I’ve wanted to decide on a powerless laundry option ever since I lived on our stored water for a few days. But I didn’t want to invest in something, put in in my closet and then just pray and hope it would work when the time came. I wanted to make sure that whatever I invested in didn’t waste water, didn’t take an enormous amount of time and most important: got my clothes as clean as possible.
I decided to try an experiment. I bought/made a few various different options for powerless laundry and compared them all to the electric washer that I use every day.
- Option #1: My Everyday washer: A frontloader, LG Tromm
- Option #2: The Wonder Wash (there is a similar less expensive brand at Emergency Essentials)
- Option #3: A Washboard
- Option #4: A plunger made specifically for washing clothes in a 5 or 6-gallon bucket
- Option #5: An inexpensive plunger I cut holes in and used with a 5 or 6-gallon bucket
The Process:
Step #1: I got five white rags and dirtied them each with some garden soil and ketchup. I added stain remover (Oxi-Clean) to the left ketchup stain and let the rags sit for about an hour. Note: I didn’t expect any system to completely get the ketchup out, but purposefully chose something that would leave a stain so I could see which was darkest / lightest etc.
Step #2: I washed each rag using the different systems. I added 7-10 additional rags to each load to make sure there was equal agitation from other items. Each load totaled approximately 1.5 lbs of laundry. I used cold water in all loads since that is likely what I’d be using in an emergency situation.
Step #3:Â I rinsed each rag using the system it was washed in.
Step #4: I dried all rags in my everyday electric dryer to save on time. I’d obviously be hang drying if I was really using these methods.
Results:
System #1: My Frontloader
- Water Used including rinse cycle: Around 10 gallons or 6.7 gallons per pound of laundry. However, I can fit around 20 pounds of laundry in this washer and it will only use 15 gallons of water or 1.3 gallons per pound. If you have a top loading washer, it may use up to 20-40+ gallons per load.
- Time: This cycle (1.5 lb load) took 50 minutes or about 33 minutes per pound. A large (20 pound) load takes around 70 minutes or about 3.5 minutes per pound.
- Amount of Detergent Used: About 1 Tablespoons HE detergent or .67 T per pound of laundry. But even with a large load, I only use 2 T MAX or .1 T per pound.
- Physical Energy Used:Â None.
- Pros: I can put the laundry in a walk away. The rag was clean with this system. Only I was surprised that the stain with the stain remover was actually more visible than the one with stain remover. No dirt visible at all.
- Cons: Can’t use this option when / if living on the stored water. (-:
Powerless Laundry System #2: Wonder Wash (there is a similar less expensive brand at Emergency Essentials)
- Water Used including rinse cycle: 1 gallon or .67 gallons per pound of laundry. The max load (4.5 lbs) uses 3 gallons (including rinse) which is still .67 gallons per pound.
- Time: 10 minutes (2 minute wash, 1 minute rinse) or about 6.6 minutes per pound of laundry. This would be slightly less for a larger load, but not a lot because most of the time is spent wringing out the clothes. If washing, rinsing and filling with water all took about the same amount of time, then wringing out clothes would take about 15 minutes for a 4.5 pound load or 19-20 minutes total which is about 4.4 minutes per pound of laundry.
- Amount of Detergent Used: About .25 T HE detergent or .17 T per pound of laundry.
- Physical Energy Used: Not much at all. This was super easy to spin.
- Pros: Doesn’t use a lot of energy or water. Rag got relatively clean. Stains were still easily visible, but almost all the dirt was gone.
- Cons: Requires hot water. The hot water creates a suction that is what pushes the water / detergent through the clothes. When I tried this system with cold water, it did not work well at all. I did a second run with hot water and it was much, much better.
Powerless Laundry System #3:Â Washboard
- Water Used including rinse cycle: 1 gallon or .67 gallons per pound of laundry.
- Time:Â 30 minutes or 20 minutes per pound of laundry
- Amount of Detergent Used: About .25 T HE detergent or .17 T per pound of laundry.
- Physical Energy Used: A LOT! This was tough! I gained a new admiration for those who did / do their laundry this way daily.  Wow.
- Pros:Â This got the rag the clean:Â No dirt, both stains almost completely gone.
