Off-Grid Laundry

You may recall that our winter project last year was repairing the carport. While we were working on it, we discussed what to do with the space. Once upon a time we parked our jeep there, but eventually it became more useful for things other than a car. Expanding it to store firewood was one of the upgrades, and that left us with space to spare.

When Dan installed a rain catchment tank,

we decided to set up an area for laundry. On the back side of the carport, it would be convenient to the clothesline.

We’ve gradually been accumulating everything we need.

We hope to use water mostly come from rain catchment.

Last Sunday we got our first rain since August. Only half an inch, but it’s a start toward quenching the thirsty ground and refilling our rain tanks.

Because I didn’t want to dump the tub water all in one place, Dan installed a hose bib in each tub.

This way I can empty the tubs via hose to where the water is needed most.

No, I haven’t used it yet! But we’ve finally got it set up and I’ve found good information on doing laundry the old fashioned way. One resource is The Laundry Manual; or, Washing Made Easy, published in 1863 by “A Professed Launderer.” It’s now public domain and available for free download from the U.S. Archive. It discusses how to clean various fabrics, soap making, removing stains, starching, ironing, and polishing. It also has a section on bread making!

The other resource is a series of videos from Townsends, who are 18th century living historians. This series is definitely worth a watch:

• Historical Laundry Part 2
• Evolution of the Washing Machine
• Historical Laundry Part 4