Washing clothes... by hand

I mentioned in my previous blog that my sister got married last year. Part the process of her moving out was dividing the belongings we had purchased together and shared the cost of during our time living together. It felt like we were getting a divorce! "This is mine and that is yours..."

Moving on... One of the things we decided that she would take was the washer and dryer set we had purchased together from our parents. When we first moved out we had a single tub washer and spinner which worked really well, but during rainy season it is hard to get clothes dry. It is fabulous to have fluffy towels :)

Anywho... My sister got the washer and dryer, but when they moved they found that they couldn't fit them into their house. I got to keep them for a while, but a few months ago she found her way around the problem and TOOK MY BABIES AWAY!!! 

Since that fateful day I have had to find an alternative way of getting clean laundry. My parents (who live one street away) and my other sister (who lives across the street) have graciously offered to let me wash clothes at their house, but it is a bit of a hassle to have to bring them to another house, wash them, then bring them back. (By the way, I don't mean to be ungrateful. I am SO blessed that my family is so kind to me! I love you guys :) I have found, though, that I CAN wash by hand!

Having grown up in a household with a washer and dryer in the Philippines, I took clean clothes for granted. Even though I was taught how to use the washer and dryer, most times it was like a magical fairy came and did my laundry and deposited the clean, warm, fluffy clothing on my bed. When I moved out, I had a machine still, so it wasn't so difficult. But HAND WASHING, y'all? Well, I had never had to do that. My experience with hand washing was limited and bad. Dry hands, pain, soaking wet clothes after the fact... all not good things. I am happy to report to you, however, that my hand washing skills have improved thanks to a few different things I have learned and am now going to share with you.

1. Use a wash board. 

You know those cute wooden wash boards you see on walls as decoration in some homes, which kind of look like window shutters? Yeah, those are awesome. I have a plastic one which is not likely to give me splinters, and it works wonderfully! Before washboards? My hands would always hurt after washing clothes. After washboards? They don't bother me anymore :)

2. You need the right formula of detergent.

If you have too much detergent your clothes will be hard. If you have too little they will still stink and be DIRTY. Sometimes you can get a bag of detergent with a measuring cup. USE IT!

3. Softener.

Need I say more? You must use softener or it will look like you starched your jeans. "They can stand all on their own!"

4. Rinsing is a skill worth honing.

It will take a lot of water at first, but you can work at it and save the environment by using less water. It's hard not to get soaked completely through in the process.

5. Wring it out...

If you don't wring enough water out, it doesn't matter how much softener you use, your clothes will still be hard and rough.

6. Wash at the best time and with enough space.

Whatever time your clothesline is in the sun is the best time to wash. If it is dry season, it doesn't really matter when you hang your clothes up; they will dry.You will also need enough space to hang. Those clothes need to be able to breathe.

7. You will begin to ration clothing.

"Have I worn this before? Does it smell bad? What if I use perfume...?" Yeah... ew... But these thoughts do cross your mind. You are more likely to think about what you wear, not because you are concerned about fashion, but because you want to limit the amount of laundry you will have to do.

8. You have to schedule laundry time.

Before I could put a load of laundry in the washer and at night then change it to the dryer in the morning. Now I have to have about 30 minutes for a single load of laundry. It takes a little time, but it's worth it.

9. You feel more accomplished after washing laundry by hand.

Your bed sheets, clothes, and towels are all clean and smell fantastic, and these two hands of yours did that (with a little help from Downy and Ariel)! Somehow it feels like a huge accomplishment when you have no dirty laundry in the house.

All in all, I have learned a lot. I have a lot of respect for the women who make their living going house to house and washing clothes; it takes a lot of hard work. I also realize how much I took for granted as a child, and it has been a good learning experience for me.

I am also saving up to buy a washer :)

The perks (?) of living alone

It has been a while since I have posted and I thought that I might share something that I have learned recently and give a family update while I'm at it.

My younger sister abandoned me got married in August last year, and I have learned a lot of things since she moved out. Below is my "short" list of the nuggets of truth I have learned.

1. Living alone can be lonely
Even if you are an introvert, it is nice to know that someone else is in the house. Maybe you and your siblings don't talk, but sometimes just being present is enough. When you live alone you might begin to talk to the cats. They LOOK intelligent, and sometimes they meow back at you, but they have no input on what you should cook for dinner. Except that they think you should cook something with tuna. ALWAYS tuna.

2. I forget things.
When my sister and I lived together I used her as my "to do" list, my lost items tracker, and just a reminder (forget that I had a cellphone I could use for that!). Now that we no longer live together I have to use the amazing brain that God gave me to remember EVERYTHING. Such a bother... Ok, not really, but having a second brain around to help you remember to get the drinking water bottles refilled is extremely helpful, especially when it is 2AM and you would really like a glass of water and all that is in your house is tap.

3. I have to clean everything on your own.
I used to complain about how lazy my sister was and how she didn't help clean. Boy was I wrong! Even if she didn't do everything, she still helped clean. One thing she did especially well was clean the bathroom, and guess who has to do it now? Even if the cleaning wasn't split 50/50 she did help out.

4. Expenses are all paid by... you guessed it! Me!
It costs a lot to live alone. When you share lodgings you split everything. When you live alone, you split nothing. (When you host people in your house and they help pay for your expenses that is another story, but if you are ALONE, this does not happen) Water, rent, electricity, new appliances, everything is paid by your's truly. This means that penny pinching is done, and that new washer you want to buy? It can wait another month or six. (See my next post about what I've learned about hand washing!)

5. I'm still happy for her.
Even though life has been a bit trying since my sister abandoned me got married, I'm happy that she's happy, and I wouldn't change a thing! :) It has been an adventure living on my own, but I'm up for the challenge, even if I have to get rid of mice on my own (GULP!). Just kidding! I am totally calling my father :)