She Washes Their Clothes in What? Pros & Cons of Off-Grid Laundry for family of SIX!
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- Опубликовано: 27 май 2024
- Check out our new off-grid laundry setup featuring @LehmansHardware hand washer and Sunshine Clothesline! Tired of driving to our local laundromat of questionable quality, we invested in a Lehman's hand washer that allows us to do laundry anywhere on the property using minimal water and no electricity. We know doing laundry like this isn't for everyone, but if you've been wondering exactly what goes into washing clothes (sort of) by hand, this should answer your questions.
Lehman's $20 Off $150 or More: tinyshinyhome.com/lehmans-20 use code TAKE20
CHAPTERS//
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Lehman's Hand Washer
00:56 - Dr. Bronner's Soap
1:09 - How Many Shirts in One Load?
1:45 - Step 1: Wash Clothes
2:37 - Step 2: Wring Clothes Out
3:04 - Lehman's Laundry Wringer
4:38 - Step 3: Second Load w/ Same Water
6:00 - Step 4: Drain Gray Water
6:33 - Step 5: Rinse Clothes
6:59 - Step 6: Wring Out Rinsed Clothes
7:19 - Step 7: Hang Clothes on Sunshine Clothesline to Dry
8:45 - Questions & Answers
9:01 - Why Wash & Dry by Hand?
9:57 - Pros of Lehman's Hand Washer
11:37 - Are We Saving Water?
13:26 - How Long Does it Take?
14:00 - How Well Does it Wash?
15:08 - Load Size Limitations
15:45 - How Long to Dry?
16:50 - Cons of Lehman's Hand Washer
18:20 - Tradeoffs
19:22 - $20 Off Code for Washer
19:35 - Conclusion
LINKS//
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#lehmans #handwasher #offgridlaundry #sunshineclothesline #linedry
Pro tip: once in a while put a $5 bill and someone's pocket for your kid to find while they're doing the wash; you'll have more and more kids offering to do wash for ya!
Well now that’s an awesome tip!!! Thanks!!!
Unless they don't check the pockets ... there's $5 down the drain (pun intended)
m d, usually if it's in the pocket, it will still be there when it's dry. Paper money is made with cloth and paper to strengthen it .
@@judithburke1539
Doesn't it get washed out (no pun intended) & faded if it gets laundered (the legal way)?
Brilliant!!
I remember when my great grandmother told me to go hang clothes out in the winter living in Maine, I thought she was nuts. After the clothes had froze on the line she went out and beat it with the broom handle to break the ice off the cloth. Then she brought the clothes in and they were dry. Kinda crazy what grandmother's do
Seems like makes your jean softer.
Wow!! Go grandma, much love.
Freeze dry the clothes? 🤔
Brilliant! 😀👍
I was wondering about winter laundry!
Growing up in Maine, that's what we did.. only my Dad's shirts saw the inside of the dryer!
A wringer washer was all we had when I was a kid and .....NO broken buttons. It's great to see this young mom taking care of her family-- also good to see her family helping her :-)
My mother boiled clothes on the stove and then when they cooled they were rung out by hand and hung to dry. the bigger items were a two-person wring out job.
@Chava K, indeed. Jonathan and Ashley are doing a great job of raising hard-working, responsible children.
We had a wringer type washer until 1963! As a little girl, I always wanted to help Mom. Many a time my arm went through that wringer! Ouch! Good thing Mom was always there to release the the emergency release. I still miss my mom.
My husband has a niece and her husband that has this type of washer. We use it we we visit them. I love how some the younger generation are understanding what's old and outdated isn't really old and outdated. She's Navajo but lives on the Acoma reservation and was brought up to make do with what ya got.
Where does she get clean water? From a well?
I learned from my mom to turn the t-shirts inside out before washing so when they're drying on the line, the colors won't fade as much from the sun. I'm glad my oldest son picked up this tip and uses it! I didn't realize they still made washing machines like yours. Great job, plus you get exercise built in!
Also benefits clothes that are prone to odor retention.....
Lehman's has everything you think they don't make anymore.
Also, hanging shirts from the hem (not the shoulders) is important... if there is any sun fading it won't be noticeable at the hem, and the shoulders won't have wierd dents in them from the clothes pins. 😉 Finally, there is nothing like the smell of sun dried clothes, and the sun sanitizes them, too.
This is right - especially the black clothes. I can never understand people using the clothes dryer when there is full sun to use - for free!!
I always turn clothes inside out before washing. 😊
My sisters and I washed clothes by hand and with washboard growing up my nana was gifted a washer and dryer in 86. I feel proud to still be able to wash bluejeans by hand . My grandmother would say ,"your useful and that's beautiful child" "Just beautiful. "
I am sure your clothes came out truly clean washing by hand , good idea.
I remember one time trying to wash my laundry out by hand in the bathtub and I swear to you the skin was coming off the inside of my thumbs!!!! A washboard is a necessity if you're going to do it by hand!!! :)
Love the smell of clothes dried in the sun!
especially sheets
Absolutely
Sheets, right when it turns to spring and you can leave the windows open at night. My grandma used to use downy, I haven't smelled that in 20 years. I could sleep like a baby.
This is called LABOR OF LOVE!
Nope! Smells like air pollution; like how kids' bodies smell after they spend a whole day outside. 🤢😵 Nope, not for me.
A thought: If you raise the washer, you could put a container underneath the washer to drain the water into immediately. Then put the drainage hose off the second container. It drains to your plants while you are on the next step.
I really like this video, especially the pros and cons afterwards.
Absolutely!!! 😇
I really admire how a hard working housewife you are. I'd like to give you a little piece of advice here. If you want your family clothes keep their colors longer, turn them inside-out before putting them to sun-dry, and close pants zippers once they are on the clothesline, which, by the way, is really awesome!
Ok Jonathan, make a temporary platform for the washer. Ashley's back is important 😘 lol....love u guys ❤️
Or Jonathan could just get her a stool/bench so she can sit level to the washer?
Yes, a platform sounds great.
I totally agree put that washer up on something. Safe her back.
@@drobinson7372 no i think she needs leverage and being on a stool would not give stability.
@@karav8133 : Oh, I was thinking about not having to stand up for a long time in one place, like I do to wash mountains of dishes 😏
This is “DOING THE LAUNDRY”!! I no longer can use that term for my dump clothes,add detergent, close door, press buttons -- transfer clothing to dryer, close door press buttons---fold or hang! YOU ARE MY HERO GIRL! 💖💖💖💖
Ha ha.
When I was a child my mother had a FANCY clothes washer which was a big tub (no lid) with an electrically powered agitator - lasted a long, long time. Had a wringer attached to one side, and we had a lot of clothes lines. Never did a button, snap or buckle take any damage. One thing we learned was to be sure the t-shirts and pants were turned inside out before hanging up to dry so the sun would not bleach the outside, visible part of the fabric.
Look into a duvet cover for your quilt, will protect the quilt and easier to wash.
I'm a newbie quilter, the whole idea is to see the fabric design, a cover would ruin the artwork for viewing. Besides that, an excuse to hand piece from recycled ♻️ material another newer quilt
@@AnitaSouthall quilt a cover?
Couple things. My mother washed with a Maytag wringer washer all the time I was growing up. Never had a problem breaking buttons. Today we still wash with cold water. Clothes hold the color longer, cuts shrinking & helps stop the stains.
Me too. Brings back lots of memories watching this
Yep, mum did also. I didn't see any issue with the manner of washing. It seemed to make sense. I have the latest, flashest style of washing machine, and I wash all of my clothes except underwear and now sheets and towels in cold water.
We had a ringer washer a good deal of the time when I was a kid. But one of them had a motor on it to agitate the water And you could hook up the ringer to make it turn as well.
Sheets and towels should be washed in hot or dried in desert Temps, parasites my dear
Yup, only cold water here also, except for whites and linens.
After watching you wash clothes, I went out and hugged and kissed my washing machine and told it how much I loved it! And that's how much I like watching your family life! AKA channel, thank you, ALL stay safe
ME 2
I grew up with a ringer washer but it had an electric motor. We washed multiple loads with same water. The first load was white dish towels than sheets and light colored clothing, than under garments, bath towels and lastly dark clothes and jeans.
And of course we also sorted by dirtiness. I still have an old ringer and will use it if cost of water and electricity keeps climbing.
@@dp4313 ME 2,ours on the back porch
Lolol yes right
I have arthritis in my right shoulder from the same mangle (the roller part). I work for a historic site and we used to do 1913 era chores with the 2nd graders. We did laundry using this mangle. The kids loved it. I'm sticking with my washer. The dryer died 2 years ago and I couldn't care less. The washer I would replace in a hot minute.
I love this way of doing things. I live in a “normal” house with “normal” appliances and just went through the replacement of broken things and the expense is ABSURD Nevermind the hassle
When I started my Y2K stash in 1998 I got real lucky and found a manual wringer that bolts to a utility sink for $5 and must admit it’s the best five dollars I ever spent. Good for wringing towels and small rugs. I still have a clothesline in my basement for emergencies like a belt breaks on the washer or dryer and you have to wash and dry by hand until you have the money for repairs.
Manual wringers are now around $200 on Amazon -- that was a real find!
I think the cheapest one I saw on Amazon a few months ago was $169. I bought a industrial mop bucket for about a third of that.
I grew up doing laundry this way, and at 70 I've gone back to my grandmother's ways. I am so proud to have learned off grid in the 1950s and 1960s. My grandmother would use her mothers iron kettle to boil water over a fire, our whites were amazing. As a RN I learned cold water is for protein stains. As humans we are protein so cold is good, but boiled is sterilizing, good with infections. There are amazing smells GOD gives us, herbs, humans, animals, ocean and Sun.😊
Interesting. I always washed my baby clothes in cold water then warm except diapers cold then hot. They were sparkling white.
My husband and I like the washer
Amen!!
My first husband came from Ky and he had me boil his white tee shirts one winter I was surprised that they seemed almost new. Probably learned this from his Mother and Grandmother.
You are so right, Ms Carolyn . All this stuff on earth is just amazingly useful beautiful and really think about it- free. I love it !
Your clothesline is an Australian invention. They are called a Hills hoist. Our weather is similar and these clothesline are fantastic for drying everything and they hold so much washing. I have never owned a clothes dryer in my life. Air drying is best for your clothes.
Greetings from Donnybrook Western Australia.🇦🇺
Australias gift to the world and laundry time fun memories of hanging on to the line and going for a spin around.
@@carolineclark6202 the speed you could get them up to was fun.😂
@@meganbaldock9495 look out if you got caught tho,
Fun times😀
What is the brand of your washer. Or is it home-made?
A shame Hills Hoist has been taken over. The quality of the clothes line isnt the same. Greetings from South Australia.
Me too, in Israel!
I've owned one of these for a number of years. It's surprising how many pieces of laundry makes a load in this little rascal. Cleans my husbands really dirty jeans better than any autimatic I've owned.
And its great for soaking stained, yellowed whites, washing delicates.
Naturally it's more work, takes a bit more time, but it saves tremendously on the water bill and electricity. Does every bit as good a job of cleaning as even a front loading automatic.
I love hanging my washing on a line outside, it makes me happy and the clothes smells wonderful when they are dry 😊
Honey I used an old ringer washer for years and loved it. If you fold the items with the buttons and zippers to the inside you will have no problem . I also washed my les dirty things first so I could use the same wash water more than once. ALSO IF YOU MAKE YOUR OWN WASHING SOAP YOU WON'T USE AS MUCH RINSE WATER. Hope this helps.
What is your recipe please? Does it clean as well? Thanks.
@@oceangolf3076 I used Homestead Tessies recipe.
Dr Bronners is concentrated so don’t need much
It’s just VERY pricey
@@YeshuaKingMessiah Some co-ops sell it in bulk. So you can bring your jar and pump out how much you want. The price is a lot less that way.
My mom did this my life, not as hard as you might think. I would love to have an old Maytag again..
@Tiny Shiny Home.
A suggestion if I may :
If you add clean water to the container you wring the clothes into , you can swish them around and rinse them in there ,wring them out with water draining back into bucket or into machine . Saves double handling and gets it done even faster .
And you can use rinse water for next rinse or next wash.
