Q&A for How to Wash Clothes without a Washing Machine

Yes. They hand washed everything in the old days.

Both are effective. Some people prefer hand washing their clothes because it saves money or they don’t have a washing machine available.

Use sunlight. It won't clean the stains, but bacteria and most of the odor will dissipate in the presence of sunlight.

Obviously not, all your skin cells, bacteria and perspiration will be in the water then get into your clothes

Yes, it definitely works. But if you press too hard, you could make a hole in the item you're trying to wash. Also, washing clothes with a washboard is exhausting work that takes many hours. That's why they invented washing machines.

People don't really use body soap for handwashing their clothes. We use a bar soap, that is meant for your clothes. They're obviously better than the body bar soap, because it's meant for the clothes and will take away stains. But some people use powder laundry soap too.

Bleach can be used in this way, although take precautions when doing laundry with bleach by hand. Bleach has fumes, and if accidentally splashed, can ruin clothing, shoes and even hair.

Yes. Dish soap is a good substitute for clothing detergent, although be careful to not use too much. It is generally more concentrated than laundry detergent.

A bit of vinegar in the rinse water of hand-washed clothes will help soften clothing. However, be aware that line-dried clothing tends to be more crisp than those that go through a dryer.

Yes, use very hot water brought to the boil in a hot pot. Soak in the liquid laundry detergent and the hot water for at least 30 minutes. Add more boiling water if it's cooling down too quickly. With thick gloves, agitate and squeeze the solution through the textile fibers 3-4 times during soak. At the end, really scrub them well by rubbing them against each other and doing lots of wringing! Do the first rinse in very warm tap water. Then go to cold as it is the best for rinsing suds. Use low suds and dye/perfume free soap. If worn in public or as underwear, add white vinegar to soak the item as hot as label will allow.

Dawn, Ivory or Palmolive with Oxi added are all suitable. For delicates, use Ivory. For dirtier and greasy items. use either Dawn ultra 4X or Palmolive with Oxi. Requires longer soaking time than laundry detergents.

Be careful of signs of rust. You wouldn't want that on your clothes. There are small plungers to be had. You could use your hands. But sure, people with rheumatoid arthritis might find this whole operation difficult if not impossible, depending on the severity.