9 replies to this topic

[Crazy4Canning]

So a few months back I bought a rapid washer (plastic) from Lehman's - like a plunger for washing clothes. It's been sitting and collecting dust.

My husband was just given a shirt that needed pre-washing and soaking (one of those "dirt shirts" from Hawaii) and so I bucket-washed it. The idea behind the shirt was that they took a white t-shirt, silk-screened it and then buried them in rust-colored Hawiian dirt to dye the shirts. These 'tourist trap' gifts sell like hotcakes BUT you need to pre-soak and wash the dirt out - some have more dirt than others.

I decided this would be a great test of my hand washing skills and bucket laundry. As I soaked, washed, and plunged, I noticed a few things....

1. The plastic rapid-washer kept turning loose. I had to keep tightening it. This was annoying and would be more so if using bleach, heavy items like jeans, or diapers.

2. Depending on the amount of soap you used, it ranged from "ho-hum to "pretty effective"

3. OH MY ARMS...even though I let gravity work with me, it was still intense pushing and pulling...and I was just doing 1 (ONE) t-shirt. What would happen for a pair of jeans?

4. It took a couple of rinses to get all the soap out.

5. The splash-over was amazing...maybe I was being to vigorous or acting like I was churning butter. The bucket was only 1/2 full. Now I see why women mopped their floors or porches with the wash water. They just did their work and let the mess take care of itself at the end.

How did we ever get by without motorized machines? No wonder women made their own agitators and put barrels on rockers and had kids move them back and forth.

So - anyone have any luck plunging with a lid? I'm thinking if I did this regularly, I would fashion a lid for the bucket - maybe a gamma lid for easy-on/off and plunge through the hole to save splash-over.

I did wash the shirt by itself, for fear of color-run, but my shirt didn't seem to have as much dirt as others....

It was a great test of the plunger, regardless.

[gofish]

I have washed laundry by hand in a big tubbefore. I don't think I could do that again. Dh gave me this idea.

[Mt_Rider]

Hawaii dirt shirt, huh? Haven't heard of them but having lived there, I can believe it. That red does NOT come out!

I use a regular [but labeled and dedicated to laundry only] plunger. I had to upgrade to the best black rubber model cuz the cheap red rubber one tore in no time. But I put a bucket in the shower stall, wrap curtain just so...and I can have my hand inside doing the plunging.

Agree...primitive living is hard, manual labor! I realllly hope it all doesn't go *poof*. But prewash is good for things I've had in the plain and not-famous Colorado dirt when I'm gardening. So I use the bucket/plunger.

You might try the gamma lid but before you put a hole in it, try rolling it or rocking it instead of 'plunger-ing' it. Might make the lid tight tho, if the suds foam up???? Dunno. On our Wagons Ho scenario, we ladies put laundry in such buckets and let them slosh as the wagons jostled over hill and vale.


MtRider [..got my clothesline, clothespins, plunger, bucket, homemade soap ingredients...all set! ]

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Oh, how we love our magtag wringer washer!
can do it both ways- with electric or withour when we hook up a gas motor and pulley to it.
Then the clothes go out to the solar dryer or inside the greenhous and if it is raining out into the house on lots of wooden rackes.

[Homesteader]

Last time I had to do bucket laundry was on a long project in the former Soviet Union. DH's bluejeans were as heavy as a car when wet. No wringer so clothes took two days to dry and then I still questioned their dampness.

Good manual exercise.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

Last time I had to do bucket laundry was on a long project in the former Soviet Union. DH's bluejeans were as heavy as a car when wet. No wringer so clothes took two days to dry and then I still questioned their dampness.

Good manual exercise.

Oh, I have been there when the wringer quit in the middle of a wash of bluejeans ( I mean blackjeans- ha,ha) -

Took forever as it was also a clouding weekend!

[Annarchy]

C4C thanks for the review. Sounds like it works well.

The spin cycle went out on my washer. The part is not too expensive to replace, but, has to wait till the first of the month.

In the mean time, I have been stopping the washer after it drains and hand wringing, refill, rinse, wring. DH helped a couple of times and commented, "you are right, that is a work out." I have a secure pole I wrap the pants and towels around to assist me in wringing out as much water as I can. Hang them on the line for a few and wring the ends again.

Used to do it by hand as a kid, later when we got electricity, we got a "new fangled" wringer washer! We were overjoyed!

Not looking forward to today's maid duties...

[Crazy4Canning]

I must say though, that if I had to wash clothes by hand regularly, I would invest in a wringer or mangle (aren't they the same thing) for getting the excess water out. Thankfully, I just tossed the t-shirt in with some old jeans and it was fine.

I can see my husband hooking up a machine to a bicycle, though.

[AMarthaByHeart]

Would a professional mop bucket and wringer be strong enough to wring out some jeans?

[gofish]

I just wonder how fast you would have to pedal to do the spin cycle.

Edited by gofish, 29 October 2011 - 03:37 PM.