Great ideal!
cool idea
Oh wow Love it!
I’m 80 years old I washed clothes in a washing machine and rinsed them in number three washed tubs all my life I had seven children my husband and I made nine and your back gets tired but you have clean clothes and it’s nothing like clothes dried In the sun and when you need hot water for your white taken but I am the top of your stove that’s why I don’t thank you for letting me put my two cents in
I want to command you for doing this I think you’re being very smart and saving money and water and you get to water your plants and your trees thanks for giving the spirit of your life thank you
Things sure come full circle. Back in the late 1800's, women used wooden versions of that washing machine. My Grandmother had a wringer washer, but it was an electric one. I remember seeing it in her basement when I was a little girl in the 50's. Clothes lines were the only dryer back then as well. LOL....full circle for sure. Love it.
My stepmom gave me her washer when she moved. It's huge and higher end and I love it. I usually haven't had a washing machine. I saved some money for replacing some things if they break. I just checked Lehman's because the last time I dreamed about this washer it cost $500. Whoa! It's double now! Then I realized a new washer like the one I have would cost the same thing. It's all perspective. When this thing breaks, I'm getting the Lehman's washer with a wringer. I already hang my wash on the line. I would love to put this in the laundry room next to the sink that's there, but I'd rather have it outside in the garden so I can greywater it out to the plants. Great video guys!
That was my thinking- the electric machine cost similar to Lehman’s. My electric started leaking. Instead of getting a tech guy, paying for his service plus any parts for $400 plus, I just went with buying the Lehman’s instead for long term sufficiency. 🧡
@@Kristenbovat I would love to hear your experience with it!
@@sweaterdoll I hadn’t answered yet because I wasn’t sure. I have now spent maybe a week or two with it and here is my final conclusion (it took this long to get to one.) I love the machine. I think I will be using it in conjunction with our modern electric machine. It’s not sustainable to use it alone if you have little kids and babies (not enough time to attend to them and laundry.) Any other questions?
Also, just called Best Buy to schedule service for my modern electric machine. I was quoted $150 for tech to come. Not a big deal! Also, this machine takes a LOT of muscle and it’s great but I am getting tired and not being able to recover. In addition, I realize I would never be able to take a break because laundry would always need to be worked (and laundry is usually my job).
My grandmother had one similar to that, at the beginning of the 20th century. I found it in the garage as a kid, and loved to play with it. That old rusty contraption had a rotation crank to agitate the laundry on top of the lid. My granny told me that the introduction of these mechanical hand cranked washers brought such a relief to the housewifes, and I can only agree. I lived off grid for a winter in the 1980s and laundry was extremely hard work, because we had to wring and rinse all by hand. The wrangler is really a great invention, even more important than a washer. I also find that soaking laundry over night gets even the worst stains out. About clothlines: Here in Germany, inspite of the weather, clotheslines are much more common. I went to Claifornia in the 90s and was totally baffled that people with perfect dry weather waste so much time, energy and money on drying their laundry. Recently, electrical dryers start being a trend here as well. Wrong direction to go, I think.
Go gas at least yes
But a dryer is incredibly handy
Clothesline, even indoors if necessary. That's what I'd do.
Yeah I hang dry my clothes just like my grandma taught me. It saves electricity, time, and the clothes last longer. Some things hung on hangers eliminate the folding time too!
@@megb9700 I do hang about a third of my laundry becuz I don’t want it to shrink, the stain didn’t come out or the fabric isn’t good in the dryer
But socks underwear pjs etc I want a dryer till the grids gone.
Most the time the only way people are not going to use a dryer in Cali/the US, is if they're worried about the environment and using energy conservation as a means to help, or if they are impoverished. But the majority of homeowners in the U.S. own a washer/dryer.
I love your whole setup, plus the ability to water the trees with the spent water is a huge bonus!
I love it! My mom used to make us wash our clothes on a washing board if we left our clothes everywhere. The punishment didn’t last long because we had fun with the washing board 😅
Future newbie to homesteading/raw land/"life-choice-questioning" living. Enjoyed the honest opinion of this product and living off the land in general. I'll be checking out more of your videos! Jane
good to learn from the best
We've been off grid and remote for 8 years. There are 6 of us and I do not miss the scrub board and wringer at all. We finally completed a water line from the creek to our water tanks, got an old washer and dryer we run off the generator and instead of heating water in a 15 gallon pot then lugging everywhere we use a propane on demand hot water heater. Laundry still takes all day but my hands no longer bleed after. I still have my washboard, plunger and wringer but hope I never have to go back to it.
I’m the youngest of 9 kids and our mom taught us early on “Laundry Lady keeps the money 💰” LoL 😂
I call laundry day,
PAY DAY❗️💰😂🤣
Love ya girl! 😘
Us too!
My Grandparents had a beautiful hand washer. My father (88) and I have many discussions how we wished they wouldn’t have sold their hand washer. I have fond memories of helping my grandmother with the laundry; especially placing it through the double rollers and making sure I would never get my fingers caught or anything else. Many of our neighbors that I grew up also had hand washers and it was the norm to perform laundry the way you are doing it. I do believe the system my grandparents had got my grandfather’s clothes the cleanest and he was a farmer. By the way, I am a HUGE proponent of having that hand washer upon a platform to decrease any back issues. I have permanent damage from medical negligence. Please be proactive now my friends; your body is your life. Love your passion, grace and respect for our planet. God bless✝️❤️
I grew up with a wringer wash , only ran my hand through the wringers once. My mother had the double wringer washer and two rinse tubs. I also love clothes dried outside. Love that washer.
LOL 1:28 Sneaking a snap! I had a pedal powered washer in Mexico. Worked like a champ. Sure it was a bit of a workout, but that's better than going to a gym!
That's funny! My Dad lived in Mexico for a few years and he also had a pedal powered washing machine! Was yours powered by a bicycle or something else?
I remember my laundry days when I first married. I had a scrub board and a tub and a wringer. I carried the wash out and hung it up. I did that for 6 months. I was so glad to get an electric wringer washer. I had that for the next 4 years. That was a huge and why it was only done once a week. So happy to have a washer and dryer now.
