Manual laundry - one week and I'm tired of it!

[DianeS]

My hands are sooo sore. I just completed three "loads" of manual laundry. I mean COMPLETELY manual laundry - no bucket, no plunger, no wringer, no laundry line! I do have a bathroom sink, and a shower stall, but both lack a plug to keep the water from draining out.

We are currently in the Philippines! And I knew we'd be doing things like the locals do, but I didn't expect this. Not even a bucket! Yes, I could have asked our hosts for the loan of a tub, but all of theirs were in use, and it would have caused the same issues for them as it's causing for me. I'll save those kinds of requests for when I don't know how to accomplish something without a "gadget", not for the times when doing without the "gadget" is simply a hardship.

So, my solution was to lay out several items on the floor of the shower, plug the drain as best I could with a towel, and start them soaking by running the showerhead over them, while rubbing the laundry bar between my hands so the soap dripped on the clothing. After letting them sit for a while (as the water drained out through the towel), I would pick a few items and move them into the bathroom sink, where I would rub the laundry bar on the more smelly areas of the items, scrub them together, rinse, and wring out. Then move those items outside and lay them over the fence. (Yep, fence.) And start over.

Is there a better way to be doing this? It's my husband and I, and we're already careful with wearing things repeatedly, at least as much as we can when we are running into the cultural abhorrence of wearing things more than one time before washing, here. Apparantly that means you are poor. And in this tropical heat and humidity we are SWEATY!

And then there is the issue of getting things dry. Even my HAIR won't dry completely in this humidity. We do use an air conditioner for some parts of the day, and hope to move the next day's clothing into the room with that to dry. Don't really know if the rest will dry or not when it is outside, or how the locals handle that. Wear it damp? Maybe it dries on its own after all? I do see some of them ironing their clothes (even underwear and t-shirts) so maybe the heat from that dries it? I may have to buckle down and ask, but I feel like I'm asking just a ton of dumb questions already. *sigh*

And I'm wondering how clean these clothes will actually feel when the water we wash them in isn't fit to be drunk. *another sigh* Come to think of it, it does feel OK to shower with that water, though, so maybe that will be all right. Thankfully the wind isn't bad right now, and it's not raining - both can cause problems to clothing hung on a fence to dry, obviously.

I guess I'm just complaining. But if anyone has any ideas of how to do wash without having access to standing water, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BirdBrain]

I would try to get to a store to buy a tub or bucket and gift it to your host when you leave. If you have woven clothing it should dry faster than anything knit.

 

[Wannabefree]

I would get a tub as well, and an iron.

 

[~gd]

When I entered the Navy [50+ years ago} they issued us a bar of laundry soap, a smallish scrub brush and some light weight cotton cord cut into about ! foot lengths. At the end of the day we would enter the showers wearing everything but our boots. we would work up a lather in our outer garments and rinse. when we removed them we would check for spots that needed scrubbing our hats [those white dixie cups} usually needed the inside hat band scrubbed. Then it was underware usually the crew neck band needed scrubbing and the waist band of the boxer shorts. Sox got special attention and had to be well rinsed or your feet would suffer the next time you wore them. Those short cords I mentioned were used to tie clothing to lines outside in fair weather but the Navy had a heart and had drying rooms for use ONLY when the weather was foul. Most sailors did their first guard duty guarding clotheslines, the DIs used to love to steal or dirty clean laundry to drive home the message to be alert on guard duty.
I hope the service has changed because that method used a whole lot of water.~gd

 

[Hinotori]

Yes, it has changed for the Navy. When I was in boot camp in 1993, the Navy had us mesh bag our small laundry like socks, underwear, and bras. Everything went to the laundry that was ran by recruits in work week, then returned. We supposedly weren't supposed to have irons to get out the wrinkles, but all companies had them and we spent some of our time at night ironing everything flat. I can ask my hubby how it was in 1988, but I think it was the same as what I had. That's how the carriers do it, too, unless it's changed in the last four years. People assigned to work the laundry and the nice grey clothes you get back. Inspection hats kept gallon bags and only used for that.


I've washed stuff by hand before. I hated it. It's a lot of work, and I love my washing machine. Is there any way perhaps you can get a care package sent with a bucket and one of those baffled laundry plungers? That at least would be a help verses all that hand scrubbing.

