My last washing machine was terrible. No matter what cycle or soap you used it did absolutely nothing to clean the clothes. Sometimes you would still find dry spots or dry soap in the folds of the laundry.
I decided to just use the tub and see what a difference in the would make. One big plus is that you can actually see how dirty the water is (and your clothes) while washing. It does take a bit of effort on your part though, so only do it if you have a few hours of time.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup borax
- 1/3 cup baking soda
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 2 tbsp dish soap
- 1 load dirty clothes
Fill tub with warm water and 1 load of dirty clothes. Spread soaps in while water is filling. Bring the water level to where the clothes have enough room to easily move around, but not all the way to the top. Squeeze, swish, paddle, or otherwise move the clothes about in the water. Let sit in 15 minute increments and repeat swishing the clothes for 1 hour.
After 1 hour or when water starts to cool, drain the water completely. Wring/twist each individual piece of clothing until you get most of the water out. If the water was very dirty on the first wash, you may want to repeat the warm water wash. If the water wasn't too bad, you can move on to the rinse cycle.
For the rinse cycle, just use cold water and no soaps. You may add in essential oils of your choice for fragrance. Swish and set for 15 minute increments, drain after 30-60 minutes. Wring out clothing and hang dry outside on a warm sunny day for best results.