My mother always rolled sweaters up in towels to get the water out. I have used this method with other clothes as well. It is not a great method, but better then nothing if you can't just let it drip dry. And this method also doesn't work if you are washing a lot of clothes.

I heard that wonder washers are a disappointment. I wouldn't bother.

I have a washboard in case I ever need it. And I also have a plunger & 5 gal. bucket.

Scrubbing with a brush works well. But be sure to scrub lightly so you don't scrub the dye/color out of the material. I have ruined too many clothes doing this - even with a toothbrush (especially on light cottons).

Thank you for the info Sue! What "baking soda solution" do you suggest? Is this just plain baking soda, or do you buy the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda Detergent Booster? You said that it takes less rinsing then soap, so I guess if you mean the booster, then you don't use it with soap or detergent? Thanks!

Joy

Izzy, I'm having problems picturing your what you've described. Can you post a sketch?

-Blast

The agitator is the PVC pipes connected to the rod handle.

This is not news. Seriously. Cowboys have used this trick for decades when they're in their pickups driving around all over creation. (They don't drive over the clothes to wring 'em out, though. I made that up.)

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/473033/ecoliving_truck_bed_clothes_washer.html
for example. Why go to the trouble of hand washing if you're driving over rough terrain?

Something like this, cut a hole in the top of a bucket and stick the PVC through it, glue PVC together and hand crank it with the clothes and water and soap in it. Then rinse. You would need some type of pin on the bottom that the PBC could set in to hold the X frame centered while washing.



It would work better with some type of fins on the bottom X-frame, but that would add a lot of stress on the PVC.

I like the design and idea, for the fins, perhaps something would work with fins of different heights or simply taking the agitator out of a washing machine.

I've watched an agitator go back and forth enough to note that it does not rotate except to go back and forth through 45 or so degrees. However, the fins work laundry up and down through the water.

If you had took the main spindle made and istead of the cross at the bottom used a few "t" sectons. I'd want four pvc fittings like: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=USPlastic&category%5Fname=13670&product%5Fid=18403

At the bottom, the joint would tie into the bottom of the barrell. The two pipes that extended from that would be tied to fins that were not on the next fitting up but on the one that was second from the top. The two other fittings would also be attached.

All this seems like a lot of work. Wouldn't it be just as effective to have a barrell, fill it with water and detergent, add a couple clean smooth rocks or something else solid to agitate, and then roll it all around. When done, rinse either using the barrell or not. Use a detergent designed for sensitive skin, youor rinse is likely to be not that effective, so something that does not irritate is better as a detergent.

Finally, be careful with and where you dispose of the wash water and rinse stuff. You need to pick what places you intend to use to consider as contaminated.

John Steinbeck describes that "cowboy" manner of washing clothes in "Travels with Charley."

Izzy and BobS,

Got it. I remember looking at one of those little washers a long time ago. It'd be pretty easy to duplicate with a 5-gal bucket and a gamma seal.

-Blast

Joy, not the washing soda (it's kind of caustic), just the regular old Arm & Hammer kitchen baking soda. It's cheap, and very useful for a lot of stuff.

It's good for having a birdbath and you don't have to use soap, just a heaping teaspoonful in a quart of water, wash and dry. Don't use more, or it will leave a white film on your skin.

Add a couple of heaping spoonfuls to a pot of very warm water and stick your hair in it, massage your scalp, then comb the longer hair while it's under the soda water, rinse and dry. It really does get the grease out.

Take the hair out of your hair brushes and drop them and your combs into a bowl of soda + warm water and let them soak a few minutes, rinse.

It makes a good dry underarm deodorant (not antiperspirant) and you can brush your teeth with it, and use it as a mouthwash.

And you can even put out small fires with it, clean car battery posts, and put it in your ashtrays to absorb smoke odors.

Talk about multipurpose!

Sue

Hi Susan, thank you for your response! Although I was meaning to ask about using baking soda for washing clothes. I guess I wasn't quite clear enough. Yes, I have used regular Arm and Hammer kitchen baking soda for brushing teeth and other things, like cleaning water barrels, etc.

But you said "If you have clothes that have odor but not much real dirt, wash them in a baking soda solution, rather than detergent. It can handle the body oils and the odor. And it takes less rinsing than soap." So I was wondering if you were talking about the Arm and Hammer booster msde for use with detergent. But it sounds like you also mean the regular kitchen baking soda for washing clothes too?

I hope that makes my question more clear.

I'll have to try some of the others ways you mentioned to use it - like for washing my brush and combs. My first husband used it for car batteries like you mentioned. Thank you for sharing!

Joy