[AndyH]

I picked this tip up from my grandmother. When hand washing those clothing items that require it, you don't actually have to squish your clothes in detergent water with your hand. You can use a toilet plunger (one that has never been used in a toilet, obviously). I use the simple brick colour plunger (I am not allowed to post a link to a photo).

Since I got my own small apartment, I no longer have lots of storage space for things like basins. So my mop pail doubles as a hand laundering basin. It's narrower, so if I plunge down on clothes, the water tends to squirt up the sides. I got smart and drilled holes throughout the plunger using my largest drill bit. It's a bit better, but I needed lots of holes because, otherwise, the water squirting through the holes can be just as high (or higher) than the water squirting up the sides of the pail.

These plungers don't last forever. Being lazy I avoided wearing hand washables for years (or simply ran them through a normal laundry machine). When I could not avoid hand washing (such as now), so much time had passed that I found that the rubber part of the plunger was dried and crumbling (and disintegrating into powder, yuck). Obviously, I need to replace it with a new one, and redrill the holes. Surely there has got to be a less jury-rigging solution. Drilling into the plunger leaves a mess.

What are some implements that you use to assist in hand washing?

 

[katelove]

I wash most "hand wash only" things in the machine. I just put them in a lingerie bag. If I think something really can't handle that then, TBH, I have never found it that onerous to just use my hands. I guess you could use a wooden spoon or potato masher if you particularly wanted an implement.


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[AndyH]

Thanks, I'll keep those options in mind. The spoon doesn't really have a large area, and the potato masher will probably take a toll on the clothes over time. I may just give in and use the delicate cycle of a washing machine. It's just such a waste for so few hand-washables. Maybe I'll throw in normal clothes, though I suspect that delicate washing doesn't do as rigorous a cleaning as a normal wash cycle.