Doing Laundry by Hand
Doing laundry by hand; could you do it if the situation called for it? You can do it with a few tools and a little practice – like our great great grandmothers; and it is a good skill to know. Even if you aren’t of the “prepper” mindset, knowing how to do some basic chores off-grid. If you’re a homesteader like me, you want to keep vintage skills alive; laundry by hand is certainly a vintage skill that most of us rarely, if ever, use.
Tools for Laundry by Hand
If we are going to go super vintage then you’ll need the following:
- A Wash Tub
- Bar of Laundry Soap ( Fels-Naptha
or Zote ) or try a Laundry Ball or even better, use my Laundryonaise recipe! - A Wash Board – made for washing, not decorative.
I would recommend a Metal Washing Boardbut there are less expensive Plastic Laundry Board. The metal will last longer but the plastic may be easier on your clothes. - Clothing line and/or rack for drying.
Spend the money on good pins or you’ll be re-buying these all the time!
or 
) or try a 
or even better, use my 
but there are less expensive 
. The metal will last longer but the plastic may be easier on your clothes.
Laundry by Hand – Tub & Wash Board Method
- Separate your colors & whites – yep still a good idea.
- Presoak – you’ll want to prepare your tub with water and soap shavings and soak your clothes in this for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re really off-grid and need hot water you’ll need to heat some up before this step.
- Now take each piece of clothing, rub a little soap on it and then scrub against the washboard, dunk in the water, scrub again.
- Once all the clothes are done you’ll want a separate tub for rinsing the soap out. It is basically dunking, wring, dunk, wring.
- After all the soap is rinsed out you want to remove as much water as possible. You can do this by hand or using a hand clothes wringer.
- A laundry plunger (or rapid washer) can also be an excellent tool and save your back a bit. This works like the agitator in your washing machine. Extremely helpful in the rinse stage!
.
(or rapid washer) can also be an excellent tool and save your back a bit. This works like the agitator in your washing machine. Extremely helpful in the rinse stage!Laundry by Hand – The Modern Methods
So you are ready to do more laundry by hand but not to scrub a board? I have a few non-electric appliances that are portable and easy to use.
Videos to help with your Laundry by Hand
I hope you will give laundry by hand a try. It is a great vintage / homesteading / prepping skill to have. With a little investment you can have all the tools you’ll need for years to come. This tried and true method can save you money too!
