Washing and drying clothes can be such an energy consuming, water wasting practice so why not try doing it a new way? Step 1 - Bucket. Step 2 - Put about 1-2 gallons of water in bucket with some biodegradable, chemical free soap. Step 3 - Take your clothes 1 at a time and slosh them around in the bucket, get it all soapy. Step 4 - Ring out the water. Step 5 - Lay it on a clean surface until you're done with all your clothes. Step 6 - Empty out the bucket and fill with clean water. Step 7 - Rinse your clothes. Step 8 - Hang dry and you're done! It's practical, easy, fun, and you'll feel so good for not wasting 20 + gallons of water!
ya if it was just me i would still say what the fuck. But since it is me the wife and 3 boys ya right. We barly have time to get all the laundry done with a washer and dryer. Ya know some of the dumb shit you fucking people come up with just blow my mind.
I tried washing my clothes by hand...it doesn't work. I could never get my clothes clean enough, and it took fuckin five hours! DezDino...have you ever actually tried with the bucket? honestly?
yeah and then your clothes end up all stiff and take forever to dry. A washer and dryer are good for me, convinient and easy plus my clothes are soft and warm
But there are products in the market that are organic and can make sure that the clothes are clean. I guess that's a way of making sure that we can save our environment and at the same time make sure that our clothes are safe to wear and are completely sanitized.
Holy shit. I would think for an "environment" forum there would be a heck of a lot less negativity and idea-bashing. If you don't have anything productive to say then sometimes it's okay just to hold it back. If handwashing won't work for you then don't do it, but you don't have to call people who DO do it stupid. It is absolutely a viable and energy-efficient idea for many people. For those of you who can't manage, did you know washing every load of laundry in warm water uses as much energy as leaving your fridge door open 24 hours a day, every day of the year? There are better ways to use a washing machine too, like using cold water, biodegradable detergents and putting it on a short cycle
I suggest a bit more water and a second rinse, but when I needed to do the wash for three adults by hand for a year, this worked very well, as long as we took drying time into consideration. What made it easy for me was to take two five gallon buckets, drill lots of holes in the bottom and sides of one to use like a strainer. Pull out the strainer bucket, then use the weight of the wash/rinse water to wring out the majority of the water from the clothes. Wring by hand as you hang. Yes the clothes will not be tumbled-soft, but the fabric will have less heat stress. I got used to the feel of the towels, and really didn't notice on shirts, skirts or jeans.
Yeah, but if you go by that logic you may as well not use hot water at all. I suppose someone could come up with some numbers to say that taking a hot shower every day is as bad as heating a house while leaving the windows open. These things take power. That's just the way it is.
The idea isn't to completely obliterate every action you take that can negatively affect the environment, it's to try to minimize your energy consumption in all the little ways you can. That's like telling vegans that "they still build houses which kill bugs-" no one expects to be perfect, but making small efforts does have an impact. Anyway if you're so black-and-white and that's-just-the-way-it-is, what are you doing on the enviro forum?
I'm going with what other people said, my hand washing just doesn't get clothes clean as warm water in a washing machine does.
You know it when your right and there are alot of people that are attempting to help the earth as well as ourselves with different measures.However "you cannot dance like drunken pixies on the beach, there are land mines everywhere".X10, if ya get my drift.
Sunburst Took the words right out of my mouth. 2 thumbs up. =) Its all about EFFORT...plus, ive washed my clothes by hand before. As long as you know what your doing, it turns out fine! Granted, I dont suggest it for large families, but if each single person did it, imagine the positive impact!
that would be good if it was just me, but i tend to let all my clothes pile up before I wash them, and i have a decent amount of clothes. I can probably go a month without doing laundry.
