Amazing but true laundry stories!

[jessmarimba]

Just wanted to add in to the washer debate - top load washers with an agitator actually clean clothes much better than front loaders. I have no desire any more to upgrade my washer.

I can't use my outside clothesline right now b/c of the creepy-crawly-earwigs that like to hide in damp laundry. So I strung a retractable one across my laundry room instead. I really like it.

[roguedog]

wow.. i can't believe laundry as an interesting thread .. but it is.

i think it's just fun to watch knot gross out every time she does the wash tho

[NbyNW]

What's next, baking your own bread from scratch? (I do that. No bread machine. But I do have a good mixer with a dough-hook).

We already have a thread on that, somewhere ...

[Tri Girl]

And it doesn't take a $18 "breathing" washer plunger to do it. Plain ol' $5 sink plunger does the exact same thing.

so you can use a sink plunger (or toilet plunger) just as effectively? This is very interesting to me. I want to try it now!

I already put most of my clothes on a clothesline to dry, so why not wash them without the washer, too? This is all very interesting!!

[sfa]

Vinegar in the rinse cycle helps clear away the soap scum from clothes. Also takes away lingering odors and acts as a fabric softener. Good stuff.

[snapdragen]

This would be really good for hand wash only items too, I may have to go get myself a new bucket and plunger.

[tangentgirl]

You just dump the water down a sink or bathtub drain?

I was wondering if there's a gentle enough soap that I could dump the dirty water in the yard and it would be some sort of weed killer or pesticide reducer. Like soapy water for aphids.

Maybe I need to check out these laundry forums too!

Google grey water recycling systems. My bf loves to build stuff, and he's been thinking about putting one of these together for the lawn. I'm sure there's a low-tech DIY, pour-it-through-a-filter solution out there. Doesn't have to be a weed killer - could be a plant waterer.

[Sardine]

We already have a thread on that, somewhere ...

Really? Under what heading? Bikes and bread, my favourite things. Please can we have a thread on this? And baking soda of course. Roguedog, I'm with you. That post was hilarious.

[FunSize]

I own too many clothes to do laundry by hand. But while I was growing up i did all my bras by hand, in a sink, with woolite. Then I'd do the towel technique to dry and then hang. Now i'm lazy and throw them in the washer.

I think I could do the handwashing, but i just don't have enough room to hang dry everything. I hang dry most of my delicate clothes and all my athletic clothes.

another sad thing is that my wooden drying rack has rotted and fallen apart, so i have to prop it up against a wall to use it. Sad drying rack.

[Blueberry]

Here. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (and variations). I'll be back to this as soon as it isn't so *&^% hot.

[Sardine]

Here. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (and variations). I'll be back to this as soon as it isn't so *&^% hot.

Thank you Blueberry. I know the book. Going to take a look.

[roguedog]

Actually, this is a somewhat timely thread because just the other day while I was washing my hands I was thinking..

"Why or how does using soap make our hands clean?" "Or maybe it's just that we think it makes our hands clean.." which made me kinda chuckle inside.

[KnottedYet]

Oh my!

Platform pedals. Brooks saddles. Steel frames. Hand sewing.

And now handwashing?

What's next, baking your own bread from scratch? (I do that. No bread machine. But I do have a good mixer with a dough-hook).

20-25 years ago I used to do all our bread by hand. Bowl, spoon, and hands. 2 batches a week. I also brewed our own beer.

Now with the celiac disease I've pretty much lost all interest in baking. I've got a friend who brewed some AMAZINGLY good hard cider using just frozen apple juice concentrate, water, and yeast. It was incredibly dry and I loved it. I'd like to try it myself (but it means re-investing in all the brewing supplies - and I'm saving up for a washer!)

[marni]

Oh my!



What's next, baking your own bread from scratch? (I do that. No bread machine. But I do have a good mixer with a dough-hook).

We make three loaves of bread by hand every other week. DH the SAG guy makes two caraway rye which he and resident FIL eat and one is some whole wheat variation which I make for myself.

We use a rustic no knead approach so the only work is assembling, shaping , cutting and eating.

[lph]

Actually, this is a somewhat timely thread because just the other day while I was washing my hands I was thinking..

"Why or how does using soap make our hands clean?" "Or maybe it's just that we think it makes our hands clean.." which made me kinda chuckle inside.

It dissolves fat and suspends particles long enough for them to get rinsed away by the water, I believe.