How to wash underwear & socks in the shower?

[TopHatFox]

A laundry post! Any hints and the tips for a would-be underwear & sock shower washer? Fpr example - how many pairs of socks & inderwear should I own? Should I own any back-ups? How long does ot generally take to dry? Best ways wash the clothing in the shower? Etc. For context, I tend to air dry my clothing.

Thanks!

[BRUTE]

1.how many pairs: 3 pairs each for socks/underwear is safe even with terrible drying conditions. 1 is doable in good drying conditions (warm, dry, optimally sunlight to dry)

2.2 of the 3 are backup.

3.drying time depends a lot on warmth, humidity, direct sunlight, and a bit on the fabric. optimal conditions (dry heat, direct sunlight, thin fabric) takes 15-30 minutes to dry. terrible conditions (badly ventilated, humid, cold, indoors, jeans) can take several days. Olaz can just try it and see how long certain types of clothes take to dry, before getting rid of all the rest.

4.best way brute has found is to buy a small plastic bucket that holds just enough water to wash 1 day's worth of clothes. fill it up with warm/hot water, liquid detergent, swish around and knead the clothes in it for 1-5 minutes (depending on how dirty they are). dump water, fill with clean water and do again (without detergent) to wash out extra detergent.

[jennypenny]

Don't waste water by standing in a running shower washing clothes. Put the dirty clothes into a bucket and stand it in the shower with you to collect the grey water from your shower. When you're done showering, use your hands to agitate the clothes. You can add extra soap if you think it needs it (I use Ivory because it's safe for everything--body, clothes, hair, etc). Use the shower to quickly double rinse the clothes. Ring them out while you're sill in the shower.

[BRUTE]

brute would suggest to use detergent, as regular (body) soap is vastly inferior for clothes.

[sky]

A fan will help dry clothes more quickly. I use Dawn for hand washing clothes.

[TopHatFox]

@Sky, funny enough, I learned about the fan trick today as I realized the thing cooling me from summer heat can also sap the moisture from freshly washed clothing! This is my "dryer".

@brute, I just made my own detergent using 1-part baking soda, 1-part washing soda, and 1-part shredded Fels Naptha Soap (ideally should be castille, but I couldn't find any & f*ck it).

[BRUTE]

@Olaz: nice. brute has not made his own detergent because they're so cheap to buy. the tiny bottles last brute for 1-2 months because he just needs a tiny splash for each load. he also prefers the liquid ones because they dissolve better. lacking the 45 minute carousel ride of the laundry machine, he's repeatedly found small, undissolved pebbles of powder in his clothes later.

if Olza has any more insight, brute encourages him to share, as brute is still learning, too. (he's been hand washing his laundry for maybe 6-10 months now).

[jacob]

@olaz - Forget about the baking soda part and replace with washing soda. Chemically they have the same effect but washing soda is stronger. You can turn baking soda into washing soda by heating it.

@brute - There are many different DIY detergents out there including liquid ones. The liquid version usually just involves heating water and dissolving the soap.---So take the powder version and dissolve it in water.

[Kriegsspiel]

I have just been washing 2 socks and briefs with a bar of soap. I tried doing shirts and shorts but it was really ackward; I hadn't considered using a bucket, which seems like it would be so much easier.

[heyhey]

When I first lived by myself I did all my laundry by hand including sheets and towels. A bucket or large bowl is essential. So are rubber gloves if you have any tendency to eczema. If you're washing anything like towels that gets heavy when wet, it's easier to have the bowl in a sink rather than the shower floor, to avoid stress on the back. But if doing a lot of laundry this way, it's best to have an outside drying area. However well you wring it, everything will drip.

After a while I bought an old second-hand spin drier which was a wonderful machine. Very simple, didn't need to be on long or be plumbed in, the expelled water came out through a hose which you hooked over your sink or into a bucket. The spin is the most useful function of a washing machine IMO. If my washing machine breaks now I'd consider getting one of those to replace it, and do the actual washing by hand. It saves a lot of dripping and drying time while using minimal power.

[BRUTE]

If you're washing anything like towels that gets heavy when wet, it's easier to have the bowl in a sink rather than the shower floor, to avoid stress on the back.

brute sits on the floor with his bucket.

[GandK]

@Zalo:

jennypenny and heyhey give great advice above. Only thing I'd add is that if you know you're rinsing thoroughly yet you still find your clothes feeling scratchy, rinsing your clothes with filtered tap water (or better yet, collected rainwater) should solve the problem. This also works for your body if you have dry skin and hair, BTW. The fluoride etc. in tap water may be good for our teeth, but it definitely doesn't help our skin, clothes and hair.

[7Wannabe5]

I just do an occasional medium/large load in the tub usually using dish soap, and hang it to dry in the backyard. Unfortunately, I am also somewhat addicted to just airing my clothes and spritzing them with Febreeze. Some of my gardening clothing, like my overalls, just stay dirty all the time, hanging in the camper tool closet. I also fairly frequently do dump-and-swaps at the Everything is $1 thrift store. I like scavenging in thrift stores or at garage sales, so sometimes I will purposefully pack too little clothing for a vacation with the plan to entertain myself by spending $5 on used stuff from a novel locale. Once in a while I will do a load in a machine equipped home when I am visiting. One weekday morning, I found myself left alone in a business hotel near a large tech center. I decided to do a load of laundry and get some coffee, and I was the only person wandering around the whole building except for the staff.

[daylen]

If the clothes are not dirty but smell slightly bad, then I have been just soaking them in water without anything else for a minute while squeezing them Periodically. Seems to work for me.

[BRUTE]

I like scavenging in thrift stores or at garage sales

has 7Wannabe5 ever had any bad experiences with thrift store clothing? on the one hand brute thinks it'd be great savings, and clothes don't really go bad too quickly. on the other hand, he's afraid it'll be icky and he'll get something infected or unsanitary.

[Spartan_Warrior]

It's not a direct answer to the OP, but I have found this item very useful for quickly and easily cleaning small loads in a bucket:

http://breathingwasher.com/2.html

I believe it's available on Amazon as well (but I ain't looking/linking/supporting them). You could probably use (or modify) an ordinary plunger as well.

[ajg01]

For washing,
Hand powered washing machines are wasteful and dont rinse well. Washboards are tiring... Soaking definitely best for washing. I find any oxy products are cheap and work great.

For drying,
Wringers help alot.

You can get a hand crank one. If you want to avoid using any electricity id recommend the one built onto the bucket like a mop wringer or the ones that mount using clamps. But not the ones that are removable from buckets. Wood and metal probably more durable here than plastic. Cost $40 or less

Electric spin dryers arent too expensive about $100-200 and really wring the clothes out good without cramping your hands. They even reduce drying time and energy needed when used prior to a convential electric or gas dryer.

After wringing hang on clothes line, fence, or porch unless weather or ordinance prevents. Fans in an empty closet or portable rack will dry in 1-4 hours.

Warning! clothes will be stiff.

Source: could not afford dryer for several months...

[Sclass]

I dunk my sandals in the toilet reservoir with some dish soap before I go out. By evening a few flushes later I pull them out. Soaped, soaked and rinsed automatically. Why use potable water to flush?

sshhhhh. My SO has no idea I do this.