- Cons: Requires a lot of work and a lot of time! Rag was overall a bit darker then all the others as if the dirt / stains had kinda just spread through the whole rag. You couldn’t see the stains / dirt anymore, but the rag was a bit more grey than the others.
 
Powerless Laundry System #4: Plunger made for laundry
- Water Used including rinse cycle:Â Around 3 gallons or 2 gallons per pound of laundry.
- Time: 10 minutes (2 minute wash, 1 minute rinse) or about 6.6 minutes per pound of laundry. This would be slightly less for a larger load (largest possible is around 5.5 pounds), but not a lot because most of the time is spent wringing out the clothes. If washing, rinsing and filling with water all took about the same amount of time, then wringing out clothes would take about 22 minutes for a 5.5 pound load or 28 minutes total which is about 5 minutes per pound of laundry.
- Amount of Detergent Used: About .5 T HE detergent or .32 T per pound of laundry.
- Physical Energy Used:Â A good amount though not nearly as much as with the washboard.
- Pros:Â None that I can see.
- Cons: The plunger kept coming unscrewed as I used it which was frustrating. Rag did not get very clean. Stains were still dark and dirt was still visible.
 
Powerless Laundry System #5: Inexpensive plunger
- Water Used including rinse cycle:Â Around 3 gallons or 2 gallons per pound of laundry.
- Time: 10 minutes (2 minute wash, 1 minute rinse) or about 6.6 minutes per pound of laundry. This would be slightly less for a larger load (largest possible is around 5.5 pounds), but not a lot because most of the time is spent wringing out the clothes. If washing, rinsing and filling with water all took about the same amount of time, then wringing out clothes would take about 22 minutes for a 5.5 pound load or 28 minutes total which is about 5 minutes per pound of laundry.
- Amount of Detergent Used: About .5 T HE detergent or .32 T per pound of laundry.
- Physical Energy Used:Â A good amount though not nearly as much as with the washboard.
- Pros: The plunger stayed together and didn’t come apart! Clothes smelled like rubber.
- Cons:Â Rags weren’t amazingly clean… cleaner than other plunger, but less than clean than all the other options.
 
A Chart:
Here is a chart that sums it all up:
| Frontloader | Wonderwash | Washboard | Laundry Plunger | Cheap Plunger | |
| Water | 1.3 gal / lb | .67 gal / lb | .67 gal / lb | 2 gal / lb | 2 gal / lb |
| Time | 3.5 min / lb | 4.4 min / lb | 20 min / lb | 5 min / lb | 5 min / lb |
| Detergent | .1 T / lb | .17 T / lb | .17 T / lb | .32 T / lb | .32 T / lb |
| Physical Energy | None | Very little | Very High | High | High |
| Cleanliness | Excellent | Good | Very Good | Poor | Fair |
Some Additional Powerless Laundry Tips
Here are a few tips that will help in a powerless laundry situation no matter what system you choose to use!
Shake –Â Shake out your clothes before washing to get rid of dust debris.
Soak – Soaking helps loosen dirt and debris, so if you have the time to soak your clothes before washing, do it!
Boil – If something needs to be sanitized (underwear, throwup etc), boil it.
Wring – Wring out as much soapy water as you can before rinsing. You will remove dirt and soap from the clothes and make the rinse cycle more effective. Wring again before hanging to dry. I used a mop wringer for larger items. It didn’t get them as dry as a hand wring would, but it made it possible to get enough water out that I could then hand wring them.
Soften – Baking soda is a natural fabric softener. Add a teaspoon to your rinse cycle!
The Best Powerless Laundry Option?
For my family, I have decided that a washboard / wonderwash combo is the best powerless laundry option.
I will use the washboard to remove stains etc and the wonderwash to wash clothes. I know this will require fuel (for the hot water), so I will keep the inexpensive plunger as a backup option.
Depending on the reason why we need to do powerless laundry, I may use the plunger to save on fuel if needed. I will be returning the more expensive plunger as it wouldn’t even stay together for me.
What will you do for your family?
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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
This past summer I decided to do off grid laundry to save electricity/money & “practice” for off grid. We are 2 adults & 2 teenagers & our clothes don’t get really sweaty & stained. I found a free-standing mop sink at a yard sale for $10 & I was in business. I used water that I hauled from the house & set up on the patio. I make my own liquid laundry soap that includes borax & washing soda & I found soaking in that for a few minutes worked well to remove stains. I bought a cheap plunger & drilled 4 holes in it-worked like a charm. I use white vinegar as fabric softener/soap remover & hung the clothes to dry in sun. I actually enjoyed it although I couldn’t do bedding because my hands just weren’t strong enough to wring them (I’m 70). Once the weather got cold & damp my experiment came to an end but I intend to resume this spring.
