Doing Laundry by Hand

Doing laundry by hand; could you do it if the situation called for it? You can do it with a few tools and a little practice – like our great great grandmothers; and it is a good skill to know. Even if you aren’t of the “prepper” mindset, knowing how to do some basic chores off-grid. If you’re a homesteader like me, you want to keep vintage skills alive; laundry by hand is certainly a vintage skill that most of us rarely, if ever, use.

Tools for Laundry by Hand

If we are going to go super vintage then you’ll need the following:

A Wash Tub

Bar of Laundry Soap ( Fels-Naptha or Zote ) or try a Laundry Ball or even better, use my Laundryonaise recipe!

or Zote ) or try a Laundry Ball or even better, use my Laundryonaise recipe! A Wash Board – made for washing, not decorative.

I would recommend a Metal Washing Board but there are less expensive Plastic Laundry Board . The metal will last longer but the plastic may be easier on your clothes.

I would recommend a Metal Washing Board but there are less expensive Plastic Laundry Board . The metal will last longer but the plastic may be easier on your clothes. Clothing line and/or rack for drying.

Spend the money on good pins or you’ll be re-buying these all the time!

Laundry by Hand – Tub & Wash Board Method

Separate your colors & whites – yep still a good idea. Presoak – you’ll want to prepare your tub with water and soap shavings and soak your clothes in this for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re really off-grid and need hot water you’ll need to heat some up before this step. Now take each piece of clothing, rub a little soap on it and then scrub against the washboard, dunk in the water, scrub again. Once all the clothes are done you’ll want a separate tub for rinsing the soap out. It is basically dunking, wring, dunk, wring. After all the soap is rinsed out you want to remove as much water as possible. You can do this by hand or using a hand clothes wringer . A laundry plunger (or rapid washer) can also be an excellent tool and save your back a bit. This works like the agitator in your washing machine. Extremely helpful in the rinse stage!

Laundry by Hand – The Modern Methods

So you are ready to do more laundry by hand but not to scrub a board? I have a few non-electric appliances that are portable and easy to use.

Videos to help with your Laundry by Hand

I hope you will give laundry by hand a try. It is a great vintage / homesteading / prepping skill to have. With a little investment you can have all the tools you’ll need for years to come. This tried and true method can save you money too!