Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Anyone have one of these?


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23305 -- Pressure Handwasher
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=15>http://www.lehmans.com/images/us/glo...s/spacer01.gif</TD><TD width=580>Pressure Handwasher
Wash small loads quickly and easily This little pressure washer is portable and quick. It cleans clothing with very little water and soap in only two minutes! It's not magic, it's science. When warm water is sealed in the airtight drum, the heat causes the air to expand, which builds pressure. This drives the soap and water into the clothing and combines with agitation to "blow" the dirt out. Put warm water and detergent into the drum with the clothing, rotate for 1-2 minutes, then dump and rinse. Ideal for delicate fabrics (use lukewarm water). Maximum load: 5 adult shirts or 1 pair of jeans. Works best on small loads. Detailed instructions included, 1-year warranty. 17"Hx12"W, 4 lb. USA made.
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http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/prod...ProductID=1600
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Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

No, they look good and I checked them out, but I am cheap,
I DO have a 5 gallon plastic bucket,
a (new..:):):) ) toilet plunger to put through a hole in the top,
and a clothesline...
Regards,
Haystackneedle

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

I would like one a tad bigger. Excellent concept though. Tumble type washers don't require a huge amount of water to be very effective.

sb

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

"Hand" powered washing is old news

Attachment 40842

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

A while back I saw one my friend had just bought. His first few washes went well, I believe. Though I lost touch soon after. One of the most thoughtfully self-reliant people I have ever met, he had washed plenty of clothes by hand, and thought this method superior. It's about the pressure...using the energy in hot water to do the work.

To take it a step further, depending on your latitude, one could boil water in a solar oven, I imagine, and then use it in this simple machine.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Whether it boils (and therefore latitude) is of no consequence.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Well while Im cruising here I'll add this.. Lehmans has a plunger designed for bucket clothes washing and then you can use an ordinary mop bucket with a mop wringer to wring out the extra water... along with a clothes line outside or a folding wood rack inside next to the woodstove... this system worked well in the Idaho mountain cabin.

Don't see a price for this little machine, but I'll quess my system is cheaper and will last a very long time,

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Yeah, I have one, my own two hands and a bucket. Really, on lots of clothes, soak them overnight, wring out, rinse, wring out again, hang, they are clean, unless they are greasy, then use a degreaser. Spot treat any stains before soaking.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

I would like one like that with the capacity of a modern washer and powered by foot, not by hand.

Imagine an exercise bike rigged up to a spinning drum like that...

I may generate a heck of alot more power at a much more sustained duration if I was using leg power instead of arm power.

I have this meter on my exercise bike and it told me I was generating an average of 150 watts during my casual exercise last night. I figure I could do over 200W and sustain it for a good 30 minutes at least.

Would be sweet if I can get something to actually transfer my leg power into the wattage this thing claims I am generating though.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

I have one of those and it works quite well. True, you can't stuff a kingsize comforter in it, but it holds more than i expected.

Durability I don't know about. We tested it and stored it away. It is with the solar oven, solar showers, solar battery chargers, crank radio, etc. I got kind of extreme getting set up to be reasonably comfortable and sanitary (as well as fed and having water) in a disaster, and Katrina kicked it up a notch.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

In Laos, in the mornings the locals would beat the clothes on concrete with washing soap. I didn't get a chance to have a good look at the whole process, but it didn't take them long to do.

I'm assuming after beating them on the concrete they rinsed/wrung them out then hung the clothes out to dry (undercover mind you) as monsoons would come along every few hours, and wet everything again.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

I would like to see one of those scaled up for bigger loads.:shocked_ma: Concrete mixer size.:applause_

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Theoretically, it shouldn't be hard--I envision something along the lines of one of backyard compost kits that use the 55-gallon drum to mix the stuff. If you're handy with tools and a torch you could probably make one from an old beer keg!

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Back when I was still a wage slave, I dreamed of the day I could become retired and travel around the country living full time in an RV. The RV catalogs carried these hand turned washers and I figured I should get one but never did. Also, figured I would be able to get my wife to use the thing. However, she'd make it a condition on me that I'd have to take the clothes to the coin laundry and wash them myself.

Well, I've got the RV, but not the cute little washing machine, nor do I get to travel around the country living full time in my RV. Anyone want to buy an RV? I gotta go do the laundry now.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

This model comes with a handy wringer attachment.

http://www.northerntool.com/images/p.../350260_lg.jpg

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

Hey BS, about your sig:

Reality is a Recurring Event

If this is true, I don't think anyone has told the Democrats! :D

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

About the washer, cm on you guys. Its really cute and probably works well but its totally impractical unless your washing clothes for Barbie and Ken. I do two loads of laundry a day in a giant size washer. It would take all day in that little thing.

If we have to hand wash Ill be using the washboard and ringing out clothes in the mop buckets.. LOL

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

ISN'T THAT WHAT MY MOTHER IN LAW IS HERE FOR...:sarcasm:

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

practicality depends on lifestyle, size and maturity of family, and energy situation....

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

About this washer , yes I think i needs to be bigger. It's probably marketed for campers and such, to do very small loads like underwear and delicates. But the concept of doing the gargantuan loads of laundry we now do will change. We simply wont have the time or the resourses. My Dad has talked about how when he was a kid lots of emphsis was placed on not needlessly soiling your clothes. I think until he was 10 years old he only had one or maybe two pairs of pants at the most. Wash day was once a week except for maybe underwear. It was hard work and time consuming. In my travels to third world countries I see how careful people are with their clothes. If they spill something on them they clean the spot quickly, they don't have the luxury of just throughing the whole thing in the "washer".

My kids are a perfect example of a fat, lazy, rich society whose priorities are different. They think nothing of wearing a pair of jeans for 3 hours and then chucking them into the laundry bin to be washed. As times get tougher this will change. Our priorities will change.

I think the key to this is being able to anticipate what the changes will be and be able to prepare now while it is a relativley easy to do. Keeping that in mind this little washer is a good idea but , yes, I wish it were a bit bigger.

sb

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

SB, there is a God. Your kids will change when they start doing their own laundry. I promise.
Since my Daughter got her apartment she morphed from a messy, thoughtless, wasteful teen into a frugal neat freak who is delightful to be around.!!!! Who have guessed..

I do hear what you are saying. We will have to go back to the old system of reduced clothing and taking care of our clothes so we dont have to wash them as often.

Re: Hand powered "washing machine"
 

On my last long trip in 1994/95. I was travelling with a SMALL backpack of less than 10 pounds. I only washed my clothes in sinks without any soap, wringed them out and hanged them to dry. I didn't use any soap at all, instead I brushed my skin when showering. Had a wettex cloth instead of a towel to dry myself with. For the eleven months I was travelling I spent about 2500 dollars, and didn't have much of healthproblems (apart from getting Hepatitis A from drinking bad smelling water at a hotell in south India). The current cleanliness hysteria in society is unhealthy! People used to have sunday clothes, the rest of the time they were going around in clothes that were more or less dirty.