Off grid laundry

[elkhound]

logcabinlooms on a ramble...the man lives it !

5-12-23

 

[elkhound]

his older stuff 3-12-19




7-25-17

 

[elkhound]

7-30-14

 

[elkhound]

4-22-12

 

[mosquitomountainman]

This is what we use. They are easy on water and power. The spin dry is easier on buttons and zippers and get the clothes drier that a wringer.

https://www.amazon.com/COSTWAY-Port...mzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

 

[mosquitomountainman]

Other times we've used double tubs and a hand cranked wringer (from Lehman's).

In our experience the washboard sucks. Instead use a "rapid washer" from Lehman.

https://www.lehmans.com/product/rapid-laundry-washer/

 

[CalicoKatie]

That's a nice set up you have there, Elkhound. I had an old wringer washer when my kids were babies and I loved it!

Mosquitomountainman, I've never been able to get the hang of using a washboard. Maybe my center of gravity is just off. In dire straits I just threw everything in the bathtub, added water then swished, stomped and squeezed before draining and repeating the process a couple more times.

I bought a Wonder Washer over a decade ago and later got another one at a garage sale. I used it all one summer and it did get my clothes clean including my daughter's scrubs - and you don't even want to know what comes home on those. shudder It was awkward for me to use on my kitchen counter because it's taller than you'd think and there isn't a lot of space between the counter and the cabinet. It was easier to just do it outside and fill it with the garden hose then let it drain into some bushes. Mine is an older model with the drain hole towards the bottom on the side.

https://www.amazon.com/WonderWash-Portable-Washing-Machine-Apartment/dp/B002C8HR9A
I intend to also get a janitors mop bucket with a wringer on it that I could wash clothes in using a Rapid Washer or plunger to agitate the clothes. Mostly I want it for the wringer.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Small-Mop-Bucket-with-Wringer-5-2-Gallon-AF08068/937743121

 

[mosquitomountainman]

We tried mop bucket wringers. That's when we bought the hand crank wringer from Lehman. We have two square wash tubs on a platform that I made out of 2X4's. That puts them at a comfortable level for using the rapid washer. One tub for wash, the other for rinse.

The small electric washer is a big improvement. We run it off of solar. We have another one in AZ where we spend winters now.

 

[Weedygarden]

We had a cloth washing set up when I was teaching Primary (preschool) Montessori. We used a washboard, two plastic tubs, one for soapy water, the other for rinse water, a bucket, a pitcher for water, a bar of soap, dirty cloth basket. There is an area in Primary classrooms called Practical Life. There are many activities in Practical Life that have many goals and aims, besides maybe washing cloths. Cloth squares are used in the classroom for shoe polishing (kind of no longer polish leather shoes, because children mostly do not wear leather shoes now), polishing activities (glass, metal), etc. and then those cloths are washed by the children, hung up to dry on a drying rack, and folded by the children when they are dry. Sequence, sometimes left to right, concentration, order, completion of activities, cleaning up after oneself.
Just last week I saw a wash board at a hardware store and was very tempted to purchase it. I didn't, because I already had a cart full.

 

[joel]

 

[Amish Heart]

I've got that wonder washer (the second one), but never had to use it.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We're 100% off grid on solar. We use a regular front load electric washer and gas dryer. Even though we're off grid I wasn't going make my wife sacrifice any comforts or conveniences for living out here.

 

[Weedygarden]

I got one of those machines, the last on the right. I tried it and it leaked and didn't really work. I wondered if someone had used it at a cabin or in an RV for a while. I got rid of it, but liked the idea of it.

 

[Aerindel]

Really, the drier is the only problem, and only a problem if you don't have a wood stove.

I have one of those modern 'portable' mini-washing machines, common in japan, etc. They are designed to hook up to a sink faucet, and don't use very much power or water. They can easily be run on a small solar system.

 

[Supervisor42]

Really, the drier is the only problem, and only a problem if you don't have a wood stove.

I have one of those modern 'portable' mini-washing machines, common in japan, etc. They are designed to hook up to a sink faucet, and don't use very much power or water. They can easily be run on a small solar system.

I hear that these still work pretty good:

 

[Dani]

I hear that these still work pretty good:

I have four of those lines. They do come in handy even when we do have electricity.

 

[Aerindel]

I hear that these still work pretty good:

Indeed, I have several.....but they are rather seasonal


That's why I said, if you have a wood stove.....I would think it goes without saying during the summer that you just hang things outside.

