hand wash Laundry in Winter time

[mdoverl]

I'm currently living in a Prius in Iowa. Winter time lows can reach 0-15 degrees, the average I would say is 25 degrees roughly. Any tips on hand washing clothe in the winter weather.

 

[Vagabound]

I'm currently living in a Prius in Iowa. Winter time lows can reach 0-15 degrees, the average I would say is 25 degrees roughly. Any tips on hand washing clothe in the winter weather.

Not trying to be a smartass, but the first thing that came to mind was ... don't.  Go to a laundromat.

And it ain't even the washing only.  What if you decided to make one of those 5-gal bucket + plunger washing machines and do it all in a heated Prius.  I already can't imagine that, but OK.  Then, you finish the wash, and how do you dry it?  Where do you hang it?  Outside to make underwear popsicles?

A laundromat would also serve a double purpose as a break for you from the car and cold weather.

Vagabound

P.S. - I read and replied to this before I saw your post in Newcomers. Welcome and kudos to you for making this work under challenging and chilly circumstances.

 

[mdoverl]

Vagabound: I kind of figured I was stuck with the laundromat. But just wanted to check and see if anyone had any tricks up their sleeves.

Thank you for taking the time to post.

 

[mdoverl]

Vagabound: Actually I believe I have a few weeks (4 weeks I'm guessing, maybe more) before Iowa starts reaching 32 degrees. Average day time temp right now is 75 degrees, night time about 60 or so. Even then, I'm not sure where I would be able to dry clothe if I hand wash them in the city.

But once the extreme cold weather hits, it's the laundromat for certain.

 

[Mobilesport]

I'm thng in a Prius in Iowa. Winter time lows can reach 0-15 degrees, the average I would say is 25 degrees roughly. Any tips on hand washing clothe in the winter weather.

I'm in desmoines Iowa , forget about doing any tricks when its below freezing ,

 

[Vagabound]

...

Thank you for taking the time to post.

My pleasure. I always like talking about stuff I know nothing about. ;-)

In that vein ... there might be an alternative that solves or reduces both problems.  No experience with this, but isn't there some type of waterless washing technique in the world? You know, something like magic powder + bag + dirty clothes + effort equals nice and clean "shake and bake" laundry?

There must be.

Vagabound

P.S. - God I hate typing on phones!!!

 

[USExplorer]

You could go old-school with a huge bonfire a big galvanized tub and some clotheslines, but that is a lot of work and your clothes would smell strongly of smoke afterwards.

I'm sure back in the day, people just didn't wash their clothes, or themselves for that matter, all that much in the winter. Maybe that's just what you have to do. Your magic powder would be just a simple scent, you could use an essential oil.

Possibly reconsider your choice of winter residence. Your home has wheels for a reason.

 

[PathofAsha]

I used to fashion a clothes line from window to window across the front to hang the clothes on & turn the engine on, blast the heater vents. It's all about air circulation. But if a laundromat was available I was there instead. Especially if it was snowing.

 

[jonney38]

I used to fashion a clothes line from window to window across the front to hang the clothes on & turn the engine on, blast the heater vents. It's all about air circulation. But if a laundromat was available I was there instead. Especially if it was snowing.

I've washed my clothes by hand for years. I'd suggest:
1.) Wash in a bucket.
2.) Stuff in a mesh of some kind and hang on a door handle or under the hood to drip.
3.) When they are done dripping, spread or hang them around your inside your car.

 

[DrJean]

You can use the dry cleaning cloths to hand press into the important areas of your clothing where you sweat, then press out that little bit of moisture/chemical with a dry cloth.  I'm thinking the waterless handcleaner will also work, as it  evaporates.  I'd be careful of dye shifting/fading/bleaching til I was sure.  The wet wipes for hands NON BLEACH ones, will also work for such spot cleaning, and even wiping down the legs of pants, shirt bodice etc.

A real solution is wearing clothes that are man-made fibers and polyester based, lightweight which dry very quickly in the air.  The heavy cottons like I tend to lean towards (jeans, tees) are bears to dry!

While I'm at it... considering the water use you might be interested...  I use "laundry balls" instead of detergent.  They have microbeads that force the dirt to be released from the fabric so you don't have to rinse.   I use them not only because I'm water conscious but because of my allergies to laundry soaps and other chemicals.

Clothes still dry in the winter, outside, but I wouldn't hang them with clothespins but on hangars so their shape is good and open to the air.  Bring them in stiff/frozen but DRY and then since they're already on hangars hang them till they warm up and fold and put away or hang in closet.  I'm not one to want all that moisture from wet anything inside the van.  Cold air doesn't harm the fibers any more than the heat from a dryer does.   If you're in snow or rain and doing laundry I might worry about you tough

 

[wagoneer]

Thrift store, Christian variety lots of cheap clean clothes. And chat up the ladies.

 

[kayell]

Check if the local homeless shelters have washers and dryers available until you can spare a few dollars.

 

[Vanholio]

It's controversial, but I've read that you can freshen up clothes by freezing them. So maybe you could go longer between washes by putting some clothes outside the Prius overnight in a plastic bag. Some people do this with expensive jeans, only in their home freezers. Microbiologists online swear it shouldn't work, but I don't see any who've actually tested the idea. <shrug> Just passing the idea on. Maybe it works!

 

[rvpopeye]

Cool idea !

 

[TrainChaser]

If you're living in a van in the winter in Iowa, I'm going to assume you have a job, and can afford to use a laundromat two or three times a month.  If you don't have a job, head south.

People here break into a sweat about condensation in the van from breathing.  How much condensation do you think you'll have from wet clothes?  Quite a bit.

You don't have to wash your outer clothes after one wearing, just hang them up and let air circulate around and through them.  Get a good supply of underwear and change them daily, if you're going to be around people.  If you're not working, you don't have to be pristine.  Again, if you're not working, head south.

 

[mdoverl]

Washing clothes by hand were just a short term idea. I'm living in a Prius and I do have a job. I get my paycheck tomorrow, so, laundromat it is everyone. Thanks for your support and information. I was really panicking last week