Prep Genrl How would you wash clothes without electricity?

[nomifyle]

I've got a number 10 wash tub on a table next to my laundry sink, which is next to my gas/propane stove.

For jeans, I'd soak them in the wash tub in hot water, give it some scrubs on the wash board, and soak in cold water in the laundry sink. I haven't figured out how to wring them out. I guess just press the water out the best way I could and hang them on the clothes line.

For anything else, depending on what it is whether I'd use hot or cold water in the washing part.

No clue how to soften the fabric any.

God is good all the time.

Judy

 

[West]

I got one like this years ago up in the attic.
.

Lavex 35 Qt. Yellow Mop Bucket & Side Press Wringer Combo

This Lavex 35 qt. yellow mop bucket and wringer combo makes mopping a breeze! With a simple-to-use bucket and side wringer combo, you can efficiently move from room to room to clean floors. Plus, this item's bold yellow color makes it easy to designate different buckets to certain rooms or...

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[WanderLore]

Judy, I've had to do it. First thing I did was changed the clothing everyone was wearing, and how many changes. Limit linens, towels, rags etc.
Praise God it was always in warm weather. I used rainwater saved in trash cans, or pumped via battery power from well. Used cold. Used baking soda instead of soap, as it breaks surface tension good, which is basically was detergent does. Vinegar to rinse. Whites went in cold water with bleach to soak a long time. No rinse.
No wringing. Dip it out the water and sling it over a chair, the spigot, fence or line. It drained itself. Then hung on line. Haven't had a dryer in 16 years. But I do love my washer.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

During the summer, I would have #10 wash tubs outside for washing and rinsing. I would have to wring them by hand, then hang on the clothesline to dry. During the winter, I would do the same thing, except using the bathtub. I have folding wooden racks for hanging clothes to dry on by the wood heater and stove.

I have done both just to see what it would be like.

 

[moldy]

Couple of tubs on a stand (I would probably use empty protein tubs, as that's what I have). I usually wash in cold or 'eco-warm', so I would keep using that. Wash in the order of cleanest to dirtiest (jeans that DH wears last). Rinse in cold water with vinegar added to soften. To wring out, I think we have some old ones around here that I would ask DH to fix - then hang to dry. I don't own a dryer, but I do have a washer (that I'm not fond of, but it works).

 

[skwentnaflyer]

Get a c clamp and go around something sturdy, then clamp to bottom of pants legs, then put a broom handle through the crotch and twist--that should get most of the water out.

 

[Kris Gandillon]

We have enough “extra” clothes for a month or more for each of us.

If there is no electricity for more than 2-3 weeks, we (us personally, but probably “us” collectively as well) are likely going to be way more concerned about a lot of other things than how or if we can wash clothes.

 

[John Deere Girl]

I have two big wash tubs, a wash board, and a plunger specifically for laundry only. We lose power often, so I have backups.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I have two big wash tubs, a wash board, and a plunger specifically for laundry only. We lose power often, so I have backups.

I forgot to mention that I have 2 wash boards. One small and one large. I really need to get a plunger for laundry use, too.

 

[ReneeT]

Have inside clothes and outside clothes. When we still farmed, I had bibbed overalls I would wear for outside work like feeding stock, cutting/splitting wood, heavy garden work; they'd get wacked on the porch rails to knock off the heavy dirt; and hung up in the breezeway to wear again the next day with a clean shirt/under clothes. I might wear them three or four times before washing, depending on how dirty they got.

I have an electric wringer washer which could be converted over for the agitator to run on bicycle power - have an exercise bike that could be used for that. I have hand crank wringers (remember: buttons go through flat and folded to the inside.) I have flanged plungers to use as agitators for small loads - diapers, undies, etc.. (buy red, not black plungers - the black ones leave marks on the clothes.)

I have wood drying racks, metal racks that have clothespins hanging from them, and eyebolts to screw into floor beams to run lines through - got line too.

 

[tech]

Plug the washing machine into the solar side of the house Well pump is already on solar, but a backup hand pump is ready to go...just turn two valves.
Pair of wash tubs for rinsing, hang out to dry.