You're right and you're wrong. Washing and drying clothes can be very energy consuming, if you let it. It can also be a waste of water as well, again, if you let it. Your way is not new, nor is it efficient, nor is it very effective. I have lived for months at a stretch doing it by hand. What I found to be the best is two different methods. One is if you have the dough and the other is if you don't. First method It's called a "Wonder Washer". It's a plastic pressure vessel that rotates. It is not the greatest, but it's good. Also get a hand operated wringer. Far better to use that to squeeze the water from the clothes than twisting them. Total cost is going to be around $150, maybe more maybe less. but you can re-use it anytime you need it. If you take good care of them there is no reason they won't last you for as long as you're alive. Second method I learned from a couple of Nam vets that went hippy back in the 80's. Take a five gallon bucket and lid, clean it/them out. Get a new single stage toilet plunger (trust me, you really do not want to use a used plunger for this, ok?). Cut a hole in the lid that barely fits the plunger handle loosely. Your washing machine is done. Add clothes, add water and soap, put the lid on and start pumping. Ok, it can get a bit messy, but it really does a great job. As for the wringer, I strongly suggest getting one no matter what. How you handle the clothes when they're being cleaned also decides how long they last. But you can do your laundry without one. Both the wonder washer and 5 gallon bucket method can do two sets of clothes, easy. Idealy you may want to do a pair of pants, two shirts, two undershorts, and two pairs of socks in one load. That is, reasonably, at least two days of clean clothes in one load. Compare the time spent on that load to the time spent using it the way you suggest, and by the time you are done with the same number of clothes I think I could do three maybe four loads.
I've been hand washing my clothes since February 2009 and it works very well for me. A washboard is very helpful in removing really stuck on stains. WHen I have A LOT of clothes or very large items like bed sheets to wash, I fill the bath tub about half full, throw in some baking soda and vinegar, and throw my clothes in there. I just stamp on them like grapes and leave them to sit for an hour or two. Then I let the water out and I'm pretty crazy so I don't wring the water out of my clothes until I get outside and I do it over another bucket to catch the dirty water so I can water my plants with it. WOW I'm nuts. I can't afford a greywater system, so I create my own!
Hey Logan - I LOVE the second idea and will definitely implement when I get back home! I don't have money to invest in a "wonder washer" but that sounds really awesome. I think it's so wonderful that many people are actually positive about my idea and sharing their thoughts! I hope that all of those negative nancys one day have to sacrifice something and learn just how precious the resources we use are. Water is running out. Coal is becoming very hard to access. Oil is wreaking havoc on the land and sea. We are using the planet as though we have another one to fall back on. I'm not saying everyone should start doing their laundry by hand. All I'm saying is that everyone should be very conscious of the resources they are using. It's difficult to truly know the effects of our actions if we don't see them first hand, and unfortunately living in the country we live in we rarely see anything with our own eyes. Volunteering in Costa Rica for 5 weeks and testing the water quality in San Diego for 6 months taught me a lot of things. I wish everyone could live in an off the grid setting and live off the land that they are mistreating so blatantly for a month and realize what is happening. That's just not possible though, so I'm going to continue sharing my thoughts and advice with others in hopes of effecting at least a few person's actions. ddtheadventurer.blogspot.com
I love the strainer idea! Very effective I'm sure. To make your clothes less stiff, add a little vinegar to the water, it makes them quite soft!
Anytime, just ask when you have a question. I'd like to learn more about that, if you could PM me about that, please. Actually it is a good idea, in some places. They are other places where it's not a good idea. Consider the current population issues. Some are destined to live in the city and some in the country. We may not all live off the grid, but some how some where we can still make a difference. But it takes something you won't find in large scale- mutual cooperation. People have to agree on it, and they have to be willing to work together. And even then, no matter what the people say the politicians world-wide won't agree. It all boils down to greed. Reminds me of a story about a young man seen walking along the beach after a storm. A man saw this young man picking up starfish and throwing them back in the ocean. So he asked this young man what he was doing. After all, he's just saving one starfish at a time. He can't save them all. And the young man said, after throwing another to the sea- "Maybe so, but I made a difference for that one." On a large scale, do not expect your efforts to have much if any effect. Individually, yeah it's still a coin toss. But convincing even one out of one hundred is still better than convincing no one.