What a great experience / story Linda! I’m impressed! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. And good luck this spring.
Thank you so much for doing all this extensive practical experiments so that I didn’t have to!! I know that when I’m looking for alternative ways to do things, I research the heck out of it, so this made my life a lot easier. ????????????✨
Thanks, Misty. Some of the comments are really good, too.
I would think that the washboard method would not only be a lot of work, but the wear and tear on your hands would rapidly become problematic, unless an unlimited supply of gloves were stored.
Oh, adding gloves is a great idea! Thanks Regina!
When my youngest boys were in cloth diapers and we didn’t have a washer, I didn’t know any of this stuff existed. We used the bathtub and a large stick for starters and then elbow grease and/or feet for the rest, yep I splish splashed in the tub 😉
That is the one method I still need to try and compare Kelley!
Thanks for doing the research, Misty! I have a plunger-and-buckets setup, but haven’t tried it yet. I love the idea of comparing between “modern” and “improvised” systems. I’ll have to run my own now!
Here’s a kind of side note. I’ve found a homemade stain remover that requires a little patience, but you can make it “on the spot”, so to speak. I know there was a formula to it originally, but now I just kinda home brew it. Depending on how much I need I just increase the amounts. I use a ramekin on the dryer to mix it up, then apply to the clothes. Once applied, let it sit for about 25 minutes. Oh, the recipe? Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap (like the blue brand). The dish soap help cut any embedded grease. The peroxide is great for organic stains (especially blood). The baking soda give it a little foaming action and also a light abrasive if you feel the need to scrub.
I usually dump the baking soda in first, then add the peroxide to make a thin paste. Add the dish soap, only a little is needed. Stir well, then apply. I uses a spoon to keep it all mixed and spread on the clothes.
That with the homemade liquid laundry soap and I have great success in my machine. Now to try it in the bucket!
we have a little wonder washer. It is about 35 years old but still works fine. I had to mend the lid where I tightened it too much but since then it has soldiered on. Mine is more spherical than the one in your picture. It can do around 2.5kg of laundry at a time which is about half what my ordinary electric washing machine can handle…You do need to get the water hot for best results. I use a camp shower bag out in the garden which gets quite hot enough on a good day .
I wish I had the 35 year old one Chris! Sounds like it holds more!
Thanks Misty for giving me great Ideas and thanks to everyone else for all of the pointers!
I LOVE that you read through all the comments and asked questions etc. Glad to have you here Dixean!
When I was growing up my mom used a 50 gallon barrel called a “suds saver”. The washer pumped the used wash water into the barrel and used that water for the next load. She started with whites and hot water. Then the next load was towels and light colors, the next was dark colors. The water was cold by the last wash and the darks recieved 2 rinses.
I thought that would be a good idea for hand washing emergency style so I gave it a “spin”. I used a 20 gallon rubbermaid for my wash and another for my rinse water. 5 gallons water in each. I used my home-made laundry soap with oxyclean. I used the blue washing plunger. I purchased a hand wringer which proved invaluable since I have arthritis in my hands. Hand wringing was not an option. It took more water out of the clothes which also kept my rinse water cleaner. I plunged longer and let the clothes sit for a while after the first 5 min. plunge. then I plunged after the soak for another 5 minutes. Same with rinse., It took longer, but my clothes turned out nice. I found I could wash more clothes in the bigger tub with the same amount of water. I did have to add a couple gallons to the wash water at the end because it was de-pleated. Really good practice. You really have to plan a wash day like the old timers did. I like your idea of doing a load a day.
I also have an old milk strainer that I can use to strain the debris out of canal water and wash my dark clothes in that. Saving cleaner water for other uses.
Great ideas and tips Dixean! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your experiment!
Great article! A much needed comparison of some SHTF options. I need something to do laundry in my prep kit but hadn’t decided what route to go. Your article was very helpful.
I’m glad to hear that Kyris!