 

[OzRural]

I never plan to be without electricity. And if I ever am, then I'll pay to someone to wash them for me.
Somethings are just not worth prepping for in my opinion

 

[ginnie6]

Couple of big tubs outside and hot water over the fire pit. Guess I'd be back in my gg-grandparents time.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

We had a severe ice storm come through back in 1988, IIRC. We were without water and electricity for 2 weeks. We heat with a wood heater, and I heated water (we have plenty of water in storage) on it, and used the bathtub for washing/rinsing laundry. Wrung them out by hand, and hung on my drying racks to dry. It wasn't too hard. It just took longer to do than just throwing things in the washer, and you're done. At my age now, it would be a lot harder, I'm sure, but still doable.

 

[nomifyle]

We had a severe ice storm come through back in 1988, IIRC. We were without water and electricity for 2 weeks. We heat with a wood heater, and I heated water (we have plenty of water in storage) on it, and used the bathtub for washing/rinsing laundry. Wrung them out by hand, and hung on my drying racks to dry. It wasn't too hard. It just took longer to do than just throwing things in the washer, and you're done. At my age now, it would be a lot harder, I'm sure, but still doable.

For me, washing in the bathtub would be an issue. It kills my back to lean over the tub.

For those of you who have used vinegar to help soften your clothes, how much do you use. I've got vinegar stored, but may need to store more.

God is good all the time

Judy

 

[Hfcomms]

Couple of options. I intend to always have electricity although I do my clothes in town at the laundromat. I have a portable washer that holds about 5 gallons of water and you manually fill and empty it. Runs on 110v and has a motorized agitator so it's a portable machine. Can't do a lot of laundry but a pair of pants, shirt and socks, etc is no problem.

Sans that I have one of these. Fill it with warm water and detergent and agitate it. It has a rubber seal on the top and actually pressurizes the cylinder driving the detergent into the clothes. That is also manually fill and empty along with rinsing. Not ideal but beats scrubbing with a brush and using a washboard.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

For me, washing in the bathtub would be an issue. It kills my back to lean over the tub.

For those of you who have used vinegar to help soften your clothes, how much do you use. I've got vinegar stored, but may need to store more.

God is good all the time

Judy

Yeah, with my back the way it is, doing the laundry in the bathtub would be a harder job than it was in years past. It hurts my back just to bend and clean the tub, nowdays. Outdoors, I have a table just for setting the #10 wash tubs on for washing and rinsing laundry. No bending there.

When our house was built back in the 30's, they installed those large sinks in the kitchen. They are plenty big enough to do laundry in. Mom used to wash, by hand, in her kitchen sinks, socks, underwear, and t-shirts all the time. I can do the same with larger items in my sinks if I have to.

 

[jward]

I've got the old washtubs/wringers set up... prewash my small clothes by hand as is, and do the old school habits of "chore" clothes and good clothes for the day... lots less washing, and plenty big closets is my plan. Indoor and outdoor clotheslines. Solar heated water with gravity distribution. Grey water exhaust system.

But yeah, basically the laundry room was set up to go off line in case some such thing became necessary, as it was assumed it could, and well might.

 

[greysage]

Jump in the swimming pool with my dirty clothes on or wear them in the rain.

 

[West]

Jump in the swimming pool with my dirty clothes on or wear them in the rain.

Plus one can get a extra week out of your socks, underwear and tshirts by turning them inside out.

 

[mecoastie]

Plus one can get a extra week out of your socks, underwear and tshirts by turning them inside out.

I think I did a month of Scout camp with 2 pair of socks and 2 pair of skivs. Pretty sure my mother just threw those clothes out when I got home.

 

[mecoastie]

We have a James washer that I picked up a couple months ago for cheap. GOt a couple of laundry sinks that I can set up as soak and rinse tubs and an old wringer. Got a second wringer off the James that needs new rollers. A mile of clothsline and about 1000 clothespins. It wont be fun and we will all learn to be a little dirty. Overalls nd coveralls for outside and dirty work. AS a backup I have a couple of plungers that we can use in buckets. Would like to get a Maytag wringer washer eventually to either run off our solar or do a pedal conversion.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

There are already ways to limit the amount of laundry that has to be done. Unless you get your clothes dirty, you can wear them more than one day. Undies need to be changed daily, though. If your taking a good bath, no need to change bath towels everytime you take a bath/shower. Using the same bathcloth more than once is ok as long as you wash it out and and rinse with each use. We already do this just for the reason of conserving water and electricity. If or when it comes to hand washing/rinsing in tubs, everyone will find ways to limit how much and how often.

