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Laundry Questions: Washboard & Washtub


Sahamamama
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Guest inoubliable

Interesting... I use my LaundryPod as often as possible and use our drying rack from IKEA. If I need something in a hurry or it's too humid to use the drying rack, I've used the washer/dryer in the house before. I'm wondering if using one of those washboards would cut down on the soaking time in the Laundry Pod for the tough stains.... I've never used a washboard and I've never seen one used, either. Off to Youtube to see if I can find a video! Thanks for asking this question!

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Interesting... I use my LaundryPod as often as possible and use our drying rack from IKEA. If I need something in a hurry or it's too humid to use the drying rack, I've used the washer/dryer in the house before. I'm wondering if using one of those washboards would cut down on the soaking time in the Laundry Pod for the tough stains.... I've never used a washboard and I've never seen one used, either. Off to Youtube to see if I can find a video! Thanks for asking this question!

 

Thanks for posting about the Laundry Pod. I'd never heard of it, so I went off to Youtube that, LOL. It seems like the Pod would have been handy back in the day when I was in an apartment (no W/D). How does it hold up for family laundry?

 

When I lived in an apartment that had a washer but no dryer, I put cup hooks up above the door frame on the inside of the bathroom and again on the inside of the large hall closet. Then I strung a clothesline back and forth (zig-zag) across the hallway. That was a riot, walking through the underwear on the way into the bedroom. ;) But, hey, it worked, even for sheets.

 

We have three used cribs that we can't get rid of -- they're illegal now, I think (?) because the sides come down. Anyway, the Goodwill won't take them. I thought I could hang the sides (six altogether) from the laundry ceiling and use them as drying racks.

 

IDK... I'm just questioning the setup we now have for family laundry -- the water, the electricity/gas, the expense, the detergents. I feel the need to stop and reevaluate it all, no clue why. When I was in Central America, we used a pila or a tub and board. I loved using a pila! I had to get the hang of using a wringer -- lots of broken buttons that first week. And it rained every day, so the clothes were never completely dry.

 

Pila:

 

http://gringainelsalvador.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/how-to-use-a-washing-sink-el-salvador-como-usar-una-pila/

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Guest inoubliable

We all really like using it. When it first got here, my kids actually FOUGHT over who was going to use it first. Not kidding. I stood there with my jaw on the floor watching. DH walked in and said, "Uh. What if it comes to blows?" They still sometimes get snippy with each other if someone has to use it on a day that's not their assigned day. Three boys. Fighting over who does the laundry. And there's not even buttons to push!

Anyway. We've had ours for...I'm not sure how long. Maybe a little over a year? I think? It's held up fantastically. Everything works smoothly. Our water bill reduced by over half. I can't remember the last time we bought detergent. You use so little detergent, you know? We only wash clothes when they're actually dirty. So most of our loads are socks and undies. The kids are small enough still that they can do one load for all of their stuff, once a week. They don't have any "big" clothes. I can easily do two - three days worth of clothes at one time for DH and myself. DH's uniforms hold up just fine in there. Um. Trying to think... sheets! We have duvets and duvet covers. Obviously I can't fit the duvets in, so we use the washer every 6 months for that. If we didn't have a washer, I'd just drop it off somewhere to be cleaned. The duvet covers, though, fit just fine. Honestly, it's big enough that we can get all of our washing done in there throughout the week, and we don't usually have to wash anything on weekends. It takes very little time, you toss stuff in at night and let it soak, and wash it in the morning, hang to dry.

 

I like the idea of the cribs as drying racks! I'd absolutely do it.

 

Thanks for the pila link. I'd never heard of that. Now I'm envisioning a very different "laundry room" for when we move....

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I used a board-and-tub for six months once, when we could not afford to replace our washing machine. It was horrible for getting heavy materials such as jeans and blankets clean. Plus, we could not afford to purchase a mangle to squeeze out the water. For everything else, it was successful. That, in fact, is how I discovered the superlative stain-removing qualities of Zote bar soap. (Zote is what I used to wash the clothes with.)

 

P.S. The experience gave me new understanding of a young Vietnamese man whom I once knew when we were renting rooms from the same family. He insisted upon washing his laundry in the bathtub (no board -- just his hands and feet) because he did not believe that the washing machine could clean as well as he could.

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