Ok so I'm the newby around here but I love this thread you started (apart the squabbling) because if someone has a reason for hand washing they should have somewhere to discuss it. There are plenty of reasons to hand wash things: Travel, Unexpected Trips, Unexpected Delays, Loss of Washer/Dryer, Lack of Access, Global Concerns, Minimalist Living, Avoiding Chemicals.. etc. I have long stints where my only access to washer/dryer are in a communal situation where many of the people have quite a different lifestyle than I do. The management is good about replacing the units as needed but being the one coming behind the sick person or the guy who partied/smoked all weekend is out of luck. I really enjoy the idea of doing things on my own terms in my own time and that is greatly affected when you have a few hundred other people to work around. It's more fun to take one's self out of that hectic/annoying equasion. I'm highly chemically sensitive as well so imagine the courage it takes me just to walk down to that laundry room praying that no one is running chlorox in their loads. (It could be months before I could come across a time when that isn't going on.) After seeing various shows about what lives in the water of most any washer (even privately owned ones) I can't imagine doing my laundry with anyone elses now. Dust mites, Fecal Choloforms among other things are just some of the common things found in water that cause rashes and other problems even on supposedly 'clean laundry'. Because of that now, I don't wash anything without Grapefruit Seed Extract because it's the one of the only things that kills that stuff. I was drawn to the thread also because I was looking for an easier way to handwash items with a low footprint ie.. In a small space to have multi-purposeable items that are easily stored goes a long way. My biggest concerns are: * Avoiding CRUNCHY or STIFF laundry (after all that work). * Finding a way to adequately spin/mangle the water out (without killing the hands completely as I have early onset arthritis)... I am currently using a 6 gallon drink tub with a handle and spiggot so I can move it around and do it wherever I want to and drain most of the water out before moving again. I realize I'm going to need to find a hose of some kind to hook to the sinks though. (Not as easy in the bathroom...) I also want to get a rolling plant stand or something for it so I can move around easily enough, which might actuall work out for agitation of some kind. The lid fits very tightly so it winds up having a wider opening than the WOnder Washer and holds more as well. AGitation? I'm going to look at the agitator on the Lehman's page but for right now I have one of those 'grabber' devices that people use to reach things when they can't bend over safely. Spinner verses Wringer/Mangle? Does anyone have any ideas on which is better in the long run? I've read extensively about two 'small' electrical spinners as well as the 18 inch type hand wringers and I just wonder about the benefits of either item. BOth wind up being a little pricy (@ $150 or more) and I can't imagine spending that kind of money on things that will not work on towels or sheets... Where does all that water go? Do you literally sit inside your tub? As for hanging to dry I have a single pole curtain rod from Ikea but I may go get the double one and put a rod on it without a curtain to drape the larger items over when I wash them. It allows for about a 1.5 inch space between curtains so I figure it will not affect the light weight curtain much if at all. It's right near the cieling fan as well so as long as it's well wrung it should dry quickly. I may post this kind of thread as well under another type of title about being chemically sensitive to see if more people who relate to that might have some experience with what to do. Thanks for any thoughts. I'm so tired of things coming out stiff - like socks, etc. Thanks GG

Does your water have moderate to high concentrations of iron and manganese? Our town water has this, and you basically have to stay away from clorine based products. It will deposit rust looking ick inside your dishwasher and on your dishes, and your white clothing can look discolored. Given this is what happens with iron in solution, got to guess that unprotected metal around your washing machine will also react. I'd bet that even lower grades of stainless steel will have problems with clorine.

I bleach all my towels and washcloths. they stay pretty white, but I've noticed if I do as Oakleyok says and soak them once in a while in hot water with Oxiclean, they really whiten up. I do the same thing, detergent and Oxiclean in the washer, let it fill and spin enough (I have a front loader)to dissolve the Oxiclean then pause it for a couple of hours. I do the exact same thing to get greasy spots out of tablecloths or clothing (except I use warm water). Works every time.

I have washed Brahms Mount cotton blankets using the pillow cycle on my Miele 3037 and a Brahms Mount wool blanket using the handwash cycle. I put the cotton blankets in the dryer on medium and removed them while still damp to finish drying neatly folded. The dryer was not used for the wool blanket. Washing them this way was successful. I have not been brave enough to try washing an alpaca/cotton throw. My concern is that the two fibers may react differently to the same agitation/water temperature/detergent/etc. Perhaps you should talk to someone at Brahms Mount to find out why dry cleaning is recommended. Also, they may have positive or negative feedback from customers who have tried washing the blended products.