 

[dawgofwar10]

For us old guys, hopefully we married a good woman who can figure it out...

 

[helen]

Jump in the spring with my clothes on and wash me and them at the same time.

 

[West]

I'll just have my new personal servants deal with it.

If the stars line up that is.

 

[Freeholder]

I have a set of washtubs, a couple of scrub boards, and a hand-cranked wringer. I also have a plastic hand-washer -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CZNN4WL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . It does a pretty good job, but I don't think it really saves any labor over using the washtubs. The only advantage it has is it takes up less space; it's meant for people in apartments with no washer and dryer. I think if I was doing it over, I'd get one of the commercial mop buckets, because that at least gives you something to squeeze some of the water out of the clothes.

Kathleen

 

[WanderLore]

Friend of mine who is an RV full timer, has a smaller wash machine/spinner that he runs off his solar panels. It spins the clothes enough that dry fast on the line. Washes about a smaller regular load of clothes.

 

[Illini Warrior]

I wouldn't worry about clothes washing until the grid down was at least a month - you should have enough clothes to make that workable >>> chief concern is using water that is potable or potable possible for something like that ....

if you are just looking for clothes washing possibilities for an off grid lifestyle - wouldn't want anything fulltime that would be soooo laborious as a scrubboard & tub & wringer - need to convert an old wringer washer or front loading washer into a geared pedal power unit ....

 

[AlaskaSue]

I got one like this years ago up in the attic.
.

Lavex 35 Qt. Yellow Mop Bucket & Side Press Wringer Combo

This Lavex 35 qt. yellow mop bucket and wringer combo makes mopping a breeze! With a simple-to-use bucket and side wringer combo, you can efficiently move from room to room to clean floors. Plus, this item's bold yellow color makes it easy to designate different buckets to certain rooms or...

www.webstaurantstore.com

This is what I’ve got. Great mop bucket but got it for its capability to help me wring clothes out. Clothing and towels can be washed in a tub by stomping my feet on them as Kathy has described in some of her stories. That method actually works quite well!

 

[Satanta]

Part 10: Laundry & Cleaning

PREP 101: Part 10, Laundry & Cleaning
________________________________________
Okay, the power's out, you don't know when it will come back on, and your sweat-soaked clothes are getting freaky.

The solution, of course, is to hand-wash. There are ways to keep this from becoming to great a chore.

You need:
Drying rack
Clothesline
Wooden or plastic clothespins
Broomstick
LIQUID laundry soap (powder won't dissolve well)

Two 20-gallon plastic tubs with rope handles. These are available at K-mart for about $7 each, and they run them on sale quite often. You need one for washing and one for rinsing. These have a million other uses when not needed for emergency laundry: toting gardening equipment, toyboxes, laundry baskets...whatever turns you on.

This is where pool water comes in handy. Water stores in an above-ground pool or in those big trash cans is used for this purpose. You can heat water in a large dutch oven or cookpot on the grill. (Check the canning or cooking department. You can get 12 quart speckled "granny ware" pots that are perfect for this)

Sort your laundry as usual and go to work washing. You can use the broomstick to stir and "agitate" the clothes as well as scrubbing the really dirty pieces by hand. A friend does an Army Laundress impression at Civil War reenactments. She uses a broomstick nailed into a small three-legged stool and uses it to "punch" and agitate the laundry. Works really well too.

Rinse in the other tub and hang to dry! This is hard work, but that fresh, clean, sun-dried smell is wonderful.

NOW FOR THE HOUSE:

You'll probably have a TON of trash until pickup resumes. Double-bag all your trash, and put some kitty litter in the bottom of the trash cans. This will absorb leaks and help control odor.

