We wear clothes everyday. (Hopefully different clothes everyday) Obviously we would like for them to be clean and smell good, but sometimes we take for granted the luxury of just popping some clothes in the washer, then the dryer and there ya go. Unfortunately, we will not always have this luxury and we need to know what to do when a washing machine and/or dryer are not available.
Some people have just made hand washing their clothes a habit, and do it without thinking. Each morning they just wash the clothes that their family had worn the day before. It is actually quite an efficient way of managing your laundry if you think about it. You will never have a ton of dirty clothes to deal with, it’s cheaper (You save quite a bit of money from the saved electricity, or if you go to laundromats, quite a few quarters), and no folding is necessary if you hang them up to dry already on their hangers. Also, your family will need less articles of clothing, as every day fresh clean clothes are being put back into your drawers available for use.
When will I need to wash my clothes by hand?
I’ll list a few circumstances where you’ll have to wash your clothes by hand.
- You don’t have a washing machine/dryer
- Students who don’t have access to a washing machine/dryer
- Living in an small apartment
- If your washing machine breaks down in the middle of the week
- Electricity is out for one reason or another – probably the biggest reason
- Camping and Hunting/Outdoor life
- Traveling in an RV
- You’re serving in the military
- Preparedness situations
- It’s also a good skill to have for garments that specify hand wash on the label
I’m sure there’s more areas where hand laundering is necessary, but you get my point.
In my post on washing clothes by hand, I explain the basic ways to wash your clothes without a washing machine or a dryer.