eHow.com Video: Eco-Friendly Ways to Wash Your Clothes Without a Machine
Eco-Friendly Ways to Wash Your Clothes Without a Machine
Washing clothing without a machine is an easy, inexpensive and wonderful way to save energy and extend the life of clothing.
see more eHow.com videos here
Video Transcript:
Hi. I'm Anjie Cho and this is the eco-friendly way to wash your clothes without a machine. Most of us use a washing machine and dryer to clean our clothing. Did you know that clothes will last longer and you can save energy by washing your clothes without a machine. It takes energy to heat up the water to wash and even more energy to dry the clothes in the dryer.
You'll need a large container or bucket or your sink. I have this laundry pod. It's convenient but by no means a requirement. If you're using a container or sink a washboard is also useful. They come in all sizes. You'll also need an eco-friendly biodegradable laundry detergent and a hanging rack or clothesline.
As you would with regular machine laundry separate your clothing into colors, darks and whites. Fill the container or sink with cool water. Remember warm or hot water uses up a lot of energy. At this point add some eco-friendly biodegradable laundry detergent. Let the detergent dissolve and agitate the water required. Then place the clothes in the container with soap and water and soak it for a few hours, overnight is best. This is a really important step for getting your clothes clean.
You can agitate the clothing periodically. My laundry pod has a crank to spin the clothes. You can also use a washing board at this time. After you soak the clothing drain the water and you can use this water to water your plants. Then you soak the clothing one more time in clean cool water. Again let it soak a few hours overnight, drain, use the water for plants. My laundry pod has a spinner so I can spin the water out. If you don't have this you can gently squeeze out any excess water. Hang dry the clothing on your laundry rack or outside on a clothesline.
Washing your clothes without a machine is a wonderful way to save energy, save the earth and even extend the life of your clothing.