Washing clothes by hand

My favorite way of being more eco-friendly is also that one that makes people look at me like I'm absolutely insane. I wash my clothes by hand. Now, I wouldn't do this if I actually owned a washer and dryer because they make really eco-friendly ones now...however, most apartment dwellers, like myself, seem to only have the option to go to a laundromat. Not only are washers in the laundromat usually old and waste a ton of water, but it's expensive to do laundry there! Not to mention the fact that you have to drive there to carry any useful amount of washing! I did it for years while living in Santa Cruz and it sucked. Well, no more! Laundry by hand saves water (about 6-7 gallons/per load vs. anywhere from 30-60 gallons using a regular washer), it saves gas, electicity (hanging clothes to dry vs. using a dryer), time, and MONEY!

Also, it's not that hard! Here's my way of doing it...

Step 1.) Boil some water...not a lot, just enough to dissolve the soap. Put about 1/4 cup of powdered soap (you can use liquid too...just make sure it's biodegradable as you will be pouring it into the ground) into the bucket along with 1/4 cup of baking soda, which will soften the water. Add the hot water and stir to dissolve.

Step 2.) Fill a container with water. I use a 12 gallon annodized steel bucket, which I don't fill all the way. I fill it with the hose. Add the soapy water and the clothes and let it soak for however long is convenient for you. By this I mean, if you don't have a lot of time, soak for about 10 minutes and then agitate it a lot. But, you can leave it to go grocery shopping or take a shower or do other things. The longer you let it soak, the cleaner the clothes will be. One of the things I really like about doing laundry this way is that you don't have to babysit it. Neighbors will not be angry at you if you don't take it out right away and you won't worry that your clothes could be stolen! All in all, I usually let it soak for about an hour...longer if I space out and forget about it!

Step 3.) After soaking, you have to agitate the clothes. In cavemen terms. this is equivalent to beating the clothes against a rock. I, for one, use a slightly more sophisticated tool...


Why, yes...that is a plunger! Don't worry, it's clean! And yes, I bought it only for this job and it has never been used for any other *ahem* jobs. You can't see it in the picture but it has a big label on it that say "LAUNDRY" There are other old-fashioned tools for the job that you can order online. (For example, Lehman's has a good one!) but they all looked like expensive plungers to me. But hey, it's your call! Anyways, plunge the clothes for a few minutes. You will be shocked at how dirty the water gets! It's okay...that's just the nasty stuff that is no longer in your shirt!

Step 4.) Rinse the clothes in a big container filled with water and about a cup of vinegar. The vinegar gets the soap out very well and also acts as softener...which is important for line-dried clothes. Swish an item of clothing one at a time in the water, then wring (either with a wringer or by hand) and hang it up!

That's it!
I find that the clothes get cleaner like this. You can reuse the water for about 3 loads before it gets too gross to use. A general rule of thumb is to wash the cleaner things first and the dirtier ones last. The general order for me is: Towels, clothes, socks, underwear and then cleaning rags. I usually do laundry about 1-2 times a week, more if I'm feeling ambitious.

Well, I hope this inspires some other apartment dweller to give it a shot!