Question About Hand-cranked Washing Machine [Archive]

melissalw

10-22-11, 4:13pm

Hi all!

So, I'm thinking of moving from hauling clothes to the laundromat to buying a hand-cranked washing machine. So far, the one I'm looking at is the Wonderwash (found here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Laundry-Alternative-Wonderwash-SpinDryer/dp/B002C8HR9A) Before I decide, I'd really like to hear from others who have this or something similar. Also, if I do get this, should I get a wringer as well? I like the idea of being able to do laundry at home, and this is much less expensive financially, environmentally, and in terms of space than a typical washer/dryer. So, what do you think?

Tradd

10-22-11, 4:18pm

This has come up online occasionally and the Wonderwash really doesn't get good reviews. You've be better off getting a small portable washer like this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Haier-1-Cubic-Foot-Portable-Washing-Machine/13346456

loosechickens

10-22-11, 10:55pm

The washing isn't really the problem (honestly, from years of doing laundry in a five gallon bucket with a hand plunger to provide the agitation while living and traveling in Third World countries). What is the problem is wringing out the clothes, which, when you're washing more than a few things, and especially if the stuff is something heavier than a cotton shirt, etc. wringing is where the effort is.

If it were me, I'd pay more attention to getting a wringer than worrying about a washer. Wash the stuff by hand if you must, but a wringer is worth its weight in gold. JMHO

Marianne

10-23-11, 7:51am

Ditto. There's an electric spinner available, too. It appears to hold just a few items at a time and sits on your countertop. I think it's only around $50, but I bet the wringer would be more efficient.

Mrs-M

10-23-11, 4:50pm

Melissalw. There was a really good thread topic on just this a few months back, but do you think I can find it... Drats! (Would have really liked to post the link for you). Oh well, here's my take on the issue. I love all things old-fashioned (everything), so if I were to go the route of a manual hand-operated washing machine canister/unit, I'd definitely invest in a quality wringer. The two would compliment one another so well, and wringing out excess water after washing would be paramount to gain efficient drying times.

I was thinking that one could secure/affix a hand-wringer to a solid wooden bench or table, beside/near the washing unit, making for a convenient and fuss-free laundering system. (With wringer secured to a table top/bench, you wouldn't have to worry about supporting/holding onto the wringer unit while wringing). Single-hand cranking while passing washables through rollers.

ctg492

10-23-11, 6:15pm

I had the wonderwasher I think it was called. Fill it spin it and drain, rinse, drain again. Then wring by hand. Honestly after a few months of using it, just because I bought it at a garage sale, I stopped. I could wash by hand faster and better.
I did years ago have a portable electric Avanti washer/dryer from at that time WM. I washed a years worth of cloth diapers in it and it was fine.
Sorry should have checked your link first. YES that was the little washer I had.

happystuff

10-24-11, 6:52am

My experience is the same as ctg492. I had one, used it a bit, but could have done just a good a job putting the clothes in the bathtub and using the plunger method. The electric portable sounds interesting, though!

Gardenarian

10-24-11, 5:14pm

Lehman's has a lot of interesting human-powered laundry gadgets - here's the link:
http://www.lehmans.com/store/catalog?Args=

Just do a search for "laundry".

Mrs-M

10-24-11, 8:55pm

Ah-ha! Found it! Here is that link I was talking about. (A little extra added information for you to ponder, Melissalw).

http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?1814-hand-washer&highlight=laundry

melissalw

10-26-11, 8:59pm

Fantastic! This is really exactly the information I'm looking for. Will definitely plan to save up for the wringer first! And it sounds like some form of just hand-washing may be the way to go. Any suggestions? I've heard of filling a 5 gallon bucket with hot water and detergent, and then using a plunger...

Gardenarian and Mrs. M, thanks for the links!

