Recently, during some of the ever-present construction on our home, our washer and dryer were displaced for a couple of weeks and I was forced to resort to something drastic — hand washing the laundry!
I honestly did not want to load everything up and go to the laundry mat. However, if I didn’t, everyone was either going to stink or be naked so I decided that I better figure something out. After some careful consideration, I decided that hand washing would be the best option.
Hand Washing Supplies
This project really doesn’t take much at all to put together. I took a little trip to the dollar store to get two plastic storage bins. However, Kris had to go to a plumbing store to get me a decent new plunger. You really need the old-style, large, rubber plunger with a good size handle. These days most plungers that you can find, are little plastic things. That is not going to work here.
My son wanted to help me so I put him to work. (careful what you ask for!) He drilled multiple holes in the plunger about 3/4″ in size. He also drilled 1/4″ holes in the bottom of one of the bins, basically creating a colander.
How it Works
The general idea is this:
- Stack the bins with the ‘colander’ on top
- Put your laundry in (don’t try to do too much at a time)
- Add a little laundry detergent across the top (liquid works best)
- Add water until the laundry is completely covered
- Get to plunging
If you set a timer for 5 minutes and plunge the whole time, you will be amazed at how much dirt comes out of your laundry, as evidenced by the dirty water left in it. Once you have finished the plunging, next you will:
- Raise the upper bin and let the water drain fully into the lower bin (we just leaned it, hanging it on the lower bin)
- Squish the excess water out of the laundry and set that bin aside
- Pour out the dirty water, preferably in a garden bed or something that needs watering if you didn’t use a toxic laundry detergent.
- Then start over, minus the detergent
You will want to rinse twice to make sure that you get all the soap out. About three minutes per rinse is fine. Also if you are using a fabric softener, then the first rinse is the time to add that. When you are done rinsing, drain well, then wring and hang to dry.
Get used to Hand Washing
As much as I dreaded the idea in the beginning, hand washing our laundry really wasn’t bad at all. From beginning to end, each load took me about 20 minutes max. Then they were handing in the sun and wind to dry.
I have always had a soft spot for laundry on a clothesline. I think it’s mostly a nostalgic thing for me, but regardless of the reason, I do love it. And of course, it definitely helps that it’s a big money saver. Dryers pull a ton of power! And in these days of rising costs, every little bit helps!
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