Hand Washin', Hang Dryin'

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There are several alternatives to using an electric powered washing machine... all of them have their specific design benefits, but one thing they all have in common is you no longer depend on the grid (aka electric energy) in order to get your laundry squeeky clean...
I happen to have the Lehman's Hand Washer (which is almost the same exact design as the well known James Washer!) Whenever anyone comes over to visit at the Luck Cabin they love to see how the Hand Washer really works - children are especially into it (i know, shocking!), they'll beg me for more laundry to wash. I bet you parents out there don't hear that often (ever?)!
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Here is a quick vid to show how the hand washer works in the real. I included some deleted scenes at the end. ;)
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PS --- I could not get this video to ever edit captions and sounds in sync, so I had to leave out the captions... the last four scenes after "the end" are the deleted scenes. :))) Eventually I will figure out this technology shit.
Xoxoxox

Using My Non-Electric Hand Washer

Remember how i put together my Lehman's Hand Washer a few months ago? Alot of people wanted to know how it worked - or even IF it worked, because the washer itself costs about as much $ money$ as buying an electric clothes washer, which means for most of us eco livin' folks it's a big investment! Up until recently I had been washing my clothes in the tub, and I used to also use the wonder wash hand spun washer (2 pound load ideal for a single person who never needs to wash blankets or sheets)......

Using this larger wash load Lehman's Hand Washer is seriously easy, and I am now using less arm strength then the 2 pound load hand spinner ---> I can fit a shit ton of clothes in there, and even my neglected blankies ( which were really hard for me to wash the last few years!)

The way I have it hooked up for the summer is I set up the washer on my porch, I have a hose running from my Gravity Fed Spring Pump, to the washer to fill it up with water...

I fill up the basin with water, and put either lemon & baking soda or just nothing with the clothes to give them a better wash. I don't use soaps or detergents at all- so when the water drains out it isn't going to do any harm to the dirt, plants, trees and insects it touches.

Once you fill it up, you simply push the handle back and forth and the washer starts making a swooshing, cleaning noise I reallllllly like.....

Oh and ya' have to pose like a happy super model and sit your ass on top the washer for photo ops, and realize only after tha' pic is taken that ya got your butt all wet.

LOOK how nasty dirty that water got, that swooshing thingy pushed all that junk out of my clothes! Isn't that super grody-fied?!! Cat hair, Leslie Hair, pieces of the forest I picked up like crushed leaves and twigs.....

I let the water out the bottom drain by twisting the black nob open (it's underneath the washer), I have the drain hooked to a long hose.

I then fill the water up for a second rinse...

Once I am finished with the final rinse, I let the water out and then I get to the really awesome part------>

SQUEEZin' the clothes through the wringer!!! The wringer is completely worth every penny it costs because it makes it so clothes hanging on a line dry way faster, and more evenly. Wringing my clothes by hand had stretched stuff out and left them much more wet then this cool invention.

You can even put sheets and blankies through this thing, and jeans too! All you do is spin the hand crank round and round...

Even if you use some kind of clothes dryer, the wringer helps - I hang mine on a line to dry though since it's free, good for the earth and smells so good when the sun bakes the water out the fabric. :)

Xoxox

Putting Together My Hand Washer

Today I decided to put together the Lehman's Hand Washer i got! This is a clothes washer that is powered by your own arm & some water - but it is much larger then the Wonder Wash that spins a 2 pound load- this big boy hold 15 gallons of water, so that bigger things like sheets and blankets can actually be cleaned by hand too.
I have to say, I am not good with directions (aka, putting shtuff like dis' together kinda throws me off)... and even though it was fairly simply to figure out the directions were way too vague without any pictures. I basically went on intuition...
There is a hose attachment at the bottom, so that drainage of the water can be turned off and on - what makes this feature cool is you can move the washer to anywhere, since it's not plumbed into the house. You could wash clothes on the porch, in the bathroom, or anywhere ya want.
I bolted in the first set of wooden legs, and soon found out that plyers are needed to tighten the bolts and nuts together.
I ran into a problem on the second set of legs- the layers of metal holes were not matching up right, no matter how hard i pulled, tugged, pushed, and cursed at it - once i struggled to get one bolt in, it was impossible for the second series of holes to line up. I took my drill, put oil on the metal and drilled some of the metal out to make the hole more even... then got the leg on.Once both sets of legs were secured, there is a support bar and rod to put through the bottom holes. It definitely made the washer solid and sturdy.
I popped on the handle and the clear plastic top! All done and ready to try it out!
XoXo

Using The Wonder Wash

Ya'll, I love my Wonder Wash! It uses no electricity, you can take it anywhere you travel, it does up to a 5 lb load, it builds good arm muscle and really does get clothes just as clean as the modern energy sucking machines. I could go on and on about how great it is but instead I thought I'd just show you how it works... The design is quite simple and relies on pressure to clean the clothes. You just shove your dirty laundry into the hole at the top and fill it up with water. On the directions it says to fill it with water first but I never follow directions ;) BTW- if you use soap to clean your clothes now's the time to add it in.There is a pressure lid that is screwed on tightly - it keeps the water in and creates the air tight cleaning power. Once you have the lid on you spin the crank for the clean cycle - it is suggested to spin it between 1-2 minutes but I usually go for a little longer just to make sure (I am a dirty girl who is hard on my clothes!).The easiest way to dump the water is to then attach the tube that drains the dirty water directly out the bottom. You can also tip the washer over and pour it quicker out the top while holding onto the clothes by hand.Fill the Wonder Wash one more time with water for the final rinse which is suggested to be spun for 30 seconds, but I always work it for another 2-3 minutes. If you are lucky enough to own a hand wringer, then you don't have to do it by hand like I do (pictured below). The clothes will be very wet because there is no water wicking cycle like in an electric washing machine.
Hang dry out in the fresh air and have the earth friendliest, cleanest, best smelling clothes ever!

PS- If you have a big family and alot of dirty laundry and the size of the Wonder Wash makes you feel like there is no freaking way you are going to wash by hand, check out the 17 gallon capacity James Washer! It's the washer of a earthy girl's dreams!!!