I buy the small boxes/bags of laundry soap found in the laundry mat in each family members prep kit. That way I can have laundry soap for up to 5 times. Also rope and 10 clothes pins. You can use clothes pins for more than laundry!
Smart!
Hi, Misty. Loved your article comparing washing methods. I spent 3 months in Honduras and had to
wash all my clothes by hand. Here is what I found: jeans take forever to wash and line dry. Many women wear cotton skirts because they are easier to wash and dry quicker. I was fortunate enough to NOT have to wash on a rock in the river like so many ladies did. We had a naturally fed holding tank with a concrete scrub board on one half of the top. I want one of these even now! As for the hard labor, the plus is, you build muscle! It is an awesome workout and, as I am top heavy and hold weight in my arms and back, I toned up and lost almost 30 lbs by the time I got home! Just some thoughts. Thanks for checking out these methods and reporting your find.
Thanks for the insight Laura! I love when those with real life experience share.
Wow! Great idea! Thanks!
i wish I could find the link but I ran across a post about a system for a large family, two large tubs (plastic with rope handles) and a paddle system that ran off a hand crank one side for wash one for rinse and a hand crank wringer (lehmans sells them) this was a diy job but would wash a full load of laundry instead of a few articles at a time.
I have 4 kids and for 5 months I had no washer or dryer. I soaked dirty clothes in a Rubbermaid tote overnight and then dumped it into the bathtub (plugged) in the morning, rolled up my pant legs and swashed them around with my feet to agitate them. Then I’d drain the tub and swash and squish as much water as I could put before using the detachable shower hose to run clean water of each piece of laundry. Then hand wrind and hang off hangers and the shower bar (it was winter in upstate NY no line drying then) it was a process for sure. I did a load a day M-F and on weekends I’d play catch up with things like towels and hubs work clothes. Kids enjoys helping me “wash” the clothes. We learned a lot about what can be worn more than once and how to keep stains at bay for sure! But when your washer breaks late fall and you barely have enough $ to get through winter as it is you make do until you can do something else.
A bar of fels naptha and a soft bristle scrub brush got out stains nicely. I make my own powdered detergent and honestly our clothes were about the same as with a washer and dryer, just stiffer lol.
Someone else mentioned the bathtub and stomping idea to me…said it worked really well. I’ll have to try it out and maybe add it to the post!
Hello, I was wondering if you considering adding the Laundry pod to your test? At around $100, it is probably the most expensive non-electric option, so I have been very hesitant to spend the money if it doesn’t get the clothes clean enough…
I may in the future Megan. I’m not sure I want to invest $100 for the experiment either! I’ll see if they might be willing to donate one! 🙂
Hello. I am 57 yrs old and over the years had tried all of those methods. In my younger years I used a washboard in a half bathtub (out of necessity when overseas). It worked very well and my arms got much stronger. I had control of each item and could see where to concentrate my scrubbing.
Some years back I tried the WonderWash but it didn’t do very well with dirty jeans. I wasn’t impressed.
I have the blue plunger and use it for awhile. Yes, it would unscrew but others said all they did was put several screws in to hold in place. I just made sure it was on real tight and I did ok. But this one did a good job. I did it more than 2 minutes, though. Many people are using this method and are very happy with the results. Considering how it forces the water through the fibers of the clothes I’d say that it one of the better methods providing one plunges long enough and uses a good detergent. : )
Thanks so much for your valuable insight Ann!
You are a real trooper and know how to make it do or do without! A great example for all of us! Thanks for sharing.
I will agree with this. Plunge longer and let the load soak in between plunges.
I love how scientific you were at testing these options. This is a very significant outcome that will definitely influence my choices. I have been putting together non-food items for Emergency Preparedness. This was my next consideration. Thank you.
Hi Misty. I have some items for powerless laundering, but hadn’t used them yet (including the washboard and the blue plunger-style washer) but hadn’t really considered the Wonder Wash. After reading your post, I added it to my list of prep items I want to get some day…and then just last week found a brand-new Wonder Wash at a thrift shop, in original box no less, for $2.00. If I hadn’t read your post, I would have passed right by this gem. It’s nice to have options! Thanks so much for the great information you always share with us.
