Advice for Handwashing Laundry [Archive]

melissalw

2-19-12, 5:06pm

I am now in possession of a 5 gallon bucket and a drying rack. I have the wringer I want picked out. My only question mark for doing laundry by hand is the plunger.

On the one hand, Lehmans has a nice plunger (breathing hand washer) that is specifically for doing laundry for $18.95. Not unreasonable. But- do I really need that? Or can I just get a regular old plunger from the hardware store down the street?

I'd love some advice!

Mrs-M

2-19-12, 5:27pm

I wouldn't think twice about using a regular ordinary standard toilet plunger. Unless you run into problems of some sort, I say keep it as simple and frugal as you can.

I don't have any experience with handwashing using a plunger, but my thoughts related to would be to keep the plunger submerged at all times (while plunging), so it's not cupping air (over and over again) when you lift it out of the bucket/pail.

It's only an idea, but if you find you're fighting with the pressure of the water with an ordinary plunger, you could always drill a few holes through the rubber part of the plunger to help lessen the hydraulic (water-surface/tension) effect.

Tradd

2-19-12, 5:52pm

There was a time a few years back when I did my laundry in the bath tub and hung it dry on racks. I used a CLEAN, BRAND-NEW plunger (you want the type that's not just the shallow cup) to agitate the laundry in the tub, and it worked well.

Tip: place your drying racks IN THE TUB itself so all the massive drips will go down the drain and not all over your floors. The drips would stop by the morning and I could then put the rack in the kitchen so I could take a shower in the morning!

Lainey

2-19-12, 6:04pm

What about a washboard? I think they still sell them in old-fashioned hardware stores, or even antique places, but they seem to do the trick.

Tradd

2-19-12, 6:19pm

Lehman's still sells washboards.

Mrs-M

2-19-12, 9:55pm

Don't want to come across as though I'm pooh-poohing the washboard idea, but the only negative (I see) to this option/method, is a little added wear and tear on washables, where as the plunger method is more like an extraction method, providing little to no wear.

shadowmoss

2-21-12, 2:55pm

I recommend a spinner to get out the excess water. I do all my laundry by hand in my hotel suite here in Honduras. I could do the washing as you talk about, but really, with the spinner the drying only takes about 3-4 hours even for jeans. http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Countertop-Dryer-Clothes-Portable/dp/B002HT0958/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329850398&sr=8-1 Not an affiliate link, just a search on the site for what I've got. Does require electricity.

When I'm hand washing my clothes, I let them sit a few minutes in the soapy water to soak before sloshing them around, and then again afterwards before rinsing. May or may not do any good, but I feel it does.

Mrs-M

2-23-12, 6:10pm

One thing to keep in mind related to laundry, specifically dirty laundry, is that most laundry, the kind that people think is soiled and ready for laundering, isn't actually soiled at all, so all that is needed is a quick minute or two of up and down, side to side, and round and round, followed by a thorough rinse.

Another important tidbit to add to this thread, wringing. Care must be taken to ensure washable items are wringer-friendly, particularly hand-wringing, which can ruin certain fabrics/materials. If that be the case, a more gentle approach will be required to press-out/extract wash water.

melissalw

3-3-12, 4:10pm

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Mrs. M, that's good to know about certain materials and wringing. What materials should I worry about wringing out? I'm just doing it by hand at the moment. And what should I do instead, for those materials?

Zoebird

3-3-12, 5:28pm

An industrial salad spinner (which is a five gal bucket) could work to spin out excess water. If you can get one used, all the better!

We use our washing machine's spinner to get out excess water. I'm also using a plunger in the sink, which works well. I have been unable to find an industrial spinner.

So, what do I do?

step 1. plunge clothes in cold water and bit of laundry soap in the laundry sink;
step 2. put clothes into the washer and run on one spin cycle (summer) or two (winter);
or
step 2(a). put clothes in towels and press out extra water (open towel, lay garment flat in towel, fold towel over top, and roll up.
step 3. line or lay flat to dry based on drying instructions.

I'm changing my work schedule again, which means I"ll get back to daily cleaning, as opposed to it all being stuck on thursday mornings right now.

Mrs-M

3-4-12, 4:03pm

Melissalw. I second Zoebird's pressing method, between two absorbent towels. Anything that falls under the family of delicates, I wouldn't chance wringing (hand-wringing). As for all else, i.e., towels, jeans, 100% cotton shirts, sheets, etc. wringing won't be a problem, but if you do choose to wring by hand (and line-dry), wrinkling will definitely be more acute, so pressing will more than likely have to be incorporated as a final follow-up step to happiness. :)

melissalw

4-6-12, 8:36pm

I've done a few loads now, and have a follow-up question. How long do people plunge their laundry for? I've found that a few minutes works OK for lightly soiled stuff, which is most of my clothes. But even after several batches of water and probably 10+ minutes of plunging, things like dirty socks still smell. Am I doing something wrong? This might also be due to soap, i.e. I use soap nuts. I'm planning on picking up borax and washing soda to make my own laundry detergent, and seeing if that helps, but if anyone has any thoughts or advice, it would be very appreciated!

gail_d

4-6-12, 10:17pm

melissalw, I have read that soaking the heavily-soiled laundry for up to 12 hours helps. I have the same hand-washing tool that you have from Lehmans and will be trying it out. Also, you may want to add shredded soap (using a vegetable peeler on a bar of Zote, for instance) to your borax and washing soda when you make your own detergent.

