in the store and almost tried them. They seemed expensive but I liked that there is no fragrance.


You can also purchase fragrance-free laundry detergent...Just fyi

[larknm]

I agree soapnuts are expensive. I have environmental sensitivities, and used to be more that way, that I started buying them. But not lately, due to cost and they are hard to find in Santa Fe, where I live. I don't see why they wouldn't work with hand-washing. I never had any trouble with their not getting dirt out. I also use vinegar in the extra dispenser, but I do it for cutting grease--pretty much because I do that with most things in my house.

[awakenedsoul]

larknm, You've got me thinking about buying them. I have a feeling I'd like them, too. I wish I could grow them in my orchard!

[thinkgreen]

Tussiemussies, thanks for that suggestion. I currently use a scented soap but we have soft water here so I only use about half of what they say to us. I don't use any fabric softener or vinegar because it isn't needed with the soft water. We really are very lucky here.

larknm, the soap nuts are tempting me for sure. The price seems less expensive than what I remember. They only cost about ten cents a load from what I see this week.

awakenedsoul, can we grow these ourselves? That would be amazing! You must be anxious for your wonderwash.

My wash was out on the line today. A beautiful sunny day here.

[shadowmoss]

I haven't seen a link to what you ordered, but I think it is what I used for a couple of years when I lived in Honduras 2010-2013. I didn't want to hire locals to do my laundry, and there are no laundrymats there. Mom had a set she used in her apartment because there was no hookups in that apartment. It works just fine, in my experience. I was wearing light-weight clothings down there, and could do a day's clothes at a time. The spinner really makes it work as it gets things really dry-ish, so they finish drying quickly in the right conditions. I also used inflatable hangers to hang my tops on so they dried quickly and as wrinkle-free as possible.

I think I have pictures on my blog of my setup down there. If I can find them I'll show you.

[awakenedsoul]

shadowmoss, That sounds like what I have. I think it's good for people who have to go to the laundromat.

Well, The Wonderwash and Nina Spin Dryer arrived today. I did a load of laundry. To be honest, it was a real hassle. I had trouble putting the Wonderwash stand together. It kept slipping apart. I finally had to use postage tape to hold it together. It reminds me of this awful desk that my mom sent me that was made in China. It continually fell apart! (That's why I now have all antique furniture.) Anyway, the drum of the machine is well made. It did get my clothes clean, but I'm not sure it really saves water. It would be good for baby clothes, or people who want to do a small load each day. I put in a few pair of socks and underwear, a sun dress, a nightgown, and shorts and a t-shirt. I also washed my flannel t.p. squares. It does work, but I had to clean it out afterward and wash out the tub. I'm not sure where I'm going to store it. Right now it's on top of my washing machine, and it looks like clutter. Time to clean out the closet. The spin dryer is fabulous! It really pulls out the water from the clothes. It'll be great for my hand knit sweaters. In the winter, it can take a few days for them to dry. This way they will dry really quickly. If I were to do it over again, I would probably not buy the Wonderwash. I would use my repaired Kenmore and just hand wash in the sink. But, I'll use it, since I have it. Now I need to clear some space. In such a small house, new "appliances" take up a lot of room. I feel like it's Christmas, and I have too many toys...time to donate some of the things I no longer need!

It would be good for camping or if you didn't have any hook ups, though. I'll figure something out.

[profnot]

So I have been using my new clothes washing products: a few sprays of simple green and 1 heaping Tbsp baking soda.

We still need soap to make water thinner. So I got shampoo from the dollar store. It's doing the trick at 2 Tbsp per load.

Great thread!

[awakenedsoul]

I've been using the Nina spin dryer regularly. I'm washing my hand knit sweaters in preparation for Winter. It's starting to get colder in the morning. It's a great machine. I wash the sweaters in the sink or tub with a small amount of liquid goat's milk soap. After spinning, they dry SO much faster! It used to take a few days for them to dry. Now they're done in a few hours. I used it yesterday after I finished knitting and blocking a baby sweater for my neighbor. I used to roll things in a towel. This is much more efficient!

[thinkgreen]

profnot - what a great idea! I love it. I wonder if dishwashing soap would also work. Scientifically I suppose we just need something to break the surface tension of the water allowing dirt to release into the water and leave the clothing clean.

awakenedsoul - that sounds like a powerful spin dryer. Better than the spin from the washing machine. Too bad the wonderwash wasn't an easier product for you to use but it sounds like you will still get some use out of it. I was thinking it would work for me but after hearing your review I think I'll pass for now. Thank you for sharing that info.

I have been laundering all the things that get done sometimes, for instance housecoats, shower curtains, mattress protectors, etc. and drying them on the line before the autumn rains start. Once the rains start I don't always have the opportunity to dry things on the clothesline and I don't want to use the dryer very much. My machines are 29 year old Maytags and seem to be working just fine (knock on wood).

[shadowmoss]

The other day when I went to my blog to find the pictures I mentioned I ended up lost in all my entries from Honduras. Sorry. Here is a link to the 'Wonder Wash' that I used there. I also have the one that is an oversized enclosed bucket on a stand that you rotate by hand, also called a WonderWash, so I'm not so sure which is being talked about here. I prefer the motor driven one. I worked well. That said, now that I'm back I walk across the parking lot and use the laundry room here in the park instead of either of those. The spinner was really what made the entire process work when I was using them, though.

http://www.amazon.com/As-Seen-On-TV-WONDER/dp/B000BTDNEK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1411576111&sr=8-3&keywords=wonder+wash

Edited to add:
Here is the link to the one it sounds like you are using, but I may be wrong, it has happened before...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Laundry-Alternative-Wonderwash/dp/B002C8HR9A/ref=pd_sim_la_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=13YRZXAWFA0PWSRYRW7S

[awakenedsoul]

thinkgreen, There are some Youtube video reviews of it, too. One is of a couple with a baby in NY. It is so funny! I really think hand washing in the sink saves more water and is just as effective. The Nina spinner does make up for it. It just sucks out the water. It's so nice not to have hand washables laying out for a few days to dry...
shadowmoss, Yes, the second link (The Laundry Alternative) is it. The measurements on my stand were off, and that is really important so that you can turn it with the handle. I'll use it now and then...it would be a good toy for kids. It says that you can use it for cashmere and woolens, but I thought you weren't supposed to agitate wool. It felts. I'm so careful because I've heard horror stories from fellow knitters.

[ctg492]

I had a similar product to the wonder wash I don't rememeber the name, I got it for $5 at a garage sale. It looked like a space egg and you spun it. I was trying to be ultra conservative that summer and thought wow this is going to help me on my mission. DId it work, yes. Better then hand washing, No not really. Wringing out the clothes was hard, to hard. It think it would be super for small baby items or tights and such. But again hand washing better. Sounded super however.