Around here, laundry often gets done by hand. It all started as an experiment in DIY borne out of curiosity. As it turns out, I loved it! Benjamin and I have pared down our wardrobes so much that it made little sense to keep using a washing machine to do our laundry: it costs energy and quarters. The only way to get a full load between us these days is to wait for everything to get dirty at once before doing laundry. So I wondered, why not keep up with it a bit at a time by hand?
First, I tried the plunger method, but since I was doing laundry during my shower anyway, using a plunger to avoid splashage was unnecessary. It turned out I preferred using my hands: there is much satisfaction in pushing the clothes down into the warm, soapy water and agitating them with palms and fingers. It’s also extremely rewarding (and alarming!) to see all of the brown water poured off down the drain.
As I gained an understanding of how the materials behaved in being washed, how much dirt they held, how simply and quickly they could be cleaned, and how much dye was lost during each washing, I realized how disconnected I've been from my clothes. In caring for them directly, I cultivated appreciation and thankfulness.
Does it take more time to wash them by hand? Perhaps. But washing machines only make sense when there is a large quantity of clothes to be washed. I’ve spent plenty of time sorting laundry and managing multiple loads. With fewer clothes, it’s as simple as pulling out the wash bucket, dissolving some homemade laundry soap, tossing in a few items, agitate, rinse, wring out and hang to dry in the kitchen by an open window. A day later (two for socks), I put them away. But I’m washing a small quantity of clothes, during a shower that I would be taking anyway, so the biggest change is wringing them out and hanging them to dry. I find that I look forward to this time, because it encourages a single-task mindset.
More importantly than whether it saves time or not, it is fulfilling. It keeps me intentional about what I own, how I care for it, and how I interact with it. It generates mindful living and helps me cultivate care and appreciation for my clothes and lifestyle. It gives the gift of rest to my mind and of movement to my body. It’s a small way in which I can enrich my life with focus and meaning.
