Amira Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I'm asking about this on the small chance that someone here has experience with this. It looks like we might not have a washing machine for the next year, but I have absolutely no experience with extensive hand washing. I'm looking at a contraption like this to make things easier and trying to figure out a good system for wringing, because that sounds like the worst part of all. If we don't have a washing machine, my only other choice besides handwashing at home is to hire someone to handwash them for me and that's probably not an option for us. We will be living in a place with no laundromats of any sort. I'm obviously looking into how women there do their laundry, but I'm freely admitting that I'm lazy and want something to help me out if anyone has any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Step one is to put any denim or other such heavy fabrics away somewhere no one will find to wear them. I've no experience with the cool gadget, sorry. It kinda looks to small to be worth the trouble. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Step one is to put any denim or other such heavy fabrics away somewhere no one will find to wear them. I've no experience with the cool gadget, sorry. It kinda looks to small to be worth the trouble. Rosie :iagree::iagree: Definitely hide the denims. lol I agree that that machine looks really small. I don't have super extensive experience hand washing laundry but I have some. Where I live is part of "hurricane alley" and so I've had to do my fair share of hand washing all of our laundry when the power has been out for weeks at a time. For me, I just use a big tub with a washboard that I bought at Ace Hardware years ago. I use bar soaps that are specifically for laundry like Octagon or Fels Naptha (Octagon is better though) and just wet the clothes, soap them up and then scrub them on the wash board. Once all the clothes are washed. I rinse out the tub and fill it with water and start rinsing them out. Once all the soap is out, I wring them by hand and line dry them. My husband is from the Caribbean and a lot of people there don't have washing machines. They use a two basin wash tub system that has a shelf. It basically looks like two sinks side by side. Kind of like a kitchen sink, but the basins are textured and not smooth like metal or ceramic sinks. It's much nicer than my set up, but it's also more permanent and I only need to wash by hand when the power is out. If you have a double sink in your kitchen though you can always do the laundry in there too and just use a wash board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Our washer decided to be the first broken thing of the New Year. :glare: If you go to youtube you can find videos of people testing that machine. Until the repair appointment I'm doing laundry in the bathtub. I'm using our old baby bath tub for rinsing. A plunger (brand new!) is working as the agitator and is saving my back somewhat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 (edited) I've so been there! Early in my marriage, with a baby in cloth diapers, and living in an upstairs apartment of a house. I did laundry in the tub. I sorted it by diapers, towels, bedding, lights, and darks. I filled the tub with the temp of water I wanted, soap, scrubbed what needed to be scrubbed by hand (cloth on cloth), would get in barelegged and agitate the laundry (your water will change colour), drained and refilled for rinsing, agitate again, wring by hand (twisting or squeezing as appropriate or necessary), then hung out to dry. Yes, it's work, but it is doable. I would not waste money on such a small hand contraption. If it was a wringer washer, then yes...and yes, I've done that also LOL! (Jeans can be done this way...just takes extra wringing and extra scrubbing if they get extra dirty) And no, I wasn't raised Amish or anything ;) Just raised to do what has to be done with what you have. Edited January 3, 2011 by mommaduck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I have tried one of those things, and I found it didn't work for me. Maybe if the clothes weren't really dirty.. I think it would be easier to wash every day, so you don't get a build up of dirty laundry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I think no matter how you decide to wash it would be helpful to have a manual wringer (ie clamped to a sink) to remove as much excess water as possible, especially if you'll be living in a humid climate. I remember my aunt had an old wringer washer when I was little, and she'd hand crank the clothes through the wringer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Here is a link to Lehman's, a store that sells Amish type wringers and washing items http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods___Laundry?Args=&view_all=&sort_by= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 In my experience (20 yr ago) wringing is the killer. Put away all heavy fabrics and what has to be worn can be worn 2 or 3 times! I also learned to 'flip' the sheets. I would wash the sheets and the following week put the feet at the head and not wash. It stretched the washing to every other week. Q wringer would be worth it's weight in gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Well, if you washer died, or you are moving to a temporary place for a year that doesn't come with a washer and you don't have one, and it's a money issue, I'd look on Craigslist. You could probably buy an older washer for what you'd pay for that tiny thing and the shipping on it. Actually I'd look on freecycle first. People are often giving them away from a remodel, or they move and the new place already has a new/nicer model, or maybe their drier died and they decided to replace both. Now if you are going to be living somewhere where there is no washer hookup, I can't help you there. But if it's an option, I'd look for a old washer before spending that much money on something so tiny. If an actual washer isn't an option, I'd put the money into a good wringer and a plunger and do them in the bathroom. You could do a larger load much easier. And one larger load would take as long or less time than the mulitple little loads you'd have to do. I will say, after living for a year with a washer only, (apartment didn't come with one, and friend was getting rid of washer only - saved me from laundromat!) in NJ, I hung clothes out a window on a pull line in nice weather and in the basement on lines hung from the rafters in cold/wet weather - having things wrung out is the key! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Well, if you washer died, or you are moving to a temporary place for a year that doesn't come with a washer and you don't have one, and it's a money issue, I'd look on Craigslist. I suspect that Craigslist won't work for her. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 The gadget does look small, but for the price I'd give it a try. I think for big items, you would need another system or option. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00126A1G4/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=15684181&s=automotive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I suspect that Craigslist won't work for her. Laura Yeah I figured CL would still be worth it even if you had to rent the daily use Uhaul for the $30. But the mileage on that one would certainly make a cheapo washer a LOT more expensive!:lol: LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I haven't seen or used a contraption like that. Looking at Lehman's is a good idea. I had to do a bit of hand washing when our washer died. Jeans were a killer, but so were our large plush bath towels. If I knew hand washing would be a long term thing, I'd buy thinner, smaller towels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've had friends with both. The little thing, the thing that spins them, is good for small items. It does a good job with undies and socks and shirts. I know the one friend used it for baby and toddler clothes. I think you can fit one pair of jeans in there or one towel. Another friend had an wringer. It was great until she got her hand stuck in there. That was bad. But, it was great for going through a bunch of clothes. Things went very quickly. Just don't let your kids anywhere near it! And I don't know any amish people, just a bunch of hippies and poor people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 And I don't know any amish people, just a bunch of hippies and poor people. Shoot, did we run into each other back then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 My mom has pictures of her and my aunts in Brazil washing their clothes (and my diapers) in the rivers. I'll ask her how she did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Thanks for all your great ideas. I would like a wringer, but they're pricey in the US, so I'll try to find something in Kyrgyzstan. Some friends who were in the same boat a few years ago have given me some good suggestions too. And I'd never have thought of the plunger thing. I've read some creative wringing suggestions though. Thanks again, and if anyone has any more ideas, I'd love to hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I would go for a plunger/agitator and a scrub board over a wonderwash. I have heard of people using a mop wringer bucket as a make-do wringer. IME, it's the wringing that kills my hands. I have done it for short periods of time, but not long-term. Any chance you can get hooked up with a washer from someone in the ex-pat community who is upgrading or moving away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I've seen some vintage washing machines, at a display of old farm equipment. Picture a wooden barrel, on its side, with a flap door cut into it. It's on an axle, and you could either hand crank it or hook it up to a motor to run it. Think vintage farm machinery. The trick was the agitation - the one I saw would go around nine times one way, then nine times the other way. If it were me, I'd make a large effort to rig up something along these lines, even if it was hand-cranked. Some of the ones I saw had a ringer that swung into place so you could wring out each item as you took it out of the barrel. I'd do some Googling for inspiration. The technology isn't all that hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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