Everyday Prepper

Last weekend I tried out a new washing machine.  That’s right, it’s a manual washing machine, and I’m proud of it.  Something that doesn’t get talked about to much in the world of prepping is the house work or what would have been called “women’s work” back in the day.

<begin rant>I know I took a risk writing that and I’m OK with it.  Only in today’s society are the roles of a husband and a wife so mixed up and confused.  If the end of the world as we know it comes then I believe we will see a system of work and marriage roles very similar to the early 1900’s and before.  I’m not saying that to be sexist or rude but to be truthful about the work that must be done.  It also helps that I believe the Bible and so I accept the roles and duties of a husband and wife as set forth by God.  By no means is the house work easier or less important, in fact I’m of the opinion it is very much the backbone of America.  With out the women this place would look like a dump :)</end rant>

As you can see from the picture my manual washing machine is made up of a 5 gallon bucket, a lid and a new/clean plunger.  The whole setup cost me about $4 because I got the bucket for free at the Wal*Mart bakery department and then cleaned it out really good before washing any clothes.  The one thing I would change is the lid.  The one I got was a cheap one from Wal*Mart which started to crack by the end of 4 or 5 loads.  It cost me about $2.00 and at Home Depot I could have gotten a really nice thick one for only $.0.98.  I’m sure the good ones will be harder to get on and off but I doubt they will crack due to the banging of the plunger.

So here is how I did it.

1. Drill a whole in the middle of the lid just barely wider than the plunger handle.  I had good luck with a 1 inch wood spade bit.
2. Fill the bucket 1/2 to 3/4 full with water that is at an appropriate temperature for the clothes you are washing.
3. Put in a little laundry detergent (not much is needed.  Probably about 1/4 what you would put in your electric washer).
4. Put the plunger in the bucket.
5. Snap the lid onto the bucket.
6. Grab the plunger and plunge like you just stopped up your friends toilet and the water is rising.
7. Continue plunging for a minute or two.  This isn’t an exact science here.  You can take the clothes out after a minute or so and look at them to see if the dirt and grime is gone.  If not throw them back in and keep plunging.
8. Once you get the clothes clean take them out and dump the dirty water on your garden or some such resourceful place.
9. Fill the bucket with clean water.
10. Put the plunger back in the bucket.
11. Snap the lid onto the bucket.
12. Plunge again for about a minute to get the soap off the clothes.
13. Remove the clothes from the bucket (don’t dump the water)
14. Get some of the water out of the clothes by wringing if you can.  Don’t wring wool please.
15. Hang the clothes to dry.  Don’t hang wool if it’s still weighed down with water or you will stretch your clothes.

Don’t expect to do monster loads with this type of system.  You’ll do good to get one days worth of clothes for one person in there and clean at a time.  This method is going to take longer and possibly even take more water than your normal washing but it will be all manual so you can do it even when the power is out as long as you have access to water.

One other thing.  The clothes I did this time weren’t actually clothes.  They were some old military surplus bags I had picked up a while back.  They were very smelly from having been stored and now they are completely clean and non-smelly.  This thing really does work and it’s not to difficult.

Some links for you to enjoy:

Washing clothing without power Part 1
Washing clothing without power Part 2

One of the cheapest washboards I’ve seen around

Doing Laundry in Hard Times

Clothes Washing Kit (a kit similar to mine)

Gear, House Work, Laundry, Successes