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

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - manual clothes washer, bathtub or large bucket
 - dry on a clothesline or drying rack
 - at least “a standard load” (about eight large items and a bunch of socks and undies, etc.)

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must:
- post two pics of clothes being washed
- post pic of clothes being dried (needs to show it hanging or lying out to dry)
- post pic of clothes folded

Okay! I finally did this BB! OMG I learned so much! I would definitely do more laundry by hand if I had a wringing device as the pat dry method was not so great (at least in the winter months). Still, I also learned the a washing machine was an incredible invention for time savings.

Here is the laundry to be done. Yes, I washed my slippers as I has spilled some goo on one:



I did a total of 4 batches. Wash water was in the tub on the right and rise water in the sink on the left. I reused the wash water to flush a toilet.









This the pat dry method I used before hanging them up to dry:



Hanging up by the fire (not that you can see the fire!):



Folded Laundry ready for storage. I forgot to take a picture of the slippers (because they were on my feet).


- 2x pair of wool socks
- 2x tank tops
- 1x long jane bottoms
- 2 x long jane tops
- fleece pants
- 2x sweat pants
- 1 x leggings
- 1 x sweater
- 1 x t-shirt
- 1 x long sleeve shirt
- 1 x corduroy pants
- 2 x sport bras

I used a bit of liquid detergent from The Unscented Company, and one of those all-in-one household soap bars for lipstick stains inside face masks but I can't remember which brand. Actually used a bit too much detergent, so I had to rinse twice.

By far the most tedious part of the process was wringing things dry or rolling them up in a towel. If I were to do this as my regular laundry process, I would 100% build one of those rolling wringers.

I had a large load of gym clothes that needed to be done. For my cleaner, I used a bit of the 9 elements soap, wish some good washing and rinsing.

I like to wash my whites first because they are usually not very dirty. Then, I use the same water for the first batch of darks. Undies & socks I like doing separately and last. I sure miss the cement wash boards I had in Mexico for items with extra dirt and grime. A few of the items in the dirty pile, I chose to wash at a later time, so you won’t see them hanging on the rack. I show multiple detergents I’ve used. We have hard well water where I am currently living and I’m pretty happy with how the 7th generation laundry soap is turning out. Generally, my favorite laundry soap is Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds.

I do like hand washing clothing but I don’t get the same joy out of it lately, since I am hand washing to avoid interactions with the landlady… whose machine I am supposed to be able to use. The good news is that it gave me an opportunity to participate in this delightful thread with you all!

Sadly, my new to me pair of pants from the thrift store will have to experience a few more washes with these strategies: https://permies.com/t/163334/permaculture-home-care-cleaning/purity/stink-removing-perfume-smells-cloth
before it gets to hang out with the other clean clothes, since I was unable to get the soap stink out.

Happy washing!

I did a load of laundry today on the shelf outside the Love Shack at Wheaton Labs.

Here's my setup: a wash bucket, a rinse bucket, extra water, and the small steel cup has my soap nuts in it. After soaking the soap nuts for about 15 minutes, I dumped the contents in the wash bucket and started to work.



Image 1 of washing by hand:



Image 2 of washing by hand - my work pants, and the last item to wash:



Here is the full load of laundry hanging on the line by the Willow Bank and Shower Shack:



Here are the dried, folded clothes (though personally I don't really fold my socks):



Thanks, volunteer reviewers! :)