Life without a washing machine...

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IlliniDave
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Life without a washing machine...

Post by IlliniDave »

So I'm contemplating life without a washing machine for a time. Mine is beginning to malfunction.

There is no "need" for me to consider doing without. I can easily afford a new one without any perturbation to my plan, and paying for repair or replacing with used would be even cheaper. I will try to repair it myself, but in the eventuality that fails, I'm thinking I might brave life without one. I would probably use a laundromat for large/heavy things like certain bed clothes, maybe my winter jackets. At most that might require one trip per month, probably more like one per quarter. The rest I would hand wash in my sink or bathtub.

Part of me thinks I'm starting to go a little overboard at that point. Part of me thinks it might be amusing to try (for a while at least). I'll be moving several states away in < 5 years, so part of my thought process is that this would just be one less big, heavy thing to have to get rid of or haul with me when the time comes.

Anyone launder by hand? What's the worst aspects of it? Or am I just nuts to consider this "voluntarily"?

jacob
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by jacob »

Wringing out the water!!

henrik
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by henrik »

You seem to have a good opportunity to find out the answers. When the machine fails, just try it for a while. You'll find out how long it will actually take you (x the annoyance coefficient) and then decide whether it's worth it to buy a new machine for the remaining time before your move.
I've gone without for two months and it was easier than I thought, but then I don't usually wear dress shirts or other fancier stuff.

Pronoid
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by Pronoid »

I haven't regularly used a washing machine for over a year and a half and I work in the dress nice corporate world. I might hit a laundromat to wash my sheets or something large like you said but that's it. I actually enjoy doing my laundry manually.

JamesR
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by JamesR »

There's a trick that I saw used by a long-term traveller that had been living abroad/travelling for 10+ years. He either uses a large bag or the bathtub, puts the clothes in there with water and detergent, then hops in and agitates it all by stepping up and down like grape stomping. He drains the liquid and brings in fresh water and stomps again, and repeats that two or three times to rinse it out properly.

northman
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by northman »

Must watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZoKfap4g4w

You should also see other videos of Hans Rosling!

jacob
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by jacob »

Fun fact: The, in my opinion, exceptionally creative idea, which I mention in one single sentence in the ERE book, that you could put your laundry in a sealed five gal bucket and drive down a bumpy road for free agitation---and which I've never personally done myself---has now cost me two negative amazon reviews.

Some people ... tragicomic.

FWIV, here are my personal experiences. Being born in Europe, where dryers are as rare as A/Cs or toploaders for that matter but frontload washing machines are common, I partook in line drying growing up. Aside from my grandmother's toploader, I didn't see another toploader again before visiting the US for the first time. I kinda guessed at how to use it the first time. For a brief period we lived in rentals with a dryer. It was quite apparent how the dryer was a major contributor towards wearing out the clothes. (All that lint is clothes fabric and that exact amount of lint is exactly how much material was lost by the drying process.) In CA, I was in charge of laundry. Everything was line dried. On hot summer days, things would be dry 15 minutes later(!!) In Denmark you could expect drying to take 2 days (and you'd have to run out if it rained). Currently, since moving to IL, I'm working fulltime and DW is working part time so she's in charge of laundry: a toploader + a line. In the winter, it, the line, dries in the basement and in the summer outside. I still wash my workout clothes by hand since I need it on a daily basis (compared to the weekly/biweekly cycle of DW) and I only have one set. It dries overnight on the shower curtain rod. And I still HATE WRINGING IT OUT(*).

(*) One of my plans is to build a hand-crank wringer using a reclaimed suspension spring.

LiberateMind
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by LiberateMind »

You made me rethink my decision of buying a washing machine to increase the productivity

henrik
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by henrik »

The sealed bucket while driving is from Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley", isn't it? I wonder if he got some negative reviews for it as well?

IlliniDave
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by IlliniDave »

I sort of lost track of this thread, but appreciate all the thoughts. I'm slowly working my way towards more of the high-tech "moisture wicking" style clothing, which is much easier to hand wash and dry, so even the wringing isn't too bad with that stuff, plus you can do a 1/2-a$$ed job of it and the stuff still dries reasonably well just hanging. But towels and blankets and the like are a different story, as are bluejeans and the considerable amount of cotton stuff I still wear.

I haven't taken my old machine apart year to see what's up with it. I discovered if I keep the load sizes small and use the slow/delicate cycle it hangs together for now. My thought is to hand wash for the short term and use just the spin cycle until I can get the thing apart. My hope is there's just a belt that needs replacing.

It sure seems easier to toss $500 or whatever at a new machine. But the one I have I've ridden hard for most of the 22 years it's been around. It's almost like part of the family now.

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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by jacob »

@henrik - No idea, maybe. I think I saw it in the comment on some survivalist blog and I thought it was clever.

@IlliniDave - Alternatively, you could toss $100 at an old machine in a used appliance store. Also check craigslist. We just bought a new old 20" stove for $80 that way. If you feel brave, check youtube for repairs. Never done it myself, but I've heard a few stories about 30 minute job and a $5 part.

northman
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by northman »

Did a quick search on the cost of a washing machine:
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html

Our total cost for 1 year worth of laundry. A whopping $92.. and I do belive I overstated some of the costs.

