Frugal and Energy Efficient Laundry

[cbayer]

I did laundry today. Conditions were just right.

The generator, which makes our hot water, was working.

We had plenty of water.

The weather was warm, dry and it wasn't too windy.

Here is my method.

I wash using my Wonder Wash.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/products/Wonderwash.html



It holds about 6 - 8 shirts or 4 or so pairs of pants or a whole lot of socks, underwear and kitchen towels.

It takes about 1 1/2 gallons to wash and another gallon to rinse. You crank it. The hot water creates a suction effect which pulls the soapy (and clean water) through the clothes.

Then I put the wet, clean clothes in my mini Spin Dryer.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/drying.htm



It uses very little electricity and takes about 2 minutes to extract a great deal of the water. It holds less than the washer, so takes about 3 spins to get to the whole load.

Then I hang everything out on the rails. The smell is delightful and everything dries pretty fast.

Five loads - all clean, dry and smelling great.

More work than going to the laundromat, but it has it advantages and is really satisfying.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. My mom had a Beta version of that

[cbayer]

2. Yep, a lot of the same principles at work here.

The advantage of this system is size. There is absolutely no where on the boat where that thing of your mother's is going to fit.

[txlibdem]

4. We had one of those till the start of the 70s

Worked like a charm.

[Flaxbee]

3. Interesting. How does it handle bigger items like sheets, towels, duvet covers, etc.?

Thanks for any additional info!

[cbayer]

5. You can do one sheet or a couple of towels at a time in the washer.

The spinning water extractor struggles, though, when confronted with too much weight. My terry cloth bathrobe is too much for it. But thin cottons like sheets and duvet covers are ok.

Also, I have the smaller spin dryer due to space restrictions, but I bet the bigger one does fine.

[Flaxbee]

6. thanks. Could be useful to do small loads at home, and the bigger items

at a laundromat.

I live in a teeny tiny house with no room for a washer/dryer and I really hate not being able to do a quick load of sheets or shirts.

For dog-blankets, duvets, etc., I could toss those into the laundromat.

[cbayer]

7. That's what I tend to do.

I usually just do clothes - shirts, pants, underwear, socks, sweaters - and kitchen towels. Then I take the big stuff to the laundromat from time to time.

Do you have a place to hang things outdoors?

[Flaxbee]

8. Sort of. I wouldn't want to string a clothesline, but there's a side area where I could put up

a drying rack of sorts.

There is ample outdoor space, but the owner of the house comes by regularly to his workshop (next to our place) and I don't really want my clothes flapping in the breeze.

Whenever we build our own place, I am going to make sure there is a suitable spot for a clothesline - on warm days I'd love to be able to dry items outside in the sun.

[ctaylors6]

11. I have 2 of those retractable drying lines

like you sometimes find in hotel/motel bathrooms. They work great. I can't dry things outside here because most of the year pollen gets all over the clean clothes and aggravates my kids' allergies.

[eShirl]

9. With the suggested amount of detergent, I have to rinse at least 3 times

before I get all the soap out. Do you use a lesser amount of soap/ if so, what do you suggest?

I don't have one of their spin dryers, just a pull-cord powered salad spinner (for small, light items, obviously).

[cbayer]

10. I don't use much soap at all.

My husband recently used it for the first time and put way too much soap in.

I can't give you an exact measurement, but I would say it's about 1/8 cup per load.

[MADem]

16. I used about a tablespoon of soap--if that!

I used a good quality concentrated liquid soap. A little goes a long way in that thing. I also used hot water no matter what the fabric--it helped create that vacuum seal. I would rinse with cold water.

[cbayer]

17. Yes, too much soap and you'll never get it out

as my husband and co-host of this group can tell you.



The hot water wash/cold water rinse works great.

I figure it's about 3 gallons per load total

[MADem]

18. Tell him to throw a little vinegar in there with the over-soaped clothes.

That helps--keeps the colors bright, too!

I used to use a three litre (not 2) supermarket plastic soda bottle to measure out the water--I'd throw in a couple of bottles for the wash, a couple for the rinse.

[cbayer]

19. Will try the vinegar if he repeats the same mistake.

We also discussed doing an initial rinse with seawater, which tends to dissolve soap very, very quickly.

Then a final rinse with the fresh water.

I really like my laundry system a lot. When I clothespin everything to the rails, the olfactory and visual results are both rewarding and soothing.

[randie]

12. not sure . . .

As someone who wants to leave behind filthy air, polluted water, and big carbon footprints for my grandchildren, I just don't know if this'll work for me . . .

Besides, I can't afford it; my 50% tax bracket has me tapped out!

[cyberswede]

13. ?

Was this an attempt at humor? If so, you might try the smilie.

[cedric125]

14. Hand wash

As far as possible i hand wash

[MADem]

15. I had one of those for several years (not the electric spinner though). It worked swell.

I finally gave it to a friend living in a closet they have the gall to call a "studio apartment" in NYC. The thing is still going like gangbusters.

I used it in a small cottage with no room for a full sized washer/dryer. I replaced it a few years ago with a Chinese mini washer that takes up about as much space as a kitchen chair. That thing works GREAT--washes/rinses and spins almost to the point of dryness, and uses very little water while so doing. Wish I could have bought an American product, but no joy.