Laundry Day at Peaceful Forest Homestead
One of the biggest challenges for me living off-the-grid has been doing the laundry. Not having a large enough solar system has made running a washing machine impossible for the present time. At least the machines that are not energy efficient are impossible. I have a brand new super efficient one waiting to be used but that is a whole other story. So for the most part I have been washing by hand for eleven years now. Many times I take it to the laundromat but not all of it. Mostly just towels and my husband's jeans.
For most of those eleven years I have been washing with a plunger to agitate the clothes in the buckets. I scrub the garment with soap if it is badly soiled. Then let them soak a few hours in the soapy water. After that I rinse them in the rinse water. I do not wring them out. I have found that to cause wrinkles. Instead I let them drain on the side of the bucket as you see in one of these photos. Then hang them on the line.
My plunger did an okay job. Then I left it outside on a night that had freezing temperatures. So it cracked. I managed to use it very gently for the past couple of months but knew I had to replace it. Instead I found a Mobile Washer. It looks like a plunger but is completely different. It costs $14.95 and is a bargain in my opinion.
Washing laundry with the Mobile Washer.
The normal way people hand wash is by rubbing the garments together, using a washboard, of course we are all familiar with that method. My husband was in the Philippines and they washed the laundry by rubbing them against rocks. Friction is good for removing dirt but it also ruins the clothes. Here is the Mobile Washer instructions that came with it: " This washer uses a technique of pushing and pulling water through the the clothes which reduces much of the wear and tear that would come from the friction method."
The Mobile Washer on top of a bucket
Because of this agitation method, less soap is needed to do an effective cleaning job. Minimal water is needed too..........that is a plus when you are pumping the water from a pitcher pump! The directions say to use only four inches of water and a teaspoon of detergent in a five gallon bucket or pail. But wash fewer garments at a time. Works great. Makes my job seem much easier. And the clothes I took out yesterday seemed so much brighter too.
A view of the Mobile Washer from the bottom.
You can see it is made special for creating the vacuum. I found it very easy to use and am quite happy with this.
Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2015 Kathleen G. Lupole
Updated 2015
14 comments:
Kathleen - Great post! Would you be interested in letting us post this on our blog (Preparedness Pantry)? We are currently running a 'guest blog post giveaway', and you can 'win' a $20 Emergency Essentials gift card if we publish your post. If you're interested, send us an email to blog@beprepared.com and we can move forward. Thanks! (sorry to contact you through a comment, but we didn't see any other way to do it)
Yes!!!! I'd be honored to have it on your blog!!!
Wow! You do so much!! I think you are incredible because you handle so much of this yourself. I have only hand washed a few things in my life. Good for you!!! Nice discovery!!!
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Hi, I am visiting from NFF. I live in NY too, Long Island. Very interesting to read about the way you wash clothes. I look forward to reading more.
~Theresa
www.beingrefinedassilver.blogspot.com
You are one of the bravest people I know! The thought of living without my washer makes my brain hurt! :)
I don't think I could do all our laundry like that...I would go insane! You are phenomenal!!!
I am SO enjoying reading your blog posts. Glad you found a substitute "washer" in the meantime; good info to know!
Thank you for the comments!! It is not that I am so special or brave.......it has been a matter of sacrificing to have the independent homestead that we want. Living this way makes you able to survive under most circumstances.
I just found your blog through another blog (isn't that the way it always works?) and I have to say that I have really enjoyed reading the last couple posts that you have on here.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
Oh, and I will be looking into one of those Mobile Washers!
Hi Katlupe, found your post on HT about the Mobile Washer. Although I have a front loader washer and am not off grid, I try to live a simple life. I currently use a rubber plunger and a five gallon bucket when we camp but like the mobile plunger better. I'll be ordering one.
Welcome Granny J! I love to have members from Homesteading Today visit my blog. Makes my day! I think you will like the Mobile Washer. I certainly do.
I do a fair bit of hand laundry here in urban Los Angeles. People would think I'm daft if they knew, lol.
People living especially in the big cities need to be self-reliant in case of emergencies. That would include having a way to wash your laundry. I had a famous person from LA purchase my eBook, so they must have been thinking about preparing or just curious. You never know what could happen. Thanks for your comment and visiting my blog!
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