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

Sue, congratulations on maintaining what you have decluttered. Maintaining the decluttering and organizing is as difficult as maintaining a weight loss after reaching a goal. I see there are a lot of us here trying to clean, declutter and organize. Glenda, why are you using a new service? Were you unhappy with the one you used to have come in every few months? I've been working like crazy since the holidays are over. Yesterday I took everything out of the main bathroom and cleaned from top to bottom. I installed a new towel rack...it was cheap and easy to do. Today I did the same thing to the master bath. So far I've been maintaining too. I've been trying to do one major job a day plus my regular cleaning. After everything is cleaned I need to paint every room except the master bed and bath. I'm having a difficult time selecting colors though. I'll be glad when that is behind me. I want to have all the inside stuff done before the weather is warm enough to work outside. Linda

Stumbled across this item while surfing this morning. Just as so many laundry mavens here are pulling their hair out about sudsing problems, here's the latest feature from Samsung....copied/pasted from their site.....the site that advertises on this forum.....on this thread: "PowerFoam� Technology for foam you can see, clean you can feel PowerFoam� is an exclusive Samsung technology that creates a deep-cleaning foam that�s gentle on fabrics. PowerFoam� washers fill the drum with foam � created from HE detergent, water, and air � during the wash cycle. Foam penetrates fabrics more deeply, thoroughly and up to 40 times faster* than detergent in conventional washers so you can confidently wash large and bulky loads like king-size comforters. *Based on tests using AHAM HLW-I-2007 detergent standards." Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung foam

I have much sympathy for you. I have just been organizing my email after being guilted by visiting relatives who were horrified at my 24000 emails. I had tried to organize it before but have had more success this time by creating files and moving stuff I need to save to those files and then deleting what's left. For ex I'll do a search for anything with our schools name, move all those to the school file. Once I was pretty sure I'd moved everything of importance I deleted everything that was left in my inbox. The panic I felt doing this made me realize I was a bit of an electronic hoarder. And to be honest my hoarding helped after our house fire. When insurance questioned that the chandelier cost as much as it did, I was able to pull up the emailed invoice from RH that was probably ten years old. I had to do this many times as I order a lot online and insurance wants to give you the Walmart equivalent unless you can prove otherwise. Kind of felt vindicated for my hoarding. But really did need to get it under control. You've inspired me to tackle pics next.