ILOVE this idea .Im sure those clothes smell wonderful.I remember how they smelled as a child when my mom would wash and dry sheets outside there was a certain smell that no dryer sheets or detergent can touch.They look wonderful hanging on the line
I am 74, we didnt have a washer for years. I turned the handle !!!seeing your daughter do this, I had so many good memories, and a tear or two. My gran had 14 kids, she knew how to save, guess she had to. A big Thank you from London
13:07 washing your clothes in cold water is better for their materials as well, it's gentler (most "fancy" clothes are cold-wash, or dry clean)
Great video. I stopped using a dryer about 10 years ago. I think I saw the figure that one fifth of US home energy use is used to dry clothes. Imagine all the energy the US could save if folks just hung laundry. We have long winters with below freezing most of the time so I was able to find a folding wood drying rack that holds 2 loads of laundry if needed but usually I just do one. My clothes last so much longer by skipping the dryer and no more shrunken clothes! Thanks for sharing this great environmentally friendly idea.
I totally agree with you,I don't own a dryer I use a washing line outside. In the winter I have a heated drying rack that costs 5 pence an hour to use. Stay safe and well, best wishes from the North Norfolk coast UK 🇬🇧
I remember when I was a teenager I would go out to the clothes line and break the ice off of the clothes a few time until they were pretty dry then I would bring them into the house to hang the on hanger on nails behind our wood stoves in the kitchen and the front room until they were totally dry then I would help my mother put them away, since they were already on hangers all we had to dp was hang them in the closets
I don't use a dryer, ever. Clothes dry overnight hung up in a warm apartment. And it makes the place smell great.
Oh Beth I had forgotten about the frozen washing on the cloths line in the winter....think we must be the same age lol
I too dry on racks, don't have dryer, wind blows them over outside, trying to sort that, but in winter, I put in kitchen where the heat blows most, and tho I like thinner towels , they dry pretty fast. Difficult with a house full of people tho
DO NOT forget that the heat of Arizona will dry clothes on a line very very fast. Idea: Build a small washhouse with a pvc pipe to drain the water into a container with a hose attachment system and you can add a platform for the washer to be higher.
Thank you for showing this. I've been looking at the Lehman's washer. The upfront purchase price is steep. When I was a kid -- back in the 1960s, we had a wringer washer. Buttons would pop off if you were a careless kid who didn't pay attention to how shirts were fed through the machine. The solution is to fold the buttons to the inside of the garment and most flat buttons would go through fine. My mother's work sweaters had to be wrung by hand because the wringer would break the dainty post-style pearl buttons no matter how you folded them. With that said, the old-fashioned top loading washing machine used a LOT less water than a modern automatic. At our house, the water was heated in a "zinc" tub on the wood cooking range and then moved in buckets to the washing machine. (Baking was done the same day while the stove was hot.) The cleanest items were washed in the machine first: well-rinsed (often pre-boiled) dishrags and tea towels, then all our underwear and bed sheets. Next was any white shirts or other white clothing. By the time those loads were done the water was cool enough for colored shirts, blouses, and dresses, followed by blankets if necessary. Finally, heavy work clothes such as jeans and overalls were washed, followed up by anything super dirty, such as rugs. We had a rinse tub that sat beside the washing machine. If the water in the washer got too dirty, or if there was an extra big washload, the washer could easily be emptied and refilled with fresh water, or the water from the rinse tub could be reused. When I started high school, and my grandmother was getting older, Mother bought an immersible water heater, the kind used for stock tanks, and heated the water in the washing machine using that. Since powered wringer washing machines are now almost impossible to find, Lehman's is a good option. Thiey want a pretty penny for their machines, but you only have to buy them once, and you don't have to pay for electricity to run them. Besides, just think how much you are saving on gym subscriptions with the workout that agitator will give. :)
I remember watching my Grandma doing laundry in a similar unit when I was young. They had 7 kids, my Mom was the eldest.
Grandpa built a small room on the back of the house for the washer. They grew all their food, kept chickens for eggs and meat and a cow for milk. They lived in town on city water, had an extra lot for the garden.
😮
Nice. And you can turn milk into a fine cheese Ive learned on youtube with use by dated milk as long as it smells and tastes good . With buttermilk you can mske butter . I'm remembering these things my step grandparents did when they had those cows that they milked and some put into a wooden churn and butter was made. To me all this is amazing.Just like 1 watermelon or tomato can produce many more of its own kind . What a generous loving God.
My husband is digging a hole for our Sunshine Clothesline this weekend. I wish we had a post hole auger like Ashley and Jonathan. That clothe line is MASSIVE, I can't begin to stress this. I just got ours this past weekend and it weighs 47 pounds. I have a Speed Queen washer/dryer, however with costs going up, I prefer when it's warm out to use my clothesline. Once you all are able to harvest rainwater, you'll be saving a lot as far as water goes. Speed Queens tend to last for decades. Mine is simplistic: push, turn, pull. It has hot/cold, warm/cold and cold/cold. I have heavy duty, perm press and delicate. I do love my Speed Queen. Mine fits a king comforter pretty easy
My washing machine eats holes in my sleeping bags and my comforters. I like the type that you have. I still have to go to the laundromat to do sleeping bags and comforters.
@@drewhillfarms believe it or not I paid $300 for my set. There was someone that wanted a washer with a "stain sensor" built into it and got rid of her primitive "push, turn, pull" set. If there is one thing I have learned in my nearly half a century of being on this earth, electronics and water DO NOT get along. Apparently, eyeballs and a cheap bar of Fels Naptha just aren't good enough to get a stain out. I practically stole my set. I do love Frau Helga (the name of my washer) and Fluffy (my dryer).
@@amiedavis5257 what detergent do you recommend?
@@jessicachavez2425 ...Prior to Sam's Club cancelling this product, I was using Foca (no phosphate, uses enzymes, cheap, cleans almost everything, eco and clothing friendly). A 10kg bag ($17) would last almost 7 months with me doing 5 loads a week. Because our water is so hard where I live, I go to Sam's Club, I get 2- 15 pound bags of baking soda ($8 each) and I put it in the oven for 6-8 hours at 400 degrees. This converts the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) into washing soda (sodium carbonate) which greatly increases the ability to not only get stains out, but prevents stains from being able to deposit while washing and increases the effectiveness of the soap because it acts like a water softener as well. I use 1/2 cup per load of this. Two bags last me 8 months or so. The best spot treatment I use costs $1 for about 2-3 years worth. I use a bar of Fels Naptha ($1- WalMart) to get stains out. I also have a small bottle of Dawn dishwashing detergent (I got from the dollar store 4-5 years ago) to get oil stains/spots out. There is my secret. My husbands white shirts you would swear I use bleach on them.
My dad owned laundries and would only use Speed Queens developed a gravity drain for them never patened it so it was borrowed once he showed them ..
So glad you brought up building it up. All that bending is over use, cumulative damage. I’ve seen Amish use these washers with those over the elbow rubber gloves in the winter. Using Dr Bronners and reusing the gray water for gardens EXCELLENT! I’m building a solarium of sorts with a fire place and using two of these machines: Washing, wringing, rinsing, wringing, second final rinse wring and hang. We turn clothing inside out, zippers and buttons closed, and we start with whites, colors, darks last. The water gets progressively dirty but keeps the whites bright not dingy from dyes. Any items requiring a capful of bleach are washed separately on a different day to avoid mixing with other clothes. Baby cloth diapers for example. After wastes are rinsed out they are placed in a bucket of hot water and a 1/4 cup of liquid or powdered bleach. We use a rubber toilet plunger to agitate throughly then allow to soak for a good hour before rinsing. I rinse three times to ensure any residual bleach is out. Dry on the line or in front of a fire and drying rack in the winter. Hope someone invents a kinetic off gird washer and tumble dryer. That would be fantastic.
This is a real women!! When I am looking to you, is like I see my lovely grandma ...she was one the hardest working women ,I ever see in my life.💖
I remember "helping" my Grandmother on her old wringer machine. Man, I loved that thing. Thanks for the memories!
I've had more than one European friend tell me over the years that no one in Europe washes their clothes in hot water because cold water gets more dirt out. I experimented with my laundry and found this to be true. I only wash in cold now. What a treat to stumble upon your channel. Many blessings on you and yours.
I’m in England and use warm water 30/40 degree wash. Cold water doesn’t get bacteria out. What country in Europe are they from? Europeans are very different from each other.
Thats true we was all our clothes on 86° except for the towels we dry of after showering. We was them once a month on 194° and the other weeks on 86
After a few months, smell your cold-washed laundry compared to hot-washed laundry. The stale smell in the cold-washed is the oils that the cold wash didn't remove.
@@jeanetteh.9240 I've been cold water washing for decades. My clothes don't smell. I use something called laundry detergent. The only time I have used hot water was when my babies were in diapers.
You guys are awesome!!!! I would do it myself as well!! I also only use cold water for all my clothes. I would love my kids helping out!! My kids are poops!!!! They are mostly grown !!!! I have 4. Ages 34, 22, 17 & 14. Keep rockin this property kiddos!!!! Ashley you ARE KICK ASS!!!! Sending you all Love, Peace and tons of Joy!!!! 😁
I just discovered you today and loved watching your methods. As an Arizona resident for 54 years (but in the city), your channel will be especially useful for me as I try to be prepared for the possibility of needing to go off grid in an apartment... LOL. When you were talking about drying clothes on a clothesline in the Arizona summer, I was glad to hear you confirm what I remember from over 20 years ago when we were in a house with a clothesline in the back yard. You're right... when we finished hanging up a load across the 2 or 3 long lines, it was time to start back at the first end and start taking things down that were already dry.
Thank you so much for making this video. We are also off grid over in the Appalachain mountains of Virginia. Ive been doing laundry in 5 gallon buckets and trash cans. It does the job fine but its not the most efficient. I squeeze some water but mostly let things drip dry on the line, just takes a little longer. Ive been looking at this lehmans washer/wringer for a while. Hearing yalls pros and cons was great in helping me decide how to move forward with our laundry set up so thank you! -Ash
PS - We also live in an Airstream, our 6th year now :D
A cheap upgrade is the little one that suction cups to a flat surface...it available on Amazon and that's what I had growing up off grid. With five kids we were each responsible for our own washing other than when we were really little.
It's a small load but it does work well.
Way fancier than a washboard! The wringer is a bonus, too. Love it! ❤
This is awesome machine. I wish we have this growing up 30 years ago. We do laundry by hand even for big blankets then hang it on a clothesline then watch and wait until the clothes are dry and imagine laundry is a whole day work. So much fun. I didn’t know we call it off grid living lol. Now I realize I live off grid for 25 years lol.
This lady is the real world saving heroine .....low carbon footprint and not spouting off about it .....good on you girl I take my hat off to you
I love lined dried clothes and linens!
Smell heavenly ❣️ Dryer clothes naa.
I used my wringer until 1989 when I finally broke down & bought an automatic washer.
Always started with light colors to darks. Could get 4 loads out of 1 fill.
Turn buttons to the inside to avoid breaking
A double utility tub works great to rinse. I'd take from washer & wring into 1st utility tub. Soak & swish then run thru wringer into 2nd tub repeat process then final wring thru and hang. Thankfully, my wringer allowed me to reposition it other then over the " washing" tub.
Just keep the arms and fingers out of it
My grandma did the same thing and I remember helping her with the laundry..I miss my nana I remember her canning and making everything from scratch even ketchup and I loved laundry day I got to use the wash board and the big tub with ringer she would have it in the kitchen good times!
That explains the common two concrete laundry tubs found in older Australian homes 🏡
I'm 72 years old and I have done lots of laundry on the old wringer washing machine
Fascinating! Makes me feel young again. The "good old days" of the '60s .... wash tub or sink and "jucking"/wash board.
We used this same washer to do our laundry for twenty years with never a problem. It’s perfect for everything.
Takes me back to my childhood many years ago. We were a family of 9. Mom always started with whites then moved on to print to darks. Washing was done and hung up in hour or so.
I remember loving hanging up the clothes. The wonderful smell of the fresh clothes was amazing. I helped my grandmother and mother wash clothes in the old wringer washing machine. It's a great memory. Everything we owned was ironed. I'm a fantastic "ironer" to this day.
