January 31, 2025

How To Wash Laundry By Hand Without A Washing Machine



2024 UPDATE: Years ago on my orginal blog I had this post with no ads or any kind of "self-promotion" or freebies in it.  I didn't even know what that was at the time LOL.  And for YEARS it was the number one most viewed blog post I had with thousands of views.  Please excuse the roughness of some of these pictures.  Keep in mind they were taken back around 2011 before smart phones were a thing really, at least not like they are now.  So even with AI editing, of them are still fuzzy and dark. But hey, if you want or need to know how to wash your laundry by hand without a washing machine, you're in the right place 😉.

In today's world it is almost unheard of to wash the families laundry by hand, but when you don't have access to a washer and dryer and you don't have a lot of money for the laundromat, washing by hand becomes a necessity. So many things have happened in recent world events from wild-fires, floods, hurricanes, winter storms, wars, pandemics, jobloss, inflation. Many of these things have cause people to either need to flee their homes or shelter in place with or without electricity and other natural resources. Sometimes with jobloss and inflation people need to relocate to smaller living spaces without access to onsite laundry.

Having everything you need to wash your clothes is one of those things in life that feels like a luxury when you are in the midst of crisis.  Keeping a laundry washing kit ready to go can be a game changer and sanity saver when you really need it. Everything you need can fit in your washing tote with a lid (except for the mop bucket with wringer). It's great for travel but you can use it at home too.  I did this for many years when I lived in a small apartment and didn't have easy access to a washer and dryer. In later years I used a small portable washing machine like this one and it worked great. 

Despite what you might be thinking, washing laundry by hand does not have to be a back breaking chore if you have the right equipment. In this post I will show you what you need and how to effectively and quickly wash clothes by hand.

Here is what you will need:
STURDY toilet plunger (UNUSED)
10 quart mop bucket
Commercial mop bucket with wringer
DIY laundry detergent 
Clothes pins
Clothes line or collapsable drying racks



You can use store bought or homemade laundry detergent.  A commercial size mop bucket with a wringer is essential for hand washing the laundry by hand.  It saves so much time and energy so you don't have to wring the laundry by hand.  I had to do this for several months before I could afford the mop bucket with a wringer.  I am now able to hand wash, rinse, wring and hang five loads of laundry in about an hour and a half since I got the wringer!  The reason is because you can wring several items at one time in the wringer and you don't tire as easily as you would if you are hand wringing the clothes.  So let's get started doing laundry!
Fill a large tote with very hot water.





Add 1/3 cup of DIY laundry detergent and let it sit in the water for a couple of minutes until the soap starts to dissolve in the water.



Fill your 10 quart mop bucket (not the one with the wringer) with very hot water and a little bleach. Add your WHITE clothes (socks, underwear, bras, etc.) to the water and let it soak while you wash the rest of the laundry.


Add a medium size load of laundry to your large tote.  Using your clean plunger, wash the laundry by plunging the plunger in and out of the water.  Do this for at least five minutes a load.  You can let the laundry soak for 10 minutes or so if you want before you start washing it.


After you have washed the laundry place 2-4 items in the top of the wringer.
 

Press the handle forward to wring the laundry.  The dirty water will go straight into the bucket.


I have found that the wringer works best if you only place about three to four items in it and then wring out the items, rearrange them in the wringer and wring them again.  You may need to rearrange and wring them a few times to get the most water out, but this is fairly easy and sure beats wringing them out by hand!

For rinsing, I have a detachable shower head so I put all of the washed and wrung clothes into the bathtub and rinse them with the shower head and then repeat the wring cycle.  If you don't have a detachable shower head, then when you have a load or two washed, empty your large plastic tote and fill it with cold water and rinse your clothes by dipping it in the water and then wring them and repeat this process. 

Here is the order that I wash clothes. Light clothes:  shirts, shorts, dresses, my work clothes, night clothes, etc. Heavier clothes:  jeans, long pants. Under garments and sock, etc. I wash towels and wash cloths and dish cloths on a separate day apart from my other laundry.

You can change the washing water as often as you like but I usually only change it about every other load unless I am washing a heavily soiled load. After you have washed your laundry you can hang it out on the clothes line or on indoor clothes racks or if you have an extra shower rod or two, hang them in your shower for clothes.  I use a combination of two shower rods and two clothes racks. If you are using the racks indoors put a couple of towels underneath them because even though you are using a wringer the clothes will still drip some.



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