Washing Clothes: Mechanical vs Lazy Processes

[Moonbear]

Unfortunately it says to hand wash. They probably don't do hand wash anymore in shops?

If your washer has a delicate cycle, you can use that for things that are supposed to be hand washed. And stick to warm or cold water washing, not hot.

 

[tgt]

Yeah give it a good wring and then put it back in the water and bash it around a bit and then come back later. Add a bit of hot water every now and then, should do the trick.

Sounds good. Why bother with a washing machine then?

 

[Moonbear]

Sounds good. Why bother with a washing machine then?

Rather a slow process for large amounts of laundry, don't you think? As was pointed out very early in the thread, you don't NEED a washing machine, it's a convenience.

 

[DaveC426913]

So soaking them in soap water don't work? Why not? What if it's only sweat and no dirt or anything like that?

As with washing your hands, the primary function of washing is to mechanically remove contaminants. The agitation and rubbing that comes with a washing machine or with a good hand-wash is designed to break up the oils - which is what most dirt on clothes and human bodies are composed of.

Water, and particularly hot water, will certainly aid in this process, but you need the soap to emulsify the oils (capture them and coat them) or they will just reattach themselves to the cloth. Once a bit of soap and a bit of hot water have done their jobs they can't do any more, and in fact, get in the way of further cleaning - the used soap and the (cooler) water needs to get out of the way so that more soap and hot water can get in.

And that's why agitation is a key component.


[EDIT: Oops - I'm a little late to the table...]

 

[Gokul43201]

I think you were referring to just soaking the clothes in soap water for an hour or so. Does this exclude all forms of rubbing and doing physical labour on it?

For someone this intent on minimizing the effort put into anything, you certainly put a lot of effort into figuring out the exact value of this minimal effort.

You should consider studying Operations Research. The possibilities will make you giddy.

 

[Moonbear]

For someone this intent on minimizing the effort put into anything, you certainly put a lot of effort into figuring out the exact value of this minimal effort.

You should consider studying Operations Research. The possibilities will make you giddy.

I don't even know what we're washing anymore...is it a tub full of clothing, or a sleeping bag?

 

[lisab]

For someone this intent on minimizing the effort put into anything, you certainly put a lot of effort into figuring out the exact value of this minimal effort.

You should consider studying Operations Research. The possibilities will make you giddy.

My hubby's an OR guy!

 

[tgt]

I don't even know what we're washing anymore...is it a tub full of clothing, or a sleeping bag?

Both really. I got a great idea about not using a machine for a tub full of clothes. Why not wash each day's clothes individually everyday. A little effort a day seems like nothing.

 

[Moonbear]

Both really. I got a great idea about not using a machine for a tub full of clothes. Why not wash each day's clothes individually everyday. A little effort a day seems like nothing.

There's no reason not to if you don't mind that extra time every day. Of course, someone who's single and living alone with just a small amount of clothing to wash every day might not find it nearly as much of a burden as someone with a family and children who go through several changes of clothing in a day as they get into messes. Some people also prefer letting their clothes hang to dry rather than putting them into a dryer (and for some clothes, this is the best approach to avoid shrinkage), but for most clothing, people don't really want to wait that long for the clothes to dry.

 

[tgt]

There's no reason not to if you don't mind that extra time every day. Of course, someone who's single and living alone with just a small amount of clothing to wash every day might not find it nearly as much of a burden as someone with a family and children who go through several changes of clothing in a day as they get into messes. Some people also prefer letting their clothes hang to dry rather than putting them into a dryer (and for some clothes, this is the best approach to avoid shrinkage), but for most clothing, people don't really want to wait that long for the clothes to dry.

The only concern is that only one bathroom sink may make it too dirty?

 

[mbrmbrg]

The only concern is that only one bathroom sink may make it too dirty?

So clean the sink, dear tgt dear tgt dear tgt; so clean the sink, dear tgt; dear tgt, so clean it!

 

[tgt]

So clean the sink, dear tgt dear tgt dear tgt; so clean the sink, dear tgt; dear tgt, so clean it!

A clean after every wash which is everyday seems too much?

 

[DaveC426913]

A clean after every wash which is everyday seems too much?

So rest on it dear tgt dear tgt, so rest on dear tgt my friend...

 

[Moonbear]

A clean after every wash which is everyday seems too much?

And thus you understand why most people prefer to just use a washing machine. If your other option is lugging all your laundry off to an expensive laundromat, though, I could see preferring to wash some things by hand, especially if you're low on quarters at the same time as you're low on underwear.

I really can't believe you're making such a big deal of this. If it's too much work, use a washing machine. If you don't mind the extra work (including cleaning up the sink area when done), then go for it. Whatever, it's your laundry and your life.

 

[lisab]

tgt, are you on your own for the first time, and haven't had any exposure to doing chores like laundry?

Washing machines and driers are much more efficient than hand washing. If you choose to hand wash, you're going to have to have a place to hang your clothes to dry. I don't know where on the planet you live, but if it's a rainy or humid place, that could be a problem. Your clothes might take quite a while to dry.

If you aren't familiar with using washing machines, ask someone at the laudramat. An older person would be a good choice. Sometimes there's an attendant; they could be of help, as well.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I <3 Fluff N' Fold!

 

[edward]

Here is a viable alternative to the laundromat.

http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/leo60/26495.jpg

Or just buy a big mop bucket with a wringer on it.

 

[straydog]

For small washes, you could try one of these devices.. manually powered via a handle... for $30 to $50.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/images/products/thumbs/wonderwash.jpg

http://i.treehugger.com/files/Wonderwash.jpg

The instructions to wash clothes are so simple a kid could do it. Depending on the amount of clothes you're washing, you add a prescribed amount of detergent and water, then your clothes, and then you turn the handle for 2-3 minutes. After washing you stick the drain tube on the bottom, drain the soapy water, refill with clean water, and spin a few more times to rinse the clothes. Drain again, hang the clothes up to dry, and you're done washing.

There are good number of reviews about for it on many a web-page, from people seemingly happy with the results.

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/pages/reviews-wonderwash.htm
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Wonder+Wash&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

The Wonderwash operates by stowing your dirty clothes in the barrel, with hot or warm water and a small amount of detergent and fixing the lid in place. A pressure screw in then tightened on the lid. It is this pressure which the key to the performance of the unit. The notion is that the hot water in the completely sealed and pressurised barrel heats up the air trapped inside. This pressure forces the water and the detergent through the fabrics and separates the dirt and grime rapidly. Rotating the barrel with the handle further agitates the mixture of water, detergent, fabric and dirt. About 2 minutes rotation is supposedly all that is required. The pressure screw is released and the dirty water emptied. The Wonderwash can also be used for rinsing laundry. But it is not a mini tumble drier.

When I was lecturing in eco-design, the Wonderwash made a great case study for innovative thinking. Taking the notion of pressure cooking in the kitchen and applying it to the laundry. It can use 45,000 less litres of water per year, compared to a standard top load washing machine, a saving of nearly 80%. There is also a corresponding saving of roughly 65% in energy and 45% in detergent use.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/07/qa_electricity.php