Mrs-M

10-27-11, 11:08am

Originally posted by Melissalw.
I've heard of filling a 5 gallon bucket with hot water and detergent, and then using a plunger...Hands down, this would be my choice. The plunger making for simple/easy permeation and extraction.

Tradd

10-27-11, 1:58pm

Hands down, this would be my choice. The plunger making for simple/easy permeation and extraction.

I found doing it in the bathtub helpful. Just make sure it's clean! ;-) Put clothes in with a bit of LIQUID laundry detergent. Fill with water. Use plunger to make sure clothes are totally saturated with water. Let soak a bit. "Stomp" with plunger. Let wash water drain out. Then fill with clean water to rinse. I had a hard time with the wringing, but I had a drying rack I'd place right in the bathtub, so the drips just went down the drain.

loosechickens

10-27-11, 2:37pm

We tend to make more of these things than needed, sometimes. The idea that a washing machine is even needed, as opposed to just something that is nice to have, would make most of the world's people laugh, since all of us until very recently washed all clothing without a machine, and in the world today, there are probably FAR more people doing their laundry by hand than using washing machines, so it's not really a big deal.

We have used the five gallon bucket system for years at a time with few problems. It IS really nice to have a washing machine for big or heavy items like sheets, blankets, jeans, jackets, etc., but for most ordinary items, especially if you don't do heavy, dirty work, it's just not that hard to do by hand.

It always reminds me of people thinking that you can't bake bread unless you have a bread machine, though most of the world's people have been baking bread for literally thousands of years without any need for any such thing.

There are always people wanting to sell us stuff to do things that we don't even need their stuff to accomplish, and sometimes we need to just think about what needs to be done, ask ourselves how people managed and still manage to do whatever it is without buying some appliance, and go from there.

shadowmoss

10-27-11, 2:49pm

Here in Honduras I have a small electric washer and same size spinner. I got them from Amazon. Mom has the same setup in her small apartment. If I had to do without one I would keep the spinner. The ability to spin the water out of things makes them dry sooooo much faster. If you have electricity, I'd go for the electric spinner rather than a wringer. Mine is the counter top style with the hose that goes into the sink to drain. I tend to use it in my shower since I don't have much counter space here.

happystuff

10-27-11, 8:01pm

ctg492

10-28-11, 9:33am

Loosechickens, I agree with you and still I have and probably will be again one of those that fall into the "oh I need that to make my life easier" group. I am better though then in the past.

shadowmoss

10-28-11, 10:49am

Here is a shortcut to the one I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Countertop-Dryer-Clothes-Portable/dp/B002HT0958/ref=sr_1_1?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1319813058&sr=1-1

It does one pr. pants, one short sleeved polo and one underwear no problem. The small washer I have holds the same amount. My clothes line (shower) holds 3 loads at a time to dry, so I do about 7 or 8 loads of laundry a week to keep up with the clothes. The only issue, and I think a hand wringer would do the same, is that clothes get wrinkled and I now iron pretty much everything except underclothes. I'm actually getting to where I enjoy the feel of ironed clothes. Then again, when I get a 'real' dryer again I won't have any issue going back. :)

shadowmoss

10-28-11, 10:53am

Also, here is the Wonder Washer I have, which is different than the hand cranked one:
http://www.amazon.com/Unknown-Wonder-Washer/dp/B000BTDNEK/ref=pd_sim_k_2

The electric one works well. It is what it is. If you don't have any other way to wash clothes, or if like me the washer is down 3 steep flights of stairs, it gets clothes clean. It washes. That's all it does. The spinner spins the water out, then I rinse in the sink and spin the clothes again and hang to dry. It's kind of a pain in some ways, but better than navigating the stairs and negotiating times since the entire hotel has 1 washer and 2 dryers, and housekeeping uses the same washer.

melissalw

10-28-11, 3:57pm

Wow, really helpful, everyone! I think I'll go with a bucket over bathtub, as ours is older with some stains and a bit...erm, not sure I'd want to wash clothes in it, tbh. The electric spinner does sound easier than a wringer, but part of the appeal for me is getting mechanical vs. electric stuff. I'm increasingly drawn to stuff that requires a little more elbow grease, and is also stuff that I understand how it works/how to repair it. I like being the thing that runs my machines!

