LAUNDRY DAY (A Necessary Evil)

Like it or not, clothes get dirty.  On a homestead, with all the outdoor work and sweat, dirty equals very dirty and smelly.  Like it or not (and I don't), laundry has to be done.  No problem, right?  Just throw it in the washer and come back in a while to put it in the dryer.  But wait!  This is not only a homestead, but a homestead that is working toward off grid.

When weaning one's life from the dependency on electricity, sooner or later appliances, including the washer and dryer, have to go.  This makes laundry a whole different activity.  It can no longer be a hurried part of multi-tasking, or something the machine does while we entertain ourselves elsewhere.

One must think what it takes to do laundry.  Simple really, hot water, soap, a way to scrub out the dirt, more water to rinse and a means of drying.

Personally, I start by pumping the water.  Yes, that is an old hand dug well and a hand pump.  The bucket (nasty green plastic thing that I don't like but it serves a purpose) holds 5 gallons which equals about 20 strokes of the handle.  The whole laundry process takes 4 buckets which doesn't take long. This will sound like a lot of work to some people, but it is also a form of multi-tasking, as switching hands on the handle gives both arms a good workout and saves on exercise time at the gym.

But wait!  I said hot water!  Obviously, this well is not producing hot water and is certainly not pumping it through pipes to a water heater.  The electric water heater is another cord that has been cut in the efforts to go off grid.

Heating water is an age old process and my Grandmother's old cook stove still works quite well.  It only takes a few minutes to get the fire started, and other chores can be done while the fire does its work (multi-tasking again).  The large stock pot full of boiling water is enough to make the remaining 8 gallons of water too hot to put your hands in, so it has to cool for a while, leaving time to do more things (on this particular day, it provided time for further testing of building materials for a previous post).

If you need an element of danger to make this all exciting, here it is.  Carrying a pot of boiling water 50 feet across the, not so smooth, back yard should qualify.  A little caution and all is well.

With water in the tubs, it's time for scrubbing.  Nothing quite like an old fashioned wash board.  At this point, I can almost hear people complaining of sore and bleeding knuckles.  I have heard so many stories of knuckle damage from the washboard that I have lost count.  However, I have never experienced that problem.  Maybe I'm just not doing it right, as I never use my knuckles for scrubbing.  I use the flat part of the finger between the first and second knuckle instead, and make a point of not letting skin touch metal.

Hand wringing of heavy items such as jeans, between wash and rinse and after rinse, can make the hands a little sore at times, but nothing too serious.  If one wants to ease this problem, there are hand crank wringers available.  Having had access to one in the past, I will say it makes it easier, especially when there is a lot of heavy items to do.

What soap to use?  I am currently using a good quality, natural coconut oil based soap from the dollar store.  It is a bar soap (which I prefer) and it works quite well.  Home-made lye soap is my favorite, but this will serve until I can find time to make up a batch.

All done and taking advantage of the sun and wind.  The whole process took about an hour from start to finish (excluding heating time).

I won't say this makes sense for everyone, but for me it really does.  For my purposes, it gives me more control for adding more clean to the areas that get dirtiest, like the front of pants legs and shirt collars.  Also, for me at least, it is a peaceful activity that doesn't take a lot of thought, which allows my mind to wander creatively.

As added bonuses, doing laundry this way only takes about half the water, none of the electricity and I don't have to hear the low level noise of the machines.  With the use of all natural soap, the water can also be recycled into the garden for irrigation.

As I said, not necessarily for everyone, but for me it is just another step toward off-grid self-sufficiency.  Thank you, and as always, I look forward to your comments.