do laundry by hand - PEP BB nest.sand.handlaundry

I used my bathtub and a drying rack for this task.  I think people switched to washing machines so that they could remain ignorant of just how dirty their clothes were.  Ick!

I did the laundry by hand today. Took a picture of the folded laundry quickly before the kids got to them and messed them up again. Its always an ongoing battle in my house 😅.

I used laundry soap which is basically just plain unscented soap flaked. No additives. I also used warm water around 30-40 degrees C. I presoaked the cloth nappy (diaper for those in the US) in cold water and baking soda for an hour before washing and also scrubbed the bottom of the white socks with a Japanese brush and ethique stain remover which is biodegradable.
(https://ethiqueworld.com/products/flash-solid-laundry-bar-stain-remover)

The test to see if things were really clean was 1.  the smell of the cloth nappy and two the colour of the socks. I'm please to report the nappy smelled lovely and fresh and the socks were white! :)  

Did a manual load of all of my work uniforms - 3 tops, 3 bottoms, some under layers (compression shorts and tank tops I like to wear under my uniform), and assorted undergarments (socks/underwear/bras). I didn't think to count how many items I had total, but the pile looks pretty small due to everything being fairly thin. That did mean it all fit in my dry bag - it's meant to keep water out when doing activities like kayaking where things might get wet, but I've found it works very well for keeping water in and provides a good confined space for agitating the dirty clothes. The hardest part for me has always been squeezing out enough of the water so that it dries in a reasonable amount of time, but there was a nice breeze last night and everything was fully dry in about 8 hours.

I've been doing laundry by hand a lot recently, especially since I've acquired a few pieces of merino wool clothing that require it to extend the life of the garments.
I made some homemade laundry powder which is a combination of washing soda, baking soda, borax and some grated hand soap. Sometimes I throw a little citric acid or vinegar into the rinse water to neutralize the alkaline washing solution.
I also developed my own technique of squeeze drying clothes where I inch down a garment alternating hands as I squeeze down a line from top to bottom letting gravity help with the draining. I don't wring it in a twisty motion and put extra strain on the fabrics.
Since I've been doing a lot of traveling for the last 18 months, I've been using a dry bag with a window as both my hamper to keep out odors from my bag, and as my 'bucket' when washing.
I usually seal the bag and let it soak with the laundry powder for about an hour before I manually massage it for 5-10 minutes. I've gotten the hang of it, and I sort of enjoy the process.

I washed a king sized sheet and pillow case set plus a t shirt today in the laundry sink.  It's hard to dry stuff outside here in the winter but with our Laundry room clothesline and the wood stove running, things got dry relatively fast.  I've never actually folded sheets, usually they go right on the bed...