12 replies to this topic

[Barbara]

Assalam'alaikum,

What about your husband buying another washing machine, even a used one?

I have washed clothes in the tub when I was a student and it never turned out good.  The worst part is when you wring it by hand, you can never remove as much water as the machine when it spins, which means it will take much longer to dry in the dryer.

So definitely tell your husband to buy a new machine or go to the laundrymat.

Barbara

[Um Enis]

I did our laundry by hand for about 6 months when I had no access to a machine, and for a year before that when my access was limited.  What I did was just take regular detergent and put a little water in the tub, then add the rest of the water until it bubbled.  I added the clothes and let them soak for as long as I could... then I agitated or scrubbed (depending on if they were delicates or not) them with my hands.  I let them soak some more and then drained them and squeezed the excess water out.   I made sure any sediment went out the drain, then I filled it with cold rinse water.  I soaked them in the rinse water, then drained them, and repeated the rinse process again until the rinse water was clear.  I squeezed them well, hung them in the tub on a rack until they stopped dripping and then moved them to a sunny window or the balcony.   Its not as bad a process as it sounds, because its mostly soaking.  But do use gloves please, I learned the hard way that laundry detergent is much harsher on the hands than other stuff.  

You'll have to figure out the exact amount of detergent for the size of the tub, sink, or washbin you're using.  For my sink it was barely a splash.  If I filled the tub pretty good, I think I used the amount recommended for a small load in the machine.  You'll be able to see and smell if they're clean or not.  Also, it was a lot easier for me to do them in small amounts daily than to wait and do a bunch in the tub... but I had 5 people at the time, so my daily load might be your weekly load... I remember when it was just DH and I I used to go to my moms house and do the whole weeks worth in just a few loads!

BTW, if you do chuck the machine, the mold should clean up with just bleach, we've had a mold problem too

Oh, and I still hang most of my clothes to dry even though I have a great dryer now, masha allah.  The smell of clean clothes and sunshine is addictive!

Edited by Um Enis, 16 January 2009 - 11:51 PM.

[MissMe_blossom0420]

Salaam!
Haa...I ditto sis Um Enis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Nadia

[americannegypt]

salam alkioum sister.. when i was in egypt this summer, thats what i had.. not a washing machine nor dryer. we were staying in a hotel but the dry cleaning was out of the question, it was me ex dh and his son. i would use the bath tub, ofcourse it was clean i bought bleach and did it myself:) anyways i would soak and rinse with fabric softner, and then ask my ex to get the access water out. and we hung them out on the balcony except our underwear. im glad it was only 4 weeks i was about to go out of my mind!

[mariemuad]

Assalamu alaikum,

I have washed by hand at various times in my life (mainly the times between my machine broking down and buying a new one). Have you ever seen Moroccan women washing by hand? If so, try to remember their technique. However, to make it easier, follow these steps:

1. See if there are any stains on your clothes. These will need to be rubbed on.

2. For shirts, you will need to do a bit on the collar and the underarm.

3. Otherwise, fill the tub with some water, as hot as you can stand and dissolve soap in it. Put the clothes in the tub and walk on the clothes. Yes, walk on the clothes. This will take off most of the dirt.

4. Wash by rubbing a soap bar and then rubbing by hand the stains and collar and underarm. Same for underwear too, of course. And SOCKS.

5. Rinse two or three times and wring the clothes. As you are living in the South, it shouldn't take, at this time of the year, more than 5-6 hours for clothes to dry in the sun (even in the balcony).

6. Do a little every morning instead of leaving it for a few days.

You might find that your hand becomes red though so try not to rub immediately on your hand but rub fabric on fabric.

Umm Hanifa

[Muslimah72]

Asalam Alykum.  Why don't you get this, while you wait to get a standard washing machine.  The machine seems to work, but you'll have to do several loads to get a sizeable amount of items cleaned.  However, you won't have to manually do your laundry, so a big plus.

Edited by Muslimah72, 19 January 2009 - 09:01 PM.

[*UmmD*]

Assalaamuaikum wa rahmatullaah

The sisters mashaAllaah have already given great advice and tips. I have also washed by hand in early marriage for a good amount of time, we couldnt afford a washing machine and neither had the space for it.
I would fill the tub with hot water and add my usual washing tablets/powder. I would give them a good mix and rub and leave to soak for awhile. I would then drain the water and scrub individual items with stains such as socks then fill the tub a little again with hot water to rinse. When it came to wringing them out - the hardest part, my husband would help me and do the larger heavy items, he was better at getting more water out as obviously he is stronger, so the clothes would dry faster.
Lingerie i would do in the sink as they are more delicate.
We would hang them on the radiators to dry.
Alhamdulillaah it is is possible, and im glad i experienced it. Just be positive! New washing machines are expensive so maybe a second hand one is better in terms of cost. Ive never had my own one, im using my mums now whilst she is away and previously I had my landlords which broke before we left (it never got the stains out anyway) so we had to use the launderette,  and before that i was with my in laws!

As for your current machine, I would probably chuck it too unless it wont cost too much to repair, and search for great cleaning tips to get rid of mould. I know 1 part bleach 1 part water sprayed on it over night and then scrubbed down works well, but tiles might need re-grouting or filling around sinks etc. (I dont know what your laundry room is like!)

InshaAllaah everything turns out ok and for the best! And you can hapily do your laundry..

[*UmmD*]

One tip i forgot to mention was to keep an eye on your posture when washing in the tub - dont bend over for long keep straightening out your back! Womens' backs are very fragile and we need them to be kept strong!!

[Zamzam08]

Assalamu 'alaikum

Just a couple of things - be careful not to soak some fabrics,  i soaked my favourite khimar thinking it would be ok since it was thick but unfortunately it's been ruined. Took about an hour of steam ironing to get it to look presentable.

Follow the guidelines at the back of the washing powder box,
don't let clothes pile up, it's easier to wash them as soon as they get dirty so you will have more drying space as they would take a while to dry.
Alhumdulilah i find that clothes dry faster inside, i would leave them outside until the water has stopped dripping and if we won't have any visiters i bring it in the living room and the thickest fabrics would be at least dry in a day.

Yes like sister Mutawakkilah said don't forget to take care of your back, never stoop or twist. the bath tub is too low so i don't use it.

Also don't forget to wear gloves - i learnt that the hard way   my hands are so rough now, subhanAllah i have to pile on the cream .

[Najjouha]

Put the clothes in the tub and walk on the clothes. Yes, walk on the clothes.

oooohh!! sounds very therapeutic, must try

[fragrant]

Salam,

If I have to wash using hands, I will use normal shower foam. Detergent is too harsh on the skin.

I would scrub any stains, otherwise it would just be rinsing, not really scrubbing and washing.