TRASH BAGS! TRASH BAGS! It is impossible to have too many of these in your prep stock. The big lawn and leaf bags are tough and they have a million uses. They double as plastic sheeting, and with a hole punched in them make a great rain poncho. Keep some in the car for those trips to the beach: they'll protect your seat covers from damp and sand on the ride home.

In the house, clean as usual, unless you've had floodwater. Everything must then be cleaned with bleach to disinfect it. Keep the house aired as best you can while the power is off. You don't want to find mildew growing in your closet after the crisis is over.

Plan for unwelcome invaders, such as rats and mice and bugs. You can't have too many cans of bug spray and insect repellant in the summer. Storing items such as dog food in steel trash cans helps prevent rodents.

BATHING:
Invest in a solar shower. Coleman's costs about 10 bucks. These work even in cold weather, if you have a light source. They hold five gallons of water and you can just go to town with a bar of Zest and the shampoo. It's amazing how clean you can get with a good washbowl. Rainwater from your rain barrel, or your pool water, is fine for bathing. Just be careful not to swallow any of it.

 

[West]

I plan on fabricating my own wash tubs.

Gotta build custom ones that will fit nicely in the laundry room. Also going to install a skylight and a cupola so the hot air from the wife working so hard can escape.

 

[Satanta]

I've wanted to get a commercial mop bucket with the ringer.

Figure a board cut to look like a short Oar from a boat for the Washing, the ringer has it's obvious use then clothesline,

 

[Satanta]

I wouldn't worry about clothes washing until the grid down was at least a month - you should have enough clothes to make that workable >>> chief concern is using water that is potable or potable possible for something like that ....

if you are just looking for clothes washing possibilities for an off grid lifestyle - wouldn't want anything fulltime that would be soooo laborious as a scrubboard & tub & wringer - need to convert an old wringer washer or front loading washer into a geared pedal power unit ....

If yer only planning for a Month you are just playing.

Plan for the 1600's.

Better to have and not Need than to Need and not Have.

 

[lonestar09]

I can tell you on the drying part what I do. All of the jeans I wear get hung up to dry and have for years. Work clothes the same way. Son's t-shirts get hung up to dry also, the colors and graphics look in excellent condition even years later. I don't use Downey or a liquid fabric softener in any washing I do. If space is an issue you can always get a fold up clothesline. They work well and you can hang a lot in a small space. The more clothespins the better. Drying inside or outside the shirt are soft and jeans are somewhat soft. Shake them a bit and it helps.

 

[West]

I can tell you on the drying part what I do. All of the jeans I wear get hung up to dry and have for years. Work clothes the same way. Son's t-shirts get hung up to dry also, the colors and graphics look in excellent condition even years later. I don't use Downey or a liquid fabric softener in any washing I do. If space is an issue you can always get a fold up clothesline. They work well and you can hang a lot in a small space. The more clothespins the better. Drying inside or outside the shirt are soft and jeans are somewhat soft. Shake them a bit and it helps.

I'll have the wife chew on my Jean's to make them soft.

 

[Marie]

I've done laundry by hand off and on for 40 years. I use my washtub and washboard and clothes line. Washers and dryers are undependable and I don't like to drive into town often to get parts. So I just wait for my supply run days and scrub until then.

 

[john70]

I've got a number 10 wash tub on a table next to my laundry sink, which is next to my gas/propane stove.

For jeans, I'd soak them in the wash tub in hot water, give it some scrubs on the wash board, and soak in cold water in the laundry sink. I haven't figured out how to wring them out. I guess just press the water out the best way I could and hang them on the clothes line.

For anything else, depending on what it is whether I'd use hot or cold water in the washing part.

No clue how to soften the fabric any.

God is good all the time.

Judy

WHERE DO YOU GET ALL THAT WATER

WHERE DO YOU GET ALL THAT PROPANE

 

[WanderLore]

Judy, I usually use about 1/4 cup vinegar for a regular load. It is to take the excess soap out of the clothes pretty much.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

It's always good to have a plan...

Pretreat spots and grimy areas. Soak overnight. Add more warm water. Give grim and spots attention then squish and stomp till clean as possible. Twist cloths around a pole and discard dirty water. Rinse in clean water, squish and stomp, repeat. Ring and hang clothes to dry.