Seeking Simplicity

Now that we are living without those items that we consider “time savers” or “modern conveniences”, we now have to slow down and find other ways to do things that we would normally do by machine. This includes washing clothes.

Not long ago, my children would throw their kids onto the laundry room floor and I would pick through it (going through pockets and separating into appropriate colors) and then throw those piles into the washing machine. I would then walk away until I heard the buzzer. Those clothes would then end up either on the line outside or (prior to my line drying conversion) would end up in the dryer. Yup – “time saving.”

Now that we are living without an electronic washing machine, we have to wash things by hand. Believe it or not, I now find it pleasant to wash by hand. Of course, we do have some modern tools to help us with our efforts, but it still does take physical effort.

A while ago we purchased something called a “Lehman’s Hand Washer.” (note: the cost has risen a lot since we purchased it). Since I was living in a modern household, I never got around to using it. We purchased it for our future “low impact” house. Now I have no choice but to use it.

Our first step is to find the dirty clothing and soak it overnight. I was amazed at how well that first step of soaking the clothes removed dirt from clothes.

We place laundry soap (I use earth friendly right now) and water into the washer. I then add clothes. I end up doing a few loads and reuse the water: whites, then underwear/pajamas, shirts, and then play clothes and jeans. Notice the order. Really – how clean do play clothes need to get? They will be dirty again as soon as the kids leave the house!

We agitate the clothes for a few minutes (I tell our 8 year old to count to 300 as he agitates the pendulum). The agitation in the soapy water helps remove the soil. In this picture, the top is off so that you can see the clothes in the basin.

After the clothing is washed, it is put into a tub to rinse. Rinsing may involve plunging the clothes through the water a little. Sometimes in means a trickle of clean water through a hose. Or sometimes we need to use the washboard and then rewash (not often).

The clothes are then put through the wringer to remove excess water. This is the one thing that I do not allow the children to do. Watch those fingers!

The final stage is to hang on the line to dry. (Of course we fold and put the clothes away after that, but of the wash/dry efforts, it is the last step).

Yes, it does take some time, but when I have all of the children involved, then they are occupied rather than making more messes for me to clean up after.

I am amazed – I had thought that the only way that things could be done appropriately was through modern technology. I think I was stuck in thinking that if something is done by hand, it is inferior to that same thing done by machine. The clothes are actually cleaner by this method of cleaning than they were when I was depending upon a machine. It makes me think of people in my mother’s generation who were taught to believe that manufactured things were better than natural ways to do things – like feeding babies. Many in my mother’s generation believed that to feed a baby, the baby should be fed bottle + formula rather than by breast. Now, of course, we know that breast is best, but formula is available for those who can’t or don’t want to. Similar to that, if the technology is available, it does not mean that it does things better – perhaps it saves time, but it does not mean that it is cleaner.

This experience is encouraging me to rethink the ways that I do things. I grew up with modern technologies – it does not mean that these technologies are the best remedy. Oh, and yes, my clothes are cleaner now than they were with a washing machine!

Read Full Post »