@@taliandzelda5006 My mother started me ironing with my dad's handkerchiefs. He took 2 of them to work each day. He said one was for show(lapel pocket) and the other to blow(hip pocket). I tried very hard to get them absolutely perfect!
Yes underwear & handkerchiefs, etc first then socks and shirts then towels etc & cleaning cloths then pants.
Blankets were hardly washed as they are AWFUL. My fam kept them btwn bedspread and top sheet and folded hem of it over the blanket(s) to keep chins off it/them. They even had a top top sheet to go over the blanket, washed semi-monthly maybe. They took the spread off the bed at night to keep it from being washed so the top top sheet kept the blanket clean on top too.
This was all from hand washing n wringing. Akin to wearing an apron. Much easier to wash an apron daily changed even, than an outfit.
I have SO many years of using the wringer washer and hanging up clothes outside at home when I was a kid and later as an adult. I found out that not using rinse/static prevention products eliminated the attention of bugs, flies and other undesirables. Sunshine will dry things faster than the next load is ready to hang up.
When I was young, we had a wringer washer AND a clothesline like yours! We washed whites first, colors next to be able to wash 2 loads and then rinse two loads in each tub full of wash or rinse water. It was an electric model but yours looks like an awesome hand-activated model!! Today, believe it or not, we even have an Airstream but (must admit) we go to a laundromat! Ha! Bravo and kudos to you, Mama. You seem like a real sweetheart. God bless you all for living your lives so carefully with keen regard to the impact your activities of daily living are impacting your surroundings.
When I was a kid(60's) we used a wringer washing machine. Once my finger got caught in a belt loop and pulled my arm through to almost my shoulder before I stopped the machine. It didn't really hurt but scared the crap out of me lol.
The same thing happened to one of the girls I babysat. She was 7 and playing with it at her grandparents house about 10 years ago.
we had an Avon lady who lost her arm up to the elbow in a wringer washer
I know a lady who caught her breast in the wringer! 😳 YIKES!
@@FloridaGirl- ouch and I thought mammograms hurt
Happened to me too! Blue Arm, in a sling for a bit!
I have used wringer washers off and on through my life (regular electric) and always liked them. Love the fresh smell of air dried clothes. Beats dryer sheets and scent beads. Love what your family is doing.
Nothing like sheets dried on the line.
If dryer used,
I use scent free everything.
I don’t like smelling like a dryer sheet! 🤣
Natural is best.
My Mom had an old Maytag wringer washing machine for years. It was electric, but that thing got clothes so clean. I was little, but I used to help her on laundry day and she had no dryer, so she hung things out on the line here in IL. all year round. In the winter they would freeze and we would go out, bring them in after they had been on the line for about 2 hours and she had a drying rack in the kitchen that folded up and we would put the clothes on that. When they started thawing out, the whole house smelled like fresh air and sunshine. I have always hung clothes on the line since I first got married. Had three kids and used cloth diapers. Best disinfectant is sunshine. I still hang them out unless I just simply have to wash something and it's raining, then I wash and use my drier. I am 73 years old, but I can tell you right now, I might just check into this machine! I know it will get the clothes a lot cleaner than my "new front loading washer with low flow water". I don't like it at all. LOL. Seriously, I would much rather have an old fashioned wringer washer!
Absolutely loved your laundry set up. Remind ed me of my own youth on laundry day. We were lucky to have a well pump that had to be carried by buckets into the house, placed on the wood cook stove as all the baby clothes & 5 dozen diapers each wash day needed extra attention & care. We usually had 2-3 little kids in diapers. The other plus you have is electricity if you needed. We had no power so all chores were completed by hand.. & with 10 children the wringer style wash was a 3x week, usually lasting the better part of the daylight hours. & Every other day a huge batch of homemade bread had to be completed to feed 12 ppl. All the lamps had to he filled everyday... (to save time.) I was 16 yrs old before we had any modern life comforts of home...We were the original off the grid... no power or running water or indoor toilets.. bathing all the kids & ourselfs was the huge laundry tubs & sailor baths for the elder kids & parents....SO YOUR BIGGEST PLUS$$ IN TODAYS WORLD IS ELECTRICITY ON YOUR SOLAR GRID. & ON SHADY DAYS.. WHEN YOUR SOLAR IS LOWER ..YOUR DIY body POWER IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE ♥️ 👌
Enjoyed your family togetherness & fortitude... The way it should be. Great job.
I live in a house, on the grid, use a washer, and always use cold water. I have a dryer and still hang most clothes on a couple of racks. Love this video❣️😊
You could put a double hose extender on the drain, an run two hoses in two different directions!👍
I fulltime in a travel trailer and finding decent laundromats is my biggest challenge! I will be getting a portable washer I can use outside. Love this episode!!
I’ve hand washed about everything we wore. Three boys living off grid playing and working hard make for some dirty laundry!
Use a Maytag wringer washer with the generator on. Now, I have a dasher, bathtub, and a solar dryer and the boys are grown and do their own laundry now. It’s just us two to wash for. I don’t get my clothes as dirty as when I was in the big garden and muck. I sort my clothes from lightweight and light color, dark and lightweight, light color and medium weight, dark and medium weight, to light color and heavy to dark and heavy weight fabric.
Conserving water is important, so the tub is filled, first load is dashed and soaked a few mins and dashed again. Setting them to the back of the tub, I begin the next load, dashing, soak dashing and moved to back of tub. I then drain the tub. I leave the two loads awhile and check to see if they’ve drained away most of the water. Then it’s rinsing time again in the order of washing. The dasher works great for both washing and rinsing. I leave the clothes to drain a bit, then it’s on to the solar dryer after I start the next load…. Some clothes really need a bit of wringing, but not many. It is so hot and dry here in the desert, they dry quickly. Even hung in my home it’s so dry the added moisture inside is nice unless I’m using the swamp cooler.
When I used the wringer washer I often could use the wash water a few times. The rinse water was changed more often. All water could help my plants and trees.
I have an electric washer, but use it only sometimes. I hate wastefulness and enjoy the work of manual washing.
As I age I imagine that electric automatic washer gets used more!
