hand-washing my laundry

When I moved into a new building last month, I realized that carrying loads of laundry up and down 5 flights of stairs was not going to be my favorite thing in the world. On top of that, in my last place I had been kind of spoiled with free laundry, so paying $2.50 a load was not really something I wanted to do, nor something I could really afford! To just wash my bedding it cost me $15 in total

to wash and dry everything!!!

What's wrong with your regular laundry routine?

-Washing machines can use anywhere from 14-40 gallons of water per load

-About 90% of the energy used is just to heat the water

-Dryers can emit more than a ton of carbon dioxide every year!

-Some laundry detergents are in plastic containers, full of phosphates, and irritating fragrances.

Not ready to make the full switch to washing your laundry by hand?

-Start by washing in cold water to eliminate wasted energy!

-Hang your clothes to dry

-Switch your detergent ( my favorite is just washing soda & baking soda, but my favorite blogger Trash is for Tossers has a small company, in addition to Package Free, that has an eco-friendly detergent! Check out my Resources page to purchase!)

Why I made the switch to hand-washing (besides just saving money)

I started with just a few small things and realized that it was a task I did not even mind doing, living by myself I somehow seem to have way more free time. It takes just a few minutes to scrub and rinse everything and then I hang everything up on the shower curtain rod to dry overnight!

What I do:

I started out just working clothes in a small bin in my bathtub but my mother recently gifted me with one of my new favorite items - a washboard!

If I have laundry that needs extra work, such as cleaning rags, or any of my new dogs blankets etc. I will fill up my little bin with whatever I catch when getting the water the right temperature for my shower - this reduces the amount of water I am wasting!

I can let that pre soak for quite awhile, even overnight if its really bad.

If it doesn't need a pre-soak I still like to do a small rinse before I wash. I agitate the clothes with my hands to get initial dirt and such out.

After that I fill my bin with soapy water - I use washing soda that I got from Green Life Trading Co. (a zero-waste shop I like from Madison, WI), and a bit of baking soda. I use a stain-bar (from Package Free Shop) to pre-treat anything with stains.

I learned that it is best to get your washboard soapy as well for the best clean!

Basically, you just take each item one by one and scrub it against the board, moving it around so you get the whole thing. I set that aside until I am all done washing and then I rinse everything in fresh water.

I put everything up on hangers to maximize space and hang them from the shower rod. For heavier items, like towels and such, I have been lucky enough to have the chance to drape them on the fire escape but in the winter months I will just have to be patient drying them inside.

I put the bin underneath all my hanging clothes so a) the floor doesn't get soaked and b) all the water I collect in the bin waters my plants the next day!

I am so glad I made this switch because I am saving money, time, water, energy, and the earth! What more could I want!

xoxo