Does anyone here wash all their clothes by hand?

[MuddyWitch]

Are they all your boxers TG?

MW

[Thurston Garden]

No, mine are the long ones, third from the left

[Cobnut]

We found a hand cranked 'rumble tumble' washer & it's brilliant!

http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/acata ... hine_.html

MW

I’ve had my eye on one of those Do you use yours a lot and, if so, howdoes it stand up to regular use?

Soaking, but I have a little mangle.

I’ve been contemplating getting one that will attach to a work top (rather than free standing) but haven’t found anywhere in the UK that sells them. Lehmans in the US do them and will post to the UK, but if I could buy one in this country it would be ideal.
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods ... 3320?Args=

nothing beats a good washboard for scrubing the clothes on, you can find them on ebay.

Are washboards OK to use on modern fabrics, only I’ve read conflicting info? Somewhere I read they are suitable even for delicates but somewhere else said they were too harsh and only suitable for really tough fabric. I know there are different washboards (glass, metal, wood) so would that make a difference?

[Green Aura]

Could I piggyback this thread with a question?

Does anyone know where I could get replacement rollers for my mangle? They look like solid white rubber but have started to crumble now.

[liskeardjane]

I really don't know whether I should share this? I only have a bath on Saturday (no worries I wash all week) and after I get out of the bath, in goes the clothes, I get in, still no clothes and jump all over them!!!! I might chuck in some washing soda and find it softens my feet too. I'll then give it a rinse with some white vinegar after about 15 minutes of jumping up and down on it, wring it and then I spin it in the washing machine before it gets hung in front of the fire or outside. I find this really saves water on my big wash once a week and I save the rinse water to flush the loo for the rest of the day too. I wring it by hand in the summer and leave it to drip and find putting the end of the garment under one foot and wringing with both hands gets the most water out and then a mighty shake to get the wrinkles out (of the clothes! not me!) Good work out too.

[tizzy]

When i was young and we were just starting out, I did all my washing by hand. You can get quite a lot of water out of heavier items by holding them at one end and whirling them round above your head [helicopter style].
Do I need to add that we did this out in the yard?.........state the obvious, that's me.

Green aura, do you have the makers name for your mangle? You could google it and see if anyone still stocks the parts. You might find some on ebay, they seem to sell everything on there, or a broken mangle that you could cannibalise.

[pelmetman]

Like Thurston Garden being ex Navy I have done my fair share of hand washing, just a thought, how about getting hold of a dolly tub and a possell from a bric a brac or antique shop, and you might find a mangle as well.
Just one tip don't put your smalls to dry on a pipe lagged with glass fibre as my ex wife did

[Green Aura]

Ooooh, itchy

[marshlander]

[quote="liskeardjane" I only have a bath on Saturday (no worries I wash all week) and after I get out of the bath, in goes the clothes, I get in, still no clothes and jump all over them!!!!.[/quote]

Just so long as you don't bath with the washing up like Steptoe & Son!!

I had to help mum with the laundry when i was ickle. She'd just had my baby brother so dad treated her to a twin tub. I Hated it - my job was to pull the nappies from the scalding water with tongs, wring them and put them in the spinner. The spinner would always knock like the devil and i'd have to pull them all out and repack.
My gran had a very early washer with a mangle on the back. She couldn't understand why it didn't wash as well as her old copper. Putting the weeks wash in at once might have had something to do with it!!!

I should think a woodturner would be able to make replacement rollers

[marshlander]

re mangle = had a look, try these people - say they strip & recover

[happyhippy]

Hi,are you going to have a car in Italy?If so this could be a good idea.I used it for a while and it worked really well.Buy(if you havent got one already)a large bucket with a close fitting lid.(sometimes restuarants ect throw out old large "bins"like this so might pay to ask around)Add clothing,detergent or other,and place in the boot of your car,secured with a couple of hockey straps.Fill 3/4 with water,and next time you have to drive anywhere,the agitation caused from going round bends and over bumps will be enough to wash your clothes.The mangle sounds like a great idea too for wringing the clothes out.