Washing without electricity

There comes a time when it is essential to know how to wash our laundry without electricity. Many families don’t have access to a washer in their home, or don’t afford to use the laundry mat. Many families choose to wash by hand while living off grid or while traveling for a week or full time.  

It can also be essential to know how to wash our laundry without electricity In case of a power outage or in an emergency like when dealing with the aftermath of a natural disaster. Many families don’t have electricity but have access to water. During a natural disaster collecting rainwater is a great way to save your potable drinking water for consumption.

The most common method to wash by hand is by using the bucket and plunger method. Some families that wash by hand full-time swear by using an old fashioned washing board, or a special portable manual washer. But for families only washing by hand occasionally the bucket and plunger is probably the simplest and most cost efficient.

The Bucket and plunger method for garments

Clean with detergent (1. Cycle)

• Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and a little detergent (1tsb-1tbs goes along way when washing by hand)

• Put your plunger in the bucket

• Dump clothes in to make a stew. Use your best judgment on how many items to wash in each cycle. The clothes will need space to move around in the bucket, but rubbing against each other will help the garments clean 

• Work the plunger for 5 minutes or about 100 strokes

• Wring out the diapers

Rinse (2. Cycle)

• Repeat the steps with water only

• Wring out well

• Hang to dry, ideally in a light breeze in the sun 

Wringing out the laundry is probably the most difficult part, as it wears out our hands quickly if we are doing a lot of laundry. A large Salad spinner makes a great addition and can help wring out more water than we often can with our hands, if the items are small enough to fit in it. By wringing out as much water as possible, it saves drying time on the line.

Line drying is very common in Europe, and line drying outside in the sunlight helps remove stains and disinfects as well. 

Washing cloth diapers by hand

Cloth diapers can make a great emergency diaper stash if you have ways to wash them by hand. 

When washing cloth diapers (or other heavily soiled laundry) use a quick pre wash before the main wash to rinse most of the dirt away before cleaning the diapers. 

The Bucket and plunger method for diapers 

Pre-wash (1. Cycle)

• Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water and 1 tsp of detergent

• Put your plunger in the bucket

• Dump diapers in to make a stew (depending on system, maybe 6-8 diapers)

• Work the plunger for 5 minutes or about 100 strokes

• Wring out the diapers

Clean (2. Cycle)

• Repeat the steps with 1 tbsp of detergent

Rinse (3. Cycle)

• Repeat the steps with water only

• Hang to dry, ideally in a light breeze in the sun 

If you don’t have a bucket and a plunger on hand, applying these methods and adjusting to what you have on hand can be helpful. Using a stick instead of a plunger, using whatever container you have, a baby bath or the bathtub can also work. Just make sure to agitate the laundry with your stick or your hands and do another second rinse to get rid of the leftover detergent.

This method should not be applied to delicate laundry that should be washed by hand or wool garments, as agitation will ruin those items.