I think we will keep our front loader..

IlliniDave
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by IlliniDave »

northman wrote:Did a quick search on the cost of a washing machine:
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html

Our total cost for 1 year worth of laundry. A whopping $92.. and I do belive I overstated some of the costs.

I think we will keep our front loader..
Neat link. For me the top loader/front loader delta is $24/year, so it would take quite some time to recoup the cost delta between a low-end top loader and low-end front loader. My old workhorse is a top loader. I'd prefer to wait until I move to my ER home base (several states away from where I am today) before I invest in any new appliances, but I was looking at a tiny "portable" 1.0 ft^3 machine that I could probably haul up to the cabin in the out years. If I forgo detergent (which I often do) I could reuse the wash water up there in the toilet tank to avoid additional burden on the septic. I could mostly get by with that here in the interim, but would have to periodically stop on the way home from work to launder larger items like comforters and blankets at a laundromat.

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jennypenny
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by jennypenny »

I spent the last several months nursing along a POS used Bosch washing machine because I hate throwing out appliances. When the pump finally died (and a new one is $450), I gave up. I don't like the water/power requirements of old top loaders, but I don't like the mold issues in front loaders. I ended up buying one of the new high efficiency top loaders without the agitator. Between the EnergyPlus rebate and selling the old one for parts, I paid $600 OOP.

I love the capacity (5.4 cu. ft.) yet it is still small enough to fit through the narrow door to my laundry room. It also seems to work better than my old one dispensing the homemade laundry soap and the vinegar I put in the fabric softener dispenser. It uses very little water, and the energy guide says it will cost $12/year to run. (I bet it's higher for us, but still very low.) The best part is the spin cycle. The clothes come out almost dry, which is great since I hang all of my clothes to dry. Clothes like those Bluffworks pants come out almost completely dry.

I know this thread is about hand washing, but I think this machine is a pretty good option. You can fit a week's worth of clothes in it at a time, and they are almost dry when they come out, so no dryer necessary. Some states are offering a higher rebate than we got (NJ was offering $150 when I bought it).

SimpleLife
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by SimpleLife »

I guess that's one nice thing about wearing Levi's to work, one less thing to wash since I don't wash my Levi's. In fact I haven't washed my jeans in so many years, I don't even remember when I did last. I think one key to hand washing is to reduce the number of things you actually have to wash. Something as minimal as underwear, socks, etc. could be done in a bucket.

IlliniDave
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by IlliniDave »

Hmm, I guess I'm a wastrel because I wash my jeans regularly. I live in a hot/humid climate, and invariably I spill food and such on myself. I managed to cajole my washer to work a little bit, so I can get through the heavier items with small load sizes. Some of my smaller items I wash by hand in an attempt to eek a little more life out of the old thing.

jennypenny, if you don't mind, since you seem to like your machine, what brand did you go with? Someday I'll bite the bullet and get a new one, and I like to know about makes/models people have positive experiences with.

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jennypenny
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by jennypenny »

It's a larger version of this one (but I got mine from an appliance store) ... http://www.lowes.com/pd_663494-49317-WT ... 7&pl=1#img

Most of the poor reviews are from people using the machine incorrectly or expecting it to fill with water like an old top loader*. There's an option to have it fill the drum with water, but it's not necessary most of the time. This machine also works better with homemade soap and vinegar. Even when I do a full load, it only needs 2 tablespoons of soap. It also drains completely, so no mold problems (which are probably worse where you live).

* People think it can't get the clothes clean using so little water, but you know me ... I tested it thoroughly the first week I had it, trying out every cycle and setting. It gets the clothes cleaner than my old front loader. The only time I use the extra water option is when the clothes are full of dirt (like my gardening clothes) or I'm using a lot of bleach (my son's bedding).

IlliniDave
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by IlliniDave »

Thanks,

If it gets the jennypenny stamp of approval, it's more than good enough for me!

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fiby41
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by fiby41 »

SimpleLife wrote:I guess that's one nice thing about wearing Levi's to work, one less thing to wash since I don't wash my Levi's.
It was the Levi's CEO IIRC who suggested not to waste water washing the jeans instead fold it and put it in a zip lock inside the refrigerator freezer to kill the smell and germs.

SimpleLife
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Re: Life without a washing machine...

Post by SimpleLife »

fiby41 wrote:
SimpleLife wrote:I guess that's one nice thing about wearing Levi's to work, one less thing to wash since I don't wash my Levi's.
It was the Levi's CEO IIRC who suggested not to waste water washing the jeans instead fold it and put it in a zip lock inside the refrigerator freezer to kill the smell and germs.

That's correct, though I'm not sure if he was the first or if there were others who suggested it before, though I know that other denim companies recommend the same. It's largely because you don't want the indigo to wash out. Jeans are designed to form to your body. The freezer technique works, though is optional in most cases. My jeans last a veeeery long time like this too.

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