Non Electric Wash Day

Several (ok 2 of you) have asked if I would post on my washday as its electric free. Hope this post will help you and not change your mind about doing a non electric washday. A few years ago I was in Lanier's Hardware in Lexington, NC. If you can't find it anywhere else you can always find it there but anyways I happened upon a double washtub. Gave William a call and of course he said yes so they came home with me. At the time we lived in a large 3 bedroom/ 2 bath house with a nice laundry room that didn't need washtubs. So they sat in our fancy livingroom that no one used.

Now I couldn't have the washtubs without a way to wring out the clothes so I went in search of a handcrank wringer. We got ours from Lehmans but there are all kinds of places to purchase them. Ebay is one or you can even use a towel wringer. They are really easy for everything but jeans. Jeans will go through them it just takes more muscle power to crank . Here is a link to a forum I belong to that talks about handmade washers. Just be patient and keep looking till you find what you really want. We finally moved back here and I knew I would get to use my wonderful washtubs and wringer. William mounted my wringer between the 2 tubs so I could wring the clothes after washing and let them fall right in the rinse tub.

Of course when wringing them out after rinsing You have to make sure you hold them so they don't fall back into your wash water. You can use a wash board

to wash your clothes or you can use a rapid washer

. Whatever you use its exercising your arms. Instead of paying to go to the gym just wash clothes and work those muscles. Its also mentally relaxing. Hearing the water swishing about knowing you are getting clean clothes without the electric meter running round and round is very relaxing to me. Using the handcrank wringer is very easy. Also works your arm muscles but isn't hard at all as all my grandchildren wash their own clothes while here and had no problem using the wringer.

I keep my washtubs on the back porch and fill them with the garden hose. Each tub has its own drain and can be drained in a bucket to use watering the flowers, etc or if you are like me and have flower beds all the way around the porch you can let the water run off the porch into the flower beds. Doesn't take much water to fill the tubs.

I wash my white clothes first with a little bleach and my handmade laundry soap.

I usually use the water for one more load before emptying and refilling the washtub. My rinse tub I add 1/4 cup of vinegar and that keeps the clothes and towels soft even after hanging out on the clothesline. It also keeps lint off your clothes. As I mentioned above I wash then wring the clothes, rinse them, then wring again and hang out. Once you get comfortable using the tubs and wringer it goes really fast. Your clothes are much cleaner this way. The colors stay fresh longer and the clothes don't wear out as fast. Washtubs aren't for everyone but if you are looking for a frugal way to do laundry this is it. If you are wanting to go back to the simple ways of living this is for you. If you are looking at ways to conserve energy (Perri don't let Billski see this post) this is for you. If you just like doing laundry this is for you. Hope this has answered your questions and helped a little. Email me if you want more information and I will be glad to help.

Monday Wash Day

Today I hit the floor running. Had to finish up several soap orders, feed, water, milk, then deliver a couple of local wholesale soap orders. I love Gillis Hill Farm ! It is a very large farm down the road from me besides selling fresh veggies has the best homemade ice cream with homemade waffle cones in the world! Their ice cream shop is inside the original old home. They have tours where you can see how a farm operates right down to curing tobacco and sawing trees into lumber at their antique sawmill. They have been selling my soaps in their shop for a couple months now and I am surprised how well they are doing. From there I had to go to Lake Rim Lawn and Garden to drop off another order. They have been selling my soaps for almost 4 months and keeping me busy. Lake Rim is a feed store that has been here forever and been handed down generation to generation. I walk in they know right away if I am there to deliver soap or purchase alfalfa for the goats. They know everyone by name and what they do or where they have been before they get there. A very small town farm store that I love! After leaving there I headed back home to do some laundry. Yes, I really do have a washer and dryer but I am serious when I say William and I really want to live the simple life. Its hard work but at the end of the day I am very blessed to be able to live this wonderful life. We are working on getting as back to basic living as possible. We are in the researching stage of solar power so we can supply our own electric power. I know that's not really part of simple living but I need my computer for my soap business and I am guilty of running the air conditioners when the temps are in the 100's. But anyway this is how I choose to do laundry. Its relaxing to me. While I am cranking the hand wringer I think back to growing up and my mother having a wringer washer and watching her wash clothes. My Grandma Messer used a wash tub and wash board for a little of my childhood. I remember her filling the washtub on Saturday night for bath time. It does take a little longer but the clothes sure look cleaner and smell so fresh! I did have to use store bought laundry detergent today. I am out of my homemade but will be making more tonight.

I went to get the rest of the dirty clothes to find that they had become a bed for a very tired baby kitty.
I am being nice and waiting till in the morning to do these so baby kitty can have a good sleep. Meanwhile I have to clean up the kitchen, feed, water, milk, lock the animals up for the night. I let the goats out today. When I walked over to the neighbors to check on her dogs injury to its foot, the goats stood at the fence and cried "mom". I am not suppose to be on the other side of the fence. Had to hunt eggs this afternoon as the hens decided to lay everywhere. One laid a egg in a chair on the porch (the part not screened in). One decided to lay one in a artificial flower stand. Several went way under the boat so I had to crawl to get them. Tomorrow I am going to be mean and let all the animals stay in their pens instead of roaming around. I bet I will have some very mad animals at the end of the day! Hope your day was filled with blessings!