How to Do Laundry Without a Washer
Washing laundry is a common household task necessary for personal hygiene and clothing care. Although washing machines are convenient and efficient, they are not required to wash laundry effectively. Washing laundry by hand is an option for people without washing machines or those trying to conserve energy. Certain delicate fabrics, such as silks and knits, require hand washing to retain their shape, color and texture. Basic supplies and techniques are needed to do laundry without using a washer. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Long rubber gloves
- 2 plastic washtubs
- Liquid or powder laundry detergent
- Warm water
- Thick towels
- Table
- Rolling pin
- Cold water
Instructions
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Sort the laundry into piles based upon their washing requirements. Read each item's care tag to determine if each item requires hot, cold or warm water, and separate accordingly.
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2
Put on long rubber gloves. Fill a plastic washtub with hot water and liquid or powder laundry detergent. Apply the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer. Agitate the water with your gloved hands to distribute the detergent.
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Fill another plastic washtub with warm water for rinsing.
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Submerge the items intended for hot water into the soapy water. Agitate the items with your hands, rubbing the fabrics against themselves to wash out dirt and grime.
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Spread thick towels over a table. Lay the items flat on the towels. Roll a rolling pin over the items to wring out excess water.
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Submerge the items in the tub of rinse water. Rinse the items three times or until all soap is completely removed. Refill the washtub each time your rinse items.
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Spread clean, thick towels over the table. Lay the items flat on the towels. Use the rolling pin to squeeze out excess water from the items.
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Allow the items to air-dry completely.
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Repeat the washing process for the remaining two batches of laundry -- the items that require warm and cold water. Wash the two remaining piles of laundry separately. Rinse out the washtubs after each batch of laundry.
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Tips & Warnings
You can substitute pure soap flakes or liquid dish washing soap for the laundry detergent.
Make a fabric softener by mixing 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of water. Add the solution to the rinse water.
Do not wash laundry with commercial shampoo or body wash; the suds are difficult to rinse out.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Martin Poole/Lifesize/Getty Images
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Comments
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I think the rolling pin method described here(in a rewrite of my article with a similar title) is totally unnecessary. Easier and a LOT less messy to just squeeze the water out wringing by hand. When you are doing laundry by hand, the last thing you want to do is to dirty lots of bath towels in the process! I would be curious to know if this contributor ever personally used this method of doing laundry.