 

[moolie]

I'd get a bucket and a toilet plunger if you can, way easier to manage than doing it literally by hand. The addition of an old-school wringer would be pure bliss compared to wringing by hand if you can find one. No advice on the humidity/clothes that don't ever dry though--I used to live on the coast and nothing ever really dried there, and now when we go to visit family I always think my laundry smells musty if we wash anything there.

 

[DianeS]

Last night my host asked how doing laundry was. Then he said "next time you can use our washing machine".

SERIOUSLY??? You have a WASHING MACHINE and you did not TELL US???



It was only the good breeding that my parents painstakingly instilled in me that kept me smiling and saying. "Yes, thank you, that will be helpful, I will do that" while my insides were thinking "And you expected me to know this HOW??? Through ESP? When were you going to tell me this little tidbit of information? How many other modern conveniences do you have that you are not telling us about?"

I'm trying to remember the point of this trip, which is to really understand poverty, it's impact on individuals and the community, and related stuff. (We're here for research for my husband's Master's Degree thesis paper.) We're here for 5 weeks. One down, 4 to go.

My generous side is thinking my host might be doing this on purpose, to give us first-hand understanding of how long some things take when you don't have the money to use any sort of modern convenience. Indeed, we have met some people who are so poor they probably don't own buckets. I certainly did not always see any in the tiny, often 4' x 8' areas that are their homes. So really I have just experienced what, for them, is probably a regular thing.

Also, our hosts' insistance that we ask for anything we need or want and they will try to obtain it - is warring with our desire to not put an undue burden on our hosts. They would not tell us if something was too expensive or too difficult for them, they'd just do it anyway. It's a hard balancing act.

Maybe I need to be more vocal with my questions. I told them I was doing laundry later that day, but perhaps "how do you do laundry here?" would have been appropriate. (Despite the fact I see their laundry being done, apparantly it is only certain articles that are washed by hand and the rest goes in the machine.) In a different culture even the evidence of my eyes can deceive me.

Anyway, I appreciate all the info you've given me. And ~gd, I just might try that old Navy technique next time! Once I stop smacking my head against the wall, that is.

 

[Denim Deb]

I'm sorry, but I can't just help laughing about that. My hubby wanted to know what I was laughing at, I told him and he got a good laugh as well. But, at least it was a good learning experience.

 

[~gd]

Yes, it has changed for the Navy. When I was in boot camp in 1993, the Navy had us mesh bag our small laundry like socks, underwear, and bras. Everything went to the laundry that was ran by recruits in work week, then returned. We supposedly weren't supposed to have irons to get out the wrinkles, but all companies had them and we spent some of our time at night ironing everything flat. I can ask my hubby how it was in 1988, but I think it was the same as what I had. That's how the carriers do it, too, unless it's changed in the last four years. People assigned to work the laundry and the nice grey clothes you get back. Inspection hats kept gallon bags and only used for that. Yep the Navy issused us "ditty bags" and insisted they be properly marked with our names BUT never told us what they were used for in Boot camp. Once we were aboard ships, the system was much as you described (bras were very rare!). The male uniform was designed to be flat and work clothes were flattened by sticking them under your matress. There used to be a rating called Ships Serviceman that did such things as laundry, hair cutting, making pop corn and running the movies. Since I was mostly on a fleet oiler that refueled ships as sea (also transfered mail and movies) we got first shot at the movies and we would often have a couple of diesel submarines tied up along side so their men could watch the movies too. BTW if our whites returned from the laundry grey (as you seem to imply) someone would get their a$$ chewed, the fleet was expected to look good while maning the rail entering and leaving ports overseas.


I've washed stuff by hand before. I hated it. It's a lot of work, and I love my washing machine. Is there any way perhaps you can get a care package sent with a bucket and one of those baffled laundry plungers? That at least would be a help verses all that hand scrubbing.

 

[Hinotori]

Oh man Diane. Well at least you shouldn't have to go through more laundry joy.


The whites turn grey because of the saltwater that is used to wash them, gd. It can't be helped. They just get grayer over time, much like mine here turn tan from iron in the water. Hubby had to wear nice civies in port except when on shore patrol.