| Home | “This method actually gets the clothes cleaner than a washing machine, it kills all of the bacteria on the clothes, and it does not use any hot water or electricity!“ |
I used to hate doing laundry, but now that I do a little bit everyday using two 5-gallon buckets, just before I take a shower, it’s actually not that bad. It’s much more satisfying, and can actually be fun. I get to “play in the water” like when I was a kid!
Bonus: This method actually gets the clothes cleaner than a washing machine, it kills all of the bacteria on the clothes, and it does not use any hot water or electricity!
This may sound outragious, but my method of doing laundry actually requires a 3 to 5 day cycle! If I hang the clothes up to dry and start a new bucketful on the same day, then it’s a 3 or 4 day cycle: 3 for colored, 4 for white.
Here is how I do it:
Day 1: (Wash) Fill a 5-gallon bucket ½ full of clothing (packed down). To a 2nd 5-gallon bucket, add a capful of bleach and a normal load’s worth of liquid laundry detergent while filling it ¾ full with cold water. Add the clothes, poking them down with a stick until they stay under water. Add more water until the bucket is almost full. Let it “cook” for approximately 24 hours next to the hot water radiator or the warm air vent.
Day 2: (Bleach: Skip this step unless all of the clothing is white.) Wearing rubber gloves,* wring out one article of clothing at a time by hanging it over the shower curtain rod and twisting. (The shower curtain rod should be directly over the bath tub.) Put each item into the 1st bucket. Add a cup of bleach to the 2nd bucket while filling it ¾ full with cold water. Add the clothes, poking them down with a stick until they stay under water. Again let it “cook” next to the hot water radiator or the warm air vent.
Day 3: (1st Rinse) Wearing rubber gloves,* wring the clothes out, putting each item into the 1st bucket. Add a capful of bleach to the 2nd bucket while filling it ¾ full with cold water. Add the clothes, poking them down with a stick until they stay under water. Again let it “cook” next to the hot water radiator or the warm air vent.
Day 4: (2nd Rinse) Repeat day 3.
Day 5: (Dry) Wring the clothes out, again putting each item into the 1st bucket. Hang shirts, jackets, and sweat shirts on a clothes line or on hangers to dry. Hang every thing else on a clothes line or on a folding wooden drying rack. (I got my drying rack from Walmart for about US$10.)
* Don’t waste money on ordinary rubber gloves. They won’t last. Go to the paint department of your local Walmart and purchase Stanley™ HomeChem™ (Blue) Gloves (US$4.97).
Hint: Each day, on your calendar, mark which step you are on (W, B, R, or D), so you don’t lose track.
Hint: Using the wash cycle code, W-B-R-R for white things, and W-R-R for colored things, you could also use B-W-B-R-R or even B-W-B-R-R-R for white things that are badly stained. For colored things that are stained with motor or vegetable oil, you could use W-W-R-R.
Bonus: Wringing out the clothes by hand is good upper body exercise.
Note: Adding a capful of bleach to the wash and rinse water is very important. Otherwise, bacteria will multiply, and you’ll end up with a stinky batch of laundry!
Note: Since it’s only used for temporary storage, the 1st bucket can be a little smaller than the 2nd (wash) bucket. You can save money by getting both buckets for free or for no more than $1 each at a bakery. I got both of my buckets from the local Walmart bakery for $1 each including the lids. My bucket #1 is a 30# icing bucket, and my bucket #2 is a 50# icing bucket.
Note: For a suggestion on how to apply the above laundry system to a large family, click here.
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