Mrs-M

10-28-11, 9:11pm

Originally posted by Melissalw.
I'm increasingly drawn to stuff that requires a little more elbow greaseMe too! Must come by way of being simple. It's just in us... :)

happystuff

10-29-11, 9:39am

Thanks shawdowmoss - that's the one I found. Good to know the capacity too.

Zoebird

11-2-11, 2:34am

an industrial, hand-cranked salad spinner instead of a wringer -- that's the solution.

I spent a lot of time a few months ago looking into this, and it's a great option if you live in north america! know why? an industrial sized salad spinner costs about $150 new, and a lot less used. Here in NZ, the exact same thing costs about $500. Seriously.

But spinning out most of the moisture makes line drying much faster. I"ve been cleaning a lot of my clothing by hand, and then tossing them in my machine for two spin cycles (about 7 minutes), then line drying. It takes about 1-2 days in spring/summer/fall, and 2-3 days to dry in fall/winter/early spring. Or, what might be noted as "dry=ish season" and "wet season." If i dry inside by the fire, then 1-2 days. :D

In a perfecter NZ, I would plunge my clothes in a big bucket, and then spin them out in an industrial salad spinner, and line dry them.

It's romantic, and that's Mrs-M's thing. :D

Mrs-M

11-2-11, 2:48am

You are such a sweetheart, Zoebird! Thank you. So kind you are. :)

I'm surprised at the drying times you state, ZB. I would have guessed an hour, maybe two (at the most) for bone-dry results. Shows how much I know. http://th982.photobucket.com/albums/ae301/EarlyMemphis/Smileys/th_BlushingSmiley.gif

Zoebird

11-2-11, 3:06am

it is very wet here. it's humid (and we live by the sea), even if it's a cool humidity. :) it's similar to seattle in that you will get rain pretty much every day, but unlike seattle where you can kinda set a watch by it, here, it happens when it happens. And you might put your wash out in the sunny spot and within 10 minutes it's raining on it. LOL

so, most people have sheltered drying areas, and if they are lucky, the shelter will allow the wellington winds through -- which will dry things quickly -- but since that might also drive the rain under the sheltered part, most people just block the wind to prevent it from getting wetter from rain.

and in our case, our sheltered drying area is covered with opaque plastic, rather than clear (i guess it's like acrylic stuff? it's hard, like roofing stuff), and so it doesn't get a lot of sunlight either -- not that you can count on several hours straight of sunlight. :D

that's why going through multiple spin cycles has helped us. one is good, three leads to the fastest drying times (24 hrs for things like cotton, merino, and bamboo; flannel and thick yarned items, towels will take about 36; denim will go to the full 48).

Mrs-M

11-2-11, 9:49pm

Zoebird. I would have never guessed NZ's wet/humid climate. It's too bad you don't have a large open screened-in area where the movement of air can come and go freely. I know you mentioned in another post that services (utilities) run high where you live, so that automatically rules out the option (idea I had) of having a heat lamp system to help speed up the process.

Do you have an electric tumble dryer you can rely on in the event you need something quickly?

Zoebird

11-3-11, 2:23am

yes, we do. but i am loathe to use it!

Mrs-M

11-3-11, 8:47am

I can totally appreciate your stance on dryers! While I love the convenience (and speed) of a modern electric tumble dryer, I still prefer solar drying to all other options. So glad you've got an 'out' if you need it. :)

happystuff

11-12-11, 7:37am

LOL - I had the same thought about a giant salad spinner, but couldn't find anything on line. Good to know that the industrial sizes exist.

The other thing I was thinking of was trying to find some way to use the "wringer" from a mop bucket - still investigating this.