 

[joel]

 

[Aerindel]

I also will mention...line drying is becoming more problematic as the summers get smokier. I don't know where you all live but the air outside right now is what I think they used to call a 'pea souper' with smoke....just going outside leave your clothes smelling like an ashtray.

 

[Weedygarden]

Indeed, I have several.....but they are rather seasonal


That's why I said, if you have a wood stove.....I would think it goes without saying during the summer that you just hang things outside.

Seasonal? When I was a kid and the family servant, I hung clothes outside on a clothes line year round in South Dakota.

 

[Amish Heart]

I haven't had a clothes dryer for forever. It's not a big deal. Today was a rain day and I had three loads. I have those fold out racks. Three of them are in our bedroom right now with laundry drying on them.

 

[Aerindel]

Seasonal? When I was a kid and the family servant, I hung clothes outside on a clothes line year round in South Dakota.

Maybe it never rains or snows in some places I guess. I've never been to southdakota.



Clothes only get dry outside semi-reliably about three months a year here.

 

[Magus]

Other times we've used double tubs and a hand cranked wringer (from Lehman's).

In our experience the washboard sucks. Instead use a "rapid washer" from Lehman.

https://www.lehmans.com/product/rapid-laundry-washer/

I used a 10-gallon grain bucket and a toilet plunger, it worked great!

 

[Weedygarden]

Maybe it never rains or snows in some places I guess. I've never been to southdakota.



Clothes only get dry outside semi-reliably about three months a year here.

It rains and snows and freezes. It certainly didn't rain or snow often on Saturday, but there may have been snow on the ground. Ever take frozen clothes off the line? They can be stiff as a board. The irony? We had a clothes dryer! But when there is a family of 7, it takes a long time to dry a weeks worth of clothing and bedding. At least one bed had bedding washed every week.

 

[Weedygarden]

I haven't had a clothes dryer for forever. It's not a big deal. Today was a rain day and I had three loads. I have those fold out racks. Three of them are in our bedroom right now with laundry drying on them.

I have three of those folding racks as well, but I rarely use them. I have a clothes dryer that is about 1.5 years old. I don't have a lot of laundry. I do sometimes run the wet clothes through the dryer for a while and then hang them to finish drying. It is arid enough here that it doesn't take long.

 

[Aerindel]

It rains and snows and freezes. It certainly didn't rain or snow often on Saturday, but there may have been snow on the ground. Ever take frozen clothes off the line? They can be stiff as a board. The irony? We had a clothes dryer! But when there is a family of 7, it takes a long time to dry a weeks worth of clothing and bedding. At least one bed had bedding washed every week.

When I lived in Alaska I tried to see if I could 'freeze dry' clothes once.

 

[Weedygarden]

It rains and snows and freezes. It certainly didn't rain or snow often on Saturday, but there may have been snow on the ground. Ever take frozen clothes off the line? They can be stiff as a board. The irony? We had a clothes dryer! But when there is a family of 7, it takes a long time to dry a weeks worth of clothing and bedding. At least one bed had bedding washed every week.

We had a clothes dryer, but we had a wringer washer.

 

[LadyLocust]

I have a “modern” set - seldom use the dryer. I also have a square wringer with the lid like in the video and a double basin concrete laundry sink with a hand wringer in the middle. And I have a bucket and the plunger thing.
@Aerindel I think the fires are in Canada at the moment. The air quality wasn’t an issue until we moved here. I have a custom square line out in the summer kitchen. It’s about the size of those umbrella style ones. In winter I use the folding clothes trees like Amish and Weedy mentioned.
@Supervisor42 Impressed that the shirts in the pix are hung properly. Cracks me up when I see shirts hung from the shoulders.

 

[Tommyice]

We didn’t have a dryer until I was in high school. And even then it was used in a very limited basis. There were three wash lines in the basement to hang from. I currently still do some hand washing at all in the winter it’s hung on a towel in front of my radiators. I also have an extra tension rod in my bathtub and have these clothespins that have a hook on the top like a hanger.

 

[Weedygarden]

We didn’t have a dryer until I was in high school. And even then it was used in a very limited basis. There were three wash lines in the basement to hang from. I currently still do some hand washing at all in the winter it’s hung on a towel in front of my radiators. I also have an extra tension rod in my bathtub and have these clothespins that have a hook on the top like a hanger.

We didn't have clothes lines in the basement, they were all outside. I have thought more than once that having lines in the basement would have been wise, especially in the winter.