Washing clothes

[Whitewolf7]

Currently I have access to my ex and her new hubby's washer / dryer
They are both disabled so I do stuff to help them and they let me use their facilities
if I couldn't do that I'd likely use the bucket method, or a laundromat
HighDesertRanger, how do you keep the clothes from being stiff as heck? any time i try line drying it's like I'm puttin on papier mache

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but adding a little white vinegar to your rinse water is a natural way of softening them. And, no, there is no vinegar odor once dried.

 

[highdesertranger]

vinegar also softens hard water. it also helps hard water deposits from forming and once they are formed helps remove them. western water is hard, you can drive a nail into Colorado river water. LOL highdesertranger

 

[accrete]

on the topic of "vinegar" in the mix...just happens that i puts the water into a PH more akin to wool... which my wife and i use for socks/under-shirts. Typically get three or four days use out of a good pair of merino wool socks and at least that many days, if not a week, out of a merino wool undershirt before there is any smell.

a couple drops of organic shampoo, a tablespoon or two of vinegar and scrubba-bag away.

YMMV...but we dig the wool undergarments/socks.
Thom

 

[wasanah2]

I bought a small washer that weighs like 14 or 15 lbs and it washes and also spins. It's very lightweight and takes as much space as a 5 gallon bucket. I've used the bucket method before and this I like better. My wrists get pained from all the wringing. It was on sale at Camping World and I said, oh what the heck, I'll give it a try. LOVE IT. Brand name is BASE CAMP. But there is a Base Camp one without spin. The spin was essential and that's the one I got.

Speaking of soft water, I have a small barrel that's food grade that I put where the water falls off my awning. I made my own cistern for outdoor washing. It holds many gallons, and I can pack towels and linen and blankets in it during travel, so it's not like it's a lot of trouble to carry it with me. That water makes the best soft water for washing clothes. I cover it when it's not filling because I don't want mosquitoes to get in it, but it can sit there ready to go, filled with soft water. It rains almost every day in Florida! No shortage of water here!

The washer does have an AC plug, so I have to use the inverter when boondocking, but it's designed to use very little power. I use the eco friendly soap and where I camp it's okay to let eco gray water out on the ground, so I set it up away from foot traffic and let it do the hard work. The clothes come out soft and the soap spins out well so that they aren't on the line very long.

 

[Dingfelder]

on the topic of "vinegar" in the mix...just happens that i puts the water into a PH more akin to wool... which my wife and i use for socks/under-shirts. Typically get three or four days use out of a good pair of merino wool socks and at least that many days, if not a week, out of a merino wool undershirt before there is any smell.

a couple drops of organic shampoo, a tablespoon or two of vinegar and scrubba-bag away.

YMMV...but we dig the wool undergarments/socks.
Thom

Hmm... I find wearing anything with elastics more than a day wears out the elastic really quick.