I used the wonder wash and an electric spin dryer myself so I could do laundry in my apartment I loved them. After I moved country my mum kept the electric spin dryer she loved it so much 😀
Can you tell me more about the electric spin dryer? Is that all it does is spin dry? How big is it? Price? Etc. Thanks 🙂
https://youtu.be/R1hD-KYfmIY?list=PL238B737E3688AE03 Here is a good video about the combo I use. I’ve moved back to the US with my fan and have started using the combo again, still work well. On the rare occasion we use a washer we use the spin dryer to get more water out of the cloths.
God bless you for this post!!! I have been considering power-down laundry options and you just did my work for me!! Very helpful post!! Thanks so much!!!!
Yay! Thanks for taking a minute to let me know it was helpful!
What about a wringer washer? I realize you need power, but if you had a generator or some other power (solar, etc), this could work. I personally use one every day, and I LOVE it.
Can you link to one? I’d be interested in trying though you are right, it would only work in a powerless situation for those with a generator (we have a solar one)
https://enlighteninglife.com/category/2014/
There is a picture of one here, almost exactly like mine. Please ignore the page its on, I have no idea what that stuff has to do with a wringer washer lol.
Just your average metal tub with a roller wringer attached, with a motor underneath to run the wringer and the agitator. Pull button on the side turns on the agitator, lever on the wringer can put it in backward, forward, neutral for moving around, and locked. Also has a button to release tension in the rollers so you can extract a stuck item lol. Which you should do when you aren’t using it, otherwise you get flat spots on your rollers. Even has a handy hook on the side to hang your lid. Oh and you fill it with water by hose, garden will do, and it has a small hose for draining. It hooks up the side when you’re washing, and when you’re ready to drain you unhook and let it fall; gravity drains the water.
You can let things agitate as much or as little as you want; I may let towels that are mostly clean IMO agitate about 5 min, while the jeans my husband wears to do dirty jobs can agitate 20 min – they go in brown and come out blue lol.
Side note: one very good remover of stains is sunlight. I’d heard this, now I’ve experienced it. Had some, er, unmentionables with icky stains that NEVER came out with a modern washer. Half a dozen washings with line drying, and they’re almost as good as new.
Awesome! Thank you so much for the info!
This was so neat! I was given the Wonder Wash for a wedding gift and it does work well–though I HATE hand wringing. My hands always get raw after a load. I’d wondered about the special plunger, glad to know it doesn’t work well–thank you! One thing I’d heard of to help with the wringing is to get two simple 5 gallon plastic buckets that can stack in each other, punch holes through the bottom of one, put your soaked clean load of laundry in it, then push the water out through the holes with the top bucket. Has anyone tried this? Is there any other option for wringing? Thank you again for doing this comparison!
I too would love to hear of other options for wringing!
Good Idea!
WOW!
That was an awesome comparison on those non electric wash methods.
Thanks so much!
Very, Very Valuable info.
You are very welcome Sandra!
I like my little blue “plunger” in a bucket. I keep it in the camper during camping season and use it routinely to wash out a few things. You are right that the torque tends to cause it to unscrew but I didn’t go to the trouble of putting a lid on it so I can see and feel if it starts to get loose. And, granted, if I had stains or spots, I would resort to pre-scrubbing those by hand, but for everyday rinsing out the socks and shirts, it works great. Yes – a lot less work than the wash board. Bonus – it stores well and the bucket can serve multiple purposes. – but I love your analysis!
Thanks for the input Janene!
I had considered the rubber plunger, but each time i see one i pick it up and the smell puts me off. Thank you for telling me that the clothes will smell of it. I had always worried they would. I can’t stand that smell. I wonder if there is any way to reduce the smell of the rubber.
The blue one doesn’t smell of rubber. I bet if you glued it well to the stick, it would work better (b/c it wouldn’t fall apart while being used).
Thank you SO MUCH for this article! I have often thought about which one to go for and this really helps. I knew I would have a washboard at the very least I could use with a bucket but I had seen the other options out there. Now I know which one works best!
You are very welcome LeAnn! Glad to have you here.
Wow, great info. Thanks for doing all this work and sharing what you found. I have wondered about all of these options but haven’t yet purchased anything. I was leaning towards the wonder washer, it’s good to know that a back-up of the plunger would be smart and cheap way to go.
I’m so glad you found it helpful Sara! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Very good article! Thanks for taking the time to not only run this experiment, but to also post it.
You are very welcome Rob! I’m glad you found it helpful.