The glass washboard is used to cause friction to help remove stains from your clothes. Lets say you have a stain such as oil or grease from fixing something. Wet the item to be washed, stroke the stain area genlty across a bar of soap or add a dab of liquid directly to the stain. Rub the stained area up and down the glass area of the washboard. Dunk it in the water and rub. You will see that the stain or dirt will be scrubbed right out. A glass washboard is the best choice, superior to galvanized metal or aluminum, because it will wear longer and not rust. This is the one that Lehmans.com has. The large is $29.95 and the tiny (which I don't use because I find it impractical) is $21.95.
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| Photo courtesy of Lehmans.com |
The second item that all homesteads should have is a commercial salad spinner. This handy-dandy item will spin your clothes dry using centrifugal force just like the spin cycle in a washing machine. Your muscle will help reduce overall drying time. Combined with a wringer, your clothes will dry quicker and look better. It is a pricey item at $89 +, but you can find them on Ebay every once in a while for less. Don't go with anything smaller than the 5 gallon size! Here is what it looks like:
These two items combined with the ones in my prior post will make your laundry time easier and more efficient.The idea is to move soapy water through the clothes to attract the dirt and oils out and to assist with "elbow grease" if more stubborn stains persist. Remove as much water as possible after rinsing all traces of soap out of the cloth. Hang them on the line and enjoy clean, fresh smelling clothes.
Happy washing!
