Washing your clothes in the bath

I don't have a washing machine, nor can I afford one as of now so I wash my clothes by hand...

It sounds weird but actually using the bath isn't so bad, it takes me about half an hour to wash about five or six machine loads because the bath's fairly big compared to a washing machine.

Step 1: Hot water, Washing powder.

You'll need to get yourself some washing powder for hand washing, whether or not it's different by a huge amount I don't know, if you have your own preference to wash with most brands have a version, usually hand wash and twin tub is the name.

As for water you'll only need to the immersion/heating on about a third of the time to get enough to fill for washing.

I only filled the bath a bit in my photos because I didn't have to wash as many clothes as usual, I rough guessed the amount to be around 40L, so I poured in what felt right, it'll vary powder to powder but a rough estimate should be OK, if you go really overboard you'll need to rinse your clothes a few times before drying.

The temperature doesn't need to be anywhere near a normal bath, unless you like them lukewarm,

Comments

[librik]

Actually, you can hang dry your clothes in winter too, as long as it is not snowing. They'll have just a little bit of wetness left in them, which would make them stiff while cold; otherwise they'll be fine and dry out completely on their own in, like, an hour or so, after you bring them into the house; no need to hang them even. Plus they will smell terrific :)

[Pazzerz]

He he....  I was traveling from Mumbai to Paris to catch a flight to Spain.  Our flight was late getting in, so the airline sent someone to my gate in Paris to do a quick escort across the airport to get me to my flight to Spain.  Problem was, they didn't escort my luggage as well and it was the last flight for the day to that location.  I had to wash my undergarments in a sink at my hotel like this.  Next morning I got my bags at the airport and all was well.  That was the lesson that taught me to have a carry-on with fresh clothes... just in case.

[killerjackalope]

Could've been worse, the maid might've walked in to the room, giving you the name 'that naked guy that washes his clothes in the sink'.

The bag I used for anything up to two weeks can be stowed in an overhead if necessary...

[wilderness]

cheers for the instructable - i sometimes wonder whether it wouldn't make more sense to do it this way, anyway just one comment - if you use a biodegradeable detergent it'll be better for you and better for the fish...

[killerjackalope]

Because I have a big bath it's probably as quick than doing several loads of washing... I was limited in choice when it came to hand wash powders, to that one, nobody seems to stock more than one...

[Hjorter]

For 9 month had I same routines when doing laundry. I had no washing machine or access to laundry room (most common in Sweden) "Laundrynets" or where you pay for using washing machine is rare in Sweden. But I used my feet to stir and "Squeeze" in the process. Most effective and uses less water to get it clean. Do it "Italalien" way (Wine making, crushing grapes) with a Swedish twist :-)

[timberframe]

In Steinbeck's _Travels with Charlie_, he does his laundry by putting it in a lidded 5-gallon bucket placed in the back of his truck while he drives. He dumps the soapy water and replaces with rinse water and drives for a few more miles.

[killerjackalope]

That could be fun, I could throw one of those cement mixing buckets in the back of my mother's car on her way to work and have my clothes cleaned to death - She honestly does believe the renault scenic will break the sound barrier... The cement mixing buckets are brilliant for stuff because they have strong lids, you throw the mix in, then kick it around the place for half an hour and it does it all for you...

[timberframe]

yeah, the Cadillac seville could be the gentle cycle and your mom's renault the super wash.

[Goodhart]

I did this once, between marriages, when I thought I didn't have time to go to the laundromat (boy was I wrong), and so I rushed the washing part a bit......ALL my clothes ended up smelling sweaty and gross, even those I hadn't sweated in. I am sure it does a good job if you don't rush through it though. :-)

[killerjackalope]

It's the rinsing and drying that make the difference...

[Goodhart]

Well, had I done more than just soak them over a few hours, I am sure they would have come out fairing much better, too ;-)

[fwjs28]

good idear...my dad did something simmilar in the sink when he took a highschool euro trip...they poured in soap and mixed and agitated the water in the sink...i always thought it was funny when he told me the story but i guess he's not the only one :P

[killerjackalope]

Well my other option is to smell, I did used to bring them down to my families house but I've now been disowned... It still makes my friends laugh when they see the daz on the bath beside my bodywash shampoo etc.

[fwjs28]

you gotta do whatcha gotta do

[Weissensteinburg]

Do you not scrub them at all?

[killerjackalope]

I do, I tend to mix them about a lot then hand scrub what needs it...

[Joe Martin]

You could use the "holiday technique" Getting in the bath and stomping on everything bare foot. That would be plenty agitation to remove dirt. You also seem to wear a lot of black lol

[Sunbanks]

My mom always complains about how many black shirts I have :P

[killerjackalope]

Not always, though I have a plethora of black T-shirts, but I do wear various colours and such, however it all depends on what I fancy/find closest to hand...