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medieval laundry brought to our time!

Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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My farm has no electricity, plumbing or any other conveniences.

Laundry has been a hassle. Small items can be washed easily, but bedlinen and work clothes were a real headache. There are manual washing machines like Drumi, but they are TINY. For socks, not duvets!

And then I just got tremendously lucky! I found this big handle-operated washing maschine from an antiques dealer!

It was produced in 1942 (war time in my country) and has sat in a shed since 1987.

Pyykki-Maija_crank-operated_washing_machine-_1940s.jpg

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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It fits perfectly into my sauna next to the 24 gallon wooden boiler. Now I am plumping her up. After 40 years in storage, she has shrunk a bit.

IMG_20241023_144540.jpg

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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These used to be luxury items, and thousands were sold to affluent homesteads. My grandmother had one!

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Timothy Norton

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posted 2 months ago

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What a find!

Does it happen to have any makers marks or writing so you know who produced it?

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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These can almost exclusively be found in museums. The ones still li gering forgotten in abandoned sheds are not in any shape to launder anything.

I am still dumbfounded at my luck.

The Amish have a shop but it is blocked from folks outside USA. I cannot even browse items. I could ask somelne to buy and send to me but even the assortment is blocked.

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Jay Angler

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posted 2 months ago

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Try to find a modern washing machine that will last for 80 years! I won't say hopeless, but definitely difficult and likely will be fairly manual and not too different from what you found.

I would keep your eyes open for a manual wringer system to work along side what you've got. Squeezing out the water between wash and rinse helps to save a lot of water, and squeezing out the rinse water helps things dry much faster.

Of course, you may already have one.

Yes, by the boiler has merit, but consider in the summer if near the garden would make good use of the slightly dirty water it generates?

Great find!

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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Timothy Norton wrote:What a find!

Does it happen to have any makers marks or writing so you know who produced it?

It sure does! A local factory.

XRecorder_Edited_23102024_200654.jpg

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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I would be very grateful for any hints where to find a good clothes wringer. Dammit it is so annoying that Lehmans is blocked for people outside US.
I

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Megan Palmer

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posted 2 months ago

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How often do you travel to the uk?

You may wish to contact this supplier and ask them the shipping cost

https://metztools.com/product/metz-tool-hand-wringer

Kaarina Kreus

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Megan Palmer wrote:How often do you travel to the uk?
https://metztools.com/product/metz-tool-hand-wringer

Thanks! Could not enen send an enquiry as there were some security checks my mobile is unable to handle.

I honestly hate the world we have created. Not a single living thing anywhere. Just bots chats and "dial 853 for service"

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John F Dean

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posted 2 months ago

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I have been to Lehman’s many times. I have seen nothing like the one you show.

OOPs! I see you were talking a wringer … I was thinking washer.

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Anne Miller

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posted 2 months ago

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If you have eBay in your country that is where I bought my clothes wringer.

Or you might find a seller willing to ship to your country.

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Jane Mulberry

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posted 2 months ago

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Megan Palmer wrote:How often do you travel to the uk?

You may wish to contact this supplier and ask them the shipping cost

https://metztools.com/product/metz-tool-hand-wringer

Unfortunately the wringer is currently showing as out of stock on the UK Metz site, so no loss not being able to access it! Amazon Germany has a couple of clothes wringers: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Squeeze-260/dp/B0DF2B888Z/ There's a beautiful one for over 400 EUR, this one is a little less expensive.

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Jill Dyer

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posted 2 months ago

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I really can't remember where I read about this idea, though it's for smaller items:- Drum with lid that fits in the back of the ute (I think US version is called a truck - cab at front, open tray with sides at the back) Water and detergent (or whatever you use) add clothes, put lid on securely and secure the drum in place. Drive off around the paddock, or the roads, bumpier the better. Some time later retrieve clothes, rinse and wring and hang to dry. Hardly any effort involved during a drive.
Also for smaller items, consider the pillow case spin-dry technique. This I use for skeins of wool and washed fleece since my front loader just makes felt!
Pop items into the pillowcase, step outside and swing around to one side. Centrifugal force takes care of the water, but can involve an impromptu shower for the unpracticed.

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Anne Miller

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posted 2 months ago

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That is a wonderful find.

For folks looking for ideas for doing laundry off grid, etc this PEP BB has some ideas:

https://permies.com/wiki/108429/pep-nest/laundry-hand-PEP-BB-nest

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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The manual laundry machine. In my sauna, next to the boiler

IMG_20241028_150603.jpg

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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So. I put in the laundry. Add hot water. Use a soap shaker with gall soap. Close the lid and start spinning.

IMG_20241028_172537.jpg

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Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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Clothes dry in the heat of the sauna

IMG_20241004_191449.jpg

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J. Syme

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posted 2 months ago

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This laundry setup reminds me of a compost barrel tumbler, perhaps one could make one with a wine barrel & a boat porthole?

Kaarina Kreus

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posted 2 months ago

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That is a brilliant idea! The winch is real simple and permanently fastened. And the stand is just a stand.

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Anthony Powell

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Location: NW England

posted 2 months ago

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The older kit would have been a dolly tub and posser (2 styles of posser here) -

A washboard for stubborn dirt, grimy collars and sleeves, metal or glass, as used with thimbles by jug bands - Wikipedia
Some have rectified a modern washing machine, ditched the motor and connected to a static bicycle. Might get enough speed up to spin dry - use the gears and forget the big wheel that the belt ran on.
In Victorian times they'd grate a block of soap into the mix, until some wise guy reckoned they could sell you a lot less soap by pre-grating it and putting it in a big box.
Or you could use wood ashes. Leave them in the rain and collect the leachate - lots of potassium hydroxide. Not for hand laundry. I reckon this works best with clothes that have been used everyday and are due their annual wash, so plenty of grease to combine with the alkali

Kaarina Kreus

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posted 1 month ago

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I am so lucky! I found this beauty on craigslist. It will be great. Wringing is not a minor task, as you do it four times between waters in each laundry.

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