My Aunt Birdie used a big black cauldron. She’d build a wood fire near the tap and clothesline. She’d fill that cauldron while warming it up on the fire and she actually boiled her clothes. She’d lift them out with a paddle, let them drain, then in a double tub they’d go. First rinse, wringer into second rinse, then the wringer was used one more time before she’d shake them out to hang.
We had pants stretchers for my dad’s work pants. That made the ironing easier.
Oh, the good old days o ironing sheets, boxers, bras, slips, and almost everything because the synthetic fabrics were rare, we only had one or two pieces of clothing made of nylon , rayon, or double knit.
Nope, I don’t need to go back to those days except to remember how thankful I am to have all these conveniences! I’m just glad I can remember how to do it all.😊
What a great system! I always wash everything in cold water to prevent shrinkage and wear. Really great to see the kids always pitching in and helping. Can't wait to see a video next week to see what you've been working on!
Love your laundry setup and that big capacity dryer! We're off-grid solar in Maine and do have a washer which drains into the house perimeter drain which waters our comfrey patch which we use in our compost making. Phew! Plus we hang our clothes outside on the line year round which is a pulley line from our back deck to a maple tree which is high enough off the ground to be above the winter snow. 🙃❤
I remember doing laundry at my husband's grandparent's place in New Mexico in June. By time I got it all hung up the first line was dry and bleached. I remember never having to use hot water while showering or washing my hair because the water never got cold. Came out of the tap tepid. Their house and the house next door where we stayed were built entirely of handmade adobe bricks. The wooden forms they used to make the bricks were still on the front porch in case any rebuilding needed to be done. They had electricity and running water but it was still like a throwback to the 30s. Best vacation ever.
My grandmother’s FIRST electric washer back in the 1950’s had a wringer. It was plugged in but no water or drain connections .. (old farm house)Thank God it could be reversed when my hand went thru it! It scared me more than anything, no harm done, except me totally freaking out! But being on a farm, and my grandfather being a large man.. no fat.. just BIG.. my Grandma washed EVERYTHING from her dresses to his flannel shirts, Levi jackets, pants, and overalls with it. Never broke a button, zipper or clasp. And them thar clothes were CLEAN. She filled the washer with cold water from the hose and Wash/rinse water was drained with a hose out into her trees. If she needed warm or hot water, it got heated on the stove and added.
Well I used a wringer washer for years with 4 kids...mind you it was electric. Got the clothes really clean too. Always used cold water except for whites and diapers. I would gladly have used your little washer. All my laundry was dried outside even in winter. Would bring in the clothes frozen stiff and throw them on a rack. Dried soft and smelled so fresh!
I remember my hands frozen stiff while hanging up the family laundry outside in Montana where they freeze dried like long boards.
Still remember the smell of those frozen clothes 60 years ago up in Maine. Funny what one remembers 🥰
Watching you brought back memories of doing laundry with my mom and grandma and THE SMELL! I had a smellory( memory trigger from Watching)!!
I remember hanging clothing on a clothesline when I was about 13 yrs. I hung out many a diaper,my brother was a baby at the time. By the time I got everything hung out it was time to start taking them down. Clothes dry fast in the California sun with a breeze .
To save on water this how my grandmother did it. First she washed the whites,then the lights and lastly the dark colors. She also broke them down from dirty to dirtiest. Then we hung them on the clothes line.. She didn’t have to change the water either unless there were really dirty clothes. My grandma also didn’t have indoor plumbing until later. There also weren’t any torn buttons. I don’t know how she did it in the winter though. She lived in TX on the farm and we lived in a nearby state. We only visited in the summer after school was out.
Looks like a cool machine. May have to get one and make my kids do their own laundry. LOL
Even with a normal washing machine kids can do their own laundry from a young age. My daughter decided she couldn't wait for me to wash her stuff one day, so demanded to be shown how to set the machine up age 11years. Most tech children can manage two dials, temp and speed. Brilliant, and then I realised the boys could do the same, made my life so much easier, though I did still do the ironing. No one ever brought their washing home for me to do after they grew up and moved out either.
It's great when we teach them how to do things that they will need to do in the future. Mine do laundry, dishes, pet care, yard work. Maybe not every day but they sure do help out.
Ashley, thanks for the pros and cons. This reminds me of a video Andrew Millison did. He interviewed a woman in India whose family lives in a city but uses rainwater almost exclusively. She used a laundry/washing stone to rub her clothing against. It was outdoors on a patio or balcony-fairly large like an endtable-the water drained away to water plants. Amazingly simple and handy.
My mom only ever had a wringer washer. Went something like: the girl's bras, underwear, socks were washed first, then shirts, casual clothes, then the guys underwear, towels were in there somewhere, ended with the really dirty work clothes. I believe she used the same water through all the loads or se may have changed it out once half way through. Started with hottest water and water cooled as the loads of clothes were washed. We had a well, had to conserve water. She had a system and it took her an entire day to do laundry. Washer was electric. We helped with the rinsing, hanging outside, taking down, folding, putting away. Wow, am I ever so grateful!!!
My mother had an electric wringer washer. She cut off the end of a wooden broomstick about 18 inches and used that to push the clothes through the wringer.
My husband hooked up a little petrol motor to an old side agitator and then had 2 ringers like yours attatched to a double trough to rinse we rinsed twice as we have skin allergies and always air dry. Blessings to you all from down under. Thought you are right in needing to raise your machine.
We don't need nearly as much soap as the instructions says. As well, bidy bar soap cleand better than detergent usually, not the oily stuff, but basic
I have one of those washing machines and love it. I use it as long as it’s now winter freezing temps. I mounted mine on a rolling platform and bracketed it to the rolling base. So I can move it around to put away when finished.
When I was 2 I stuck my arm in one of those wringers at my grandma's house. I cried and screamed. My grandma got rid of it. 45 years later, I still have a scar on my arm.
Everyone did a great job! You are a great Mom! Your children are blessed 🙌!!! It is great that you are saving the Planet 🌏 !!!!!!!!!! This was a great video !!!!!!!!!!!!
