Weekly washout.

[bizzard]

A lot of posts about washing machines and all the trouble of owning one.

Drawbacks;-

Expensive to buy.

Heavy.

Costs a lot in electricity, however its generated or where it comes from.

Takes up a lot of room.

Uses a lot of water.

Goes wrong quite frequently causing frustration, anxiety and eventual lunacy.

Gives you very little excercise.

Can deliver nasty electric shocks.

They make better dishwashers.

Mangles and rips clothes to shreds.

Colours all run and you end up having to become accustomed to wearing all purple things.

Expensive on fancy washing powders and additives.

Noisy.

Advantages;- very little.

 

So here's a cheap and pleasant albeit a bit old fashioned method of making and using your own homemade one.

How to make a rubbing board;- You don't often come across them in the shops anymore although you might pick one up at a boot sale or junk shop occasionally .

Ideally a piece of say 18mm ply about 2 long by 1' wide and some foot long lengths of wooden 1/2'' wide half round beading.

Pin and stick the strips of beading athwartships down the length of the ply board at about 3/4'' spacings. Prime and paint it the colour to match your decor or just a coat of yacht varnish to seal against you gettin any splinters jambed up your finger nails. That's it folks, just prop it up at a jaunty angle in your sink and just get a'rubbing away. When clean rinse out clothes in canal, river or sea by just dunking, dabbling and swishing them about and peg em out on the line. If your clothes line is long nail your catapult to your boat pole and use it as a prop. By changing to fresh soapy washing water for different coloured items will stop everything ending up purple. Your underware and lingerie is much more gently washed by a hand rubbing board too rather than the harsh motion of an electrically powered washing machine.

There you have it folks, the savings in money, worry and anxiety is immense, your hands will become incredibly super clean and you'll be much fitter by making and using a homemade Handraulic wash rubbing board.

[Ray T]

As ever Bizz the wizz, fantastic.

[mattlad]

You can still buy them on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Columbus-Washboard-2133-Pail-Size/dp/B000ARWK4C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369675757&sr=8-3&keywords=washboard

[bizzard]

You can still buy them on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Columbus-Washboard-2133-Pail-Size/dp/B000ARWK4C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1369675757&sr=8-3&keywords=washboard

BUY!!!!!!.

[Caprifool]

I have three that I was kindly donated because I wash outside using a wood fired couldron.

[waterwitch]

Forget the washboard...the most important thing is the electric spinner. I wash in a bucket in the sink (better than a bowl, the agitation in a bucket is more efficient) and use the spinner as wringing out by hand is a fast track to painful hands.

 

suze

[Wrinkley]

I have passed you suggestion to the management and await her reply.

[davidc]

also one of these is also helpfull

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Dri-Ultimate-Chamois-garment-portable/dp/B000TLMJP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1369853683&sr=1-1&keywords=mangle

[junior]

Sounds like hard work to me. Why don't you just buy a washing machine?

[Chris Pink]

Sounds like hard work to me. Why don't you just buy a washing machine?

Do keep up....

 

"Expensive to buy.

Heavy.

Costs a lot in electricity, however its generated or where it comes from.

Takes up a lot of room.

Uses a lot of water.

Goes wrong quite frequently causing frustration, anxiety and eventual lunacy.

Gives you very little excercise.

Can deliver nasty electric shocks."

 

I've done the sums, all in all I've a fair few years of launderette in the budget for a washing machine.

 

And sorry Bizzard, but the drawback of your method is the amount of water you need for rinsing and as water witch says a mangle is the most important part.

[Chris Pink]

..

Edited May 30, 2013 by Chris Pink

[peterboat]

Hi Chris didnt he say he rinsed the stuff in the canal? cant be sure as I am laffing so much ha ha

 

Peter

[bizzard]

Hi Chris didnt he say he rinsed the stuff in the canal? cant be sure as I am laffing so much ha ha

 

Peter

River only. I wouldn't rinse my washing in dirty canals!

[ziggy]

River only. I wouldn't rinse my washing in dirty canals!

Leave on washing line the rain will rinse it for you

[bizzard]

Leave on washing line the rain will rinse it for you

Indeed it would but not definite and too slow and couldn't be bothered to keep studying weather forecasts and what if the washing happens to be my one and only suit of clothing I could be hanging about hiding in my birthday suit shivering for ages waiting. for the rain to rinse it.

[Dar Kuma]

you need one of these bizzard.

 

[Chris Pink]

Used to have one. Crap.

 

And you still need to find the water to rinse.

[Dar Kuma]

they're not that bad, I usually rinse in a bucket as its easier, you can find water.

Edited June 30, 2013 by Dar Kuma

[haggis]

Your washing method is far too technical, Bizzard. What you need is an old fashioned tin bath, or even a modern baby bath, into which you put water, soap and clothes. take off your shoes and socks (if you haven't already removed them to wash your socks), step into the basin and walk round and round or even just gently step up and down. Not only do you get nice clean washing, your feet will be spotless. You can even read a book while doing this.

 

haggis

[bizzard]

Your washing method is far too technical, Bizzard. What you need is an old fashioned tin bath, or even a modern baby bath, into which you put water, soap and clothes. take off your shoes and socks (if you haven't already removed them to wash your socks), step into the basin and walk round and round or even just gently step up and down. Not only do you get nice clean washing, your feet will be spotless. You can even read a book while doing this.

 

haggis

Missed this somehow. And scoff Bath buns.

[Phil Ambrose]

I have passed you suggestion to the management and await her reply.

Brave man or foolhardy

Phil

[CaneyJ]

you need one of these bizzard.

 

 

 

Used to have one. Crap.

 

And you still need to find the water to rinse.

I have a white Presawash like the version above and wouldn't say it's crap.

 

So long as you pair it with a [200-300W rated] spin-dryer and a 600 watt[ish] Inverter that can handle a 1000 - 1200 watt start-up load I've found it's fine.

 

I can process a personal weeks worth of laundry including rinse water using just 36 litres [8 gal] of water doing 3x separate loads at 2.5kg of per load.

 

You just have to remember to use a low amount of liquid laundry soap compared to a full size washing machine like a third of a cap to only need minimal rinsing and to also pre-treat and scrub stains and soak for 15 mins prior to cranking.

 

I use something called Ecover which is more natural and less harmful I feel when I'm emptying down the sink into the cut.

 

I first fill it with 3-litres of boiling water and 3 litres of cold. Then stuff in the stain treated clothes before soaking for 15-mins whilst pressurised. Then crank for 2-mins and empty and leave up-turned in the sink to drain for a couple more mins.

 

Then I fill it with 4-litres of fresh, cold rinse water and some conditioner and crank again for 30 sec and dump out.

 

The secret to low-effort rinsing is have the spin dryer do it for you. Once done with the first rinse in the Presawash I stick them in the spin dryer for 2-min before stopping it to add a 2-litre jug of cold water back into the drum of semi-spun dry clothes and spin again fully for 5 mins to semi-dry and fling out the last soap.

 

I can have 7.5kg of laundry done and on the line or in front of the fire within an hour having used much less leccy and water than either a fully blown washing machine or twin tub.

 

Smaller separate loads are also convenient for controlling things like hot water cottons, bedding and jeans as well as separate loads for colours and whites.