Hillbilly Washing Machines

Higher-Tech Low-Tech

By Juan Wilson on 17 September 2013 for Island Breath -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2013/09/hillbilly-washing-machines.html)


Image above: Postcard illustrating the difficulties of a tub wringer compared to a bench wringer. From (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_difficulties_of_a_tub_wringer._The_convenience_of_a_bench_wringer.jpg).

For those with higher ambitions than using a plunger in a five gallon bucket (see below) there are several other manual ways to wash clothes without having to resort to a rock in the river.

One easy way is to embrace the scrub-board, tub and bench ringer contraptions of the 19th century. This worked quite well for large families on hundred acres farms in the middle of "nowhere". My grandmother did clothes that way into the 1950's. I helped her. I recently found a benchringer online that sold for $1,500. Ouch!

Another way today is to convert a 20th century electric washing machine to manual (human) power. A good example is the fairly sophisticated effort in the video below that incorporates a geared bicycle with a flywheel attachment to an 1940's agitator-washer/spin-dryer machine.


Video above: D Acres permaculture Farm & Educational Homestead demonstrate bicycle powered washer/dryer. From (http://youtu.be/1Erg4mg1DDo).


Video above: John & Christy's home made bicycle washing machine. From (http://youtu.be/Fktpd1ymE8A).



Hillbilly Washing Machine

SUBHEAD: Approaching a Steady State Economy - Washing clothes without electricity.

By Robert Deitz on 17 September 2013 for SteadyState.org -
(http://refashionista.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/diy-hillbilly-washing-machine/)

[IB Publisher's note: This article was pulled off our site at he request of the author. Use link above.]


Image above: Hand washing clothes with a plunger in a tub can actually work. Still from video below.

...We began using only cold water for washing with no adverse results. We forgot about dryer sheets (no need to smell like a chemist’s over-scented interpretation of “spring fresh”), and then we forgot about the dryer entirely...


Cleaning Clothes

By Robert Deitz on 17 September 2013 for SteadyState.org -
(http://steadystate.org/approaching-a-steady-state-economy-part-2-clean-clothes/)

This is a great method for off-the-grid low-tech clothes washing. 

[IB Publisher's note: This article was pulled off our site at he request of the author. Use link above.]


Video above: Deb Hinter tries out Lehman Mobile Breathing Hand Washing Machine ($18 plus shipping) used in article below. From (http://youtu.be/gv2XEZbACqw).

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2 comments :

Øyvind Holmstad said...

I tested this old Swedish washing machine:

http://permaliv.blogspot.no/2011/09/handdrevet-alfa-vaskemaskin.html

Øyvind Holmstad said...

I tested this old Swedish washing machine:

http://permaliv.blogspot.no/2011/09/handdrevet-alfa-vaskemaskin.html

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