Suggestion, put everything on a scrap wood platform to save your back. Great job!😀
Wow
Good idea to ring them out first before rinse cycle! Just like a regular cycle where it spins out the soapy water! 👍🏻
Heck yeah! I use one of those little mini portable washers for most of my small stuff and it gets much cleaner... But I admit I take it to a friend's house to spin and then use the dryer. My socks are much cleaner! I might look this up someday... Thank you for the content!! 🤗
You know, you guys really don't need to use hot water at all, because you have such strong sunshine to dry your clothes. The sun acts like a disinfectant. It really does kill germs on clothes. Perhaps someone living in a more rainy/cloudy environment might need to use hot water on some things, like the sweatiest clothes (e.g., socks, work shirts) and cloth diapers. The sun is working to your advantage. I LOVE your set up! LOVE it!
Here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, most homes dry their clothes on a clothes line as opposed to a dryer to save money.
Perhaps you could string a few lines or purchase a retractable cloth line and locate it under the shed eves where the freezer is, for rainy days.
😀👍💙💛
Well, when it rains here it’s usually sideways…lol
Thank u much first seeing this washing machine love how the children envolve see humans can live so simple and happy and at the same time other people killing each other for the things of the world simple makes life more easier thumbs 👍to u juys am just smiling
Love your set up. I’m with you on raising it a bit! The solar dryer is perfect!! We are in Yuma in a 396 square foot casita. I have a washer and dryer but the dryer doesn’t get used very much at all. I love to just let them dry solar style. ;)
I love the level of clean that washing this way achieves! Loved this video
Hello, I was just watching a totally different kind of video and I got busy doing something and this one started playing. As I was listening, I looked over and I saw that you were in an Airstream, out in the middle of the desert...
Back in the late '80s, my husband's family and I moved out to the middle of nowhere in Pearce, off of highway 666, his grandfather paid $500 for each electric pole that went back to the property when he bought it, there was NOTHING around, we lived in an Airstream, our address, was HCR 350-A!!😃😃😃
We were doing all of this back then. That is simply incredible.
You don't know how badly you've made me want to go back out there. My friend who lives in Arizona told me years ago that it's all built up with subdivisions and strip malls but when we were there I have pictures, there was absolutely nothing. It was just amazing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Dasher washers have been around for a very long time. They work very well, we had an old wood dasher washer growing up that mom would clean rugs in.
Two washers side by side! One for wash, One for rinse. My mom did seven loads with the same water! Cleanest to Grungy last. The wash water would look like chocolate milk at the end.
Yes indeed ! My momma did her laundry the same way. Momma did her colors on Mondays and my daddy's white t-shirts on Thursday. Momma had 8 of us and we carried cold water from our cistern, she had a great system. After we helped get the clothes in momma started ironing.
Well that brings back memories! Not so many years ago as well. We also had pre soak day- separate buckets to soak whites in hot water, another for undies, socks , work clothes. Rinsing was double for undies. A wringer was a god send, and beat the bath tub, plunger and wringing by hand. When we got a top load and dryer, mom was over the moon. Good to know the old ways.
I'm brand new to your channel, & this is the first video of yours that I've seen. I'm going to check out more. :)
Yes, being careful with your fingers when feeding clothes through the mangle is very important. My mom knew someone whose fingers were irreparably damaged because they got caught between the rollers. Good tip from you on how to hold you hand to up to it when you feed the clothes through. :)
Clothes dried outside smell so much nicer than clothes dried in a dryer, even using fragrance stuff. I'd rather have the natural smell from drying on the line than from the fragrance boosters and various detergents. Because of where I live in rainy southwestern BC, I have to use a dryer much of the time for some of my laundry, but I do dry it outside, or at least on a clothes rack, every chance I get, whether inside or out on my deck. I have some stuff that I don't have a way to dry on a rack or outside because they're too big for my drying system, as I call it, but most of my stuff can be air dried.
With a few exceptions, I wash all my laundry in cold water. My laundry's proof that you don't need hot water, or even warm water, in order to keep your clothes clean and well cared for.
If I was to go off grid or was able to do laundry outside a lot more than the weather allows here, I'd love to use a machine like you have. That's a really cool thing. :)
Thanks for sharing this video. :)
Speaking as someone who is now waiting 2 weeks for a new washing machine, I wish I had one of those. I used to do laundry like that in a similar machine when we went camping as a kid. I hated the ringer, smashed fingers❤️✨
Love it, I wash all my clothes in cold water as well. I hang my clothes out on the line too.I live in Texas so I only need my dyer only certain times of the year ,I also have my dyer where I can recycle the heat back into the house during the winter .I also found when hanging my pants I crease them seam to seam in the leg they take up less room on the line and they come out nice and creased for wear .I also had a pvc line built all pipe ,you drill holes for your hangers and you can hang your shirts to dry then simply hang them up when dry .Y'all have a great set up loved your video thanks for sharing it.
Just a desert rat tip, where water grows green things grow, where green things grow rodents feed, where rodents feed so do snakes!
kinda obvious but a real bummer to find by accident.! I grew up with those driers, beware when t-storms approach they can and do spin and break under heavy winds. They can also go air born. Button breaking happened in old wringers that had rubber covers that hardened with time or too much pressure and Bakelite buttons.For big stuff get a removable top blue 55gal drum load it and add soap and roll it around for a while, can wring it but drip it. for a while then rinse the same way. If you add batters inside it works better.
Wow! This took me back. I grew up using a roller machine. Admittedly, it was electric but still a lot of work. We did as you, starting with undies, whites, shirts, then onto shorts and pants. We did many loads in it. (family OF 20!!!) We rolled into 2 rinse sinks, then hung outside in summer or in basement in rain and winter. Yes, there were a few times my fingers, hands and once my arm up to my elbow got caught in wringer before I could hit the emergency release lever. Nothing broken but the pain is still remembered as well as the bruised arm. It was very rare that buttons were damaged. I found it easier for me to do smaller loads than machine could handle because I was just a kid and it was easier on me. I am sure that your pushing the lever might be easier with smaller but more loads. Nonetheless, you are getting a workout! This is a fabulous solution for your family. A raised wash pad would sure help but it might take a bit of figuring to balance the lever work and the rinsing/rolling work. Love your spin around clothesline. So much more efficient than our old long lines (which you must clean before hanging clothes!).