Mrs-M

4-8-12, 8:14am

Gail_d, IMO, is right on target with her soaking idea. I second the soaking idea for smelly or soiled items. Try adding your washing/laundry to your pail/bucket, add in your washing material (soap, etc), plunge for a minute to amalgamate, then let sit for 30 minutes, then plunge-wash, rinse, and dry.

As with all things, a little experimentation will more than likely be required to fine-tune the process to your liking, and, to achieve the desired results.

As a side-note, what method of drying are you incorporating into your handwashing system, Melissalw? Natural sunlight works wonders for stains (and odour), and even if you don't have a clothesline at your disposal, a wooden drying rack set-up outside would be the equivalent.

Glo

4-8-12, 1:41pm

Why would you want to do this? Seems like a lot of bother.

Zoebird

4-8-12, 5:28pm

Glo: Some people like to do these things for themselves.

redfox

4-8-12, 9:04pm

And some people live without electricity &/or running water...

UnhookedLiving

4-9-12, 4:31am

Hi, I'm new here and you might find my ways weird. But I lived simply on and off w/o corporate power and water for 14 yrs and have some strong opinions about how I prefer to do things. I often appropriated bath water to do wash, either as I was in the tub, or after I go out, because I hauled all my water. I soaked the clothes for a while, sloshed them around by stomping on them, and scrub any offensive parts on my washboard, which I truly prefer over a plunger. The worst part for me is wringing larger items by hand. A hand-cranked wringer is on the wish list. I've never had one - just wanted to (other than on my electric wringer washer). I've seen them for around $150 in prepper catalogs. Spendy, but they're often sold out, so you know they're in demand.

Jemima

4-9-12, 12:19pm

If you can borrow or buy a copy of this book, http://www.amazon.com/The-Plain-Reader-Essays-Making/dp/0345414349/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333988257&sr=1-1, there's an essay on how an Amish woman does her laundry in a tub that's interesting. She doesn't use soap except for clothing that's gotten very dirty from farm work.

lmerullo

4-9-12, 2:34pm

I try to handwash all my workout clothing. When I begin to notice an odor, in my experience, it is due to a buildup of soap. I will then wash the items alone in the washing machine much like you would strip a cloth diaper... hot water and frequent rinses. I try to minimize the agitation, so as not to wear out the fabric.

To the op - if you have access to an occasional laundromat, I would try stripping the items that have a smell, and then for future loads ensure your rinse water is completely suds free before wringing and drying.

Mrs-M

7-10-12, 2:01pm

Originally posted by Imerullo.
I will then wash the items alone in the washing machine much like you would strip a cloth diaper...I would love for you to elaborate further, as I have never understood what "stripping cloth diapers" means, or the purpose behind such a process.

mara61

7-10-12, 2:47pm

Mrs. M,
I'm thinking the stripping the cloth diaper means...when you put the cloth diaper in the toilet and bring it up and down to dislodge what ever is stuck on it (at least that is what my family means by stripping a cloth diaper).

Tussiemussies

7-10-12, 4:39pm

Funny this thread came up. Last night I was reading over the Derveas' family website and one of the menu items, I believe on the bottom of the page titled water sustainability, the girls wrote about how they do their hand washing. It was very interesting. Here is the URL:

About hand-washing:

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2010/12/14/handwashing/

About line drying:

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2011/01/10/hung-out-to-dry/

Mrs-M

7-11-12, 10:25am

Mara61. Love your families terminology for such an action! :) In our house it's known as "dunking", but then again, I've never been very creative in the world of expression through words.

P.S. Tussie, love the links! I never tire of reading articles and things related to the extensions of homemaking.

miradoblackwarrior

7-11-12, 11:51am

Hi--
I've used the "breathable" plunger from Lehmans. I also bought the heavy-duty black bucket, which holds more than 5 gallons of water, is much more sturdy, and has a handy handle to use for dumping. I do my laundry in the bathtub, wash and rinse in the same bucket, and slap it up on a wooden rack (slacks inside out). I'm probably going to invest in another black bucket to ease the transfer from wash/rinse.

Lehman's is awesome!
Susan

Mrs-M

7-11-12, 12:04pm

I second Lehman's, too!

reader99

7-13-12, 10:29am

lmerullo

7-13-12, 3:25pm

Mrs M (and others): stripping a cloth diaper is a process to remove odors / buildup. One of the most common causes of buildup is detergent. The most basic way to strip diapers is to load your clean diapers into the washer, fill with very hot water (possibly boiled water from your stove if you are so inclined) and run them through as many wash cycles as necessary with NO detergent added until the water has no suds. I usually add white vinegar to the first rinse cycle and then rinse again.

We have been trained by the marketing gurus that if a little is good, more is better. What happens is the diapers (or in the case of the op, clothes), no longer look or smell clean. Thus begins a cycle of more detergent to eliminate odor / clean better. Soon, there is a accumulated layer of detergent on the fabric that provides a barrier to getting the fabric clean and fresh. A regular regimen of just plain vinegar and hot water should help to literally clean away the cleaning agents so that the diapers or clothes are good as new.

Mrs-M

7-13-12, 5:49pm

Thanks for weighing-in on this, Imerullo.

I used vinegar (regularly) when I laundered diapers, and don't recall ever having a problem with odours/detergent build-up, etc. I used flat diapers, though, rather than the modern (thick/bulky) variety.

With flats, they're thin, so they rinse and launder thoroughly, so even if a mom was to be derelict Re: her laundering methods/ways, flats, IMO, are a reliable diaper that pretty much take care of themselves provided regular laundering is abided by. A little detergent, hot water wash-cycle (every two/three days), line-dry/electric tumble dry.

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=840&d=1342215267