Washing Clothes Manually and Easily:

 

While today we can enjoy washing clothes with a push of a button, one skill that is important to learn is washing clothes manually. If you lost power and weren’t able to wash in your automatic washer, have you practiced doing it manually? Wait..did I say, practice? Yes!
 

Not that manually washing clothes is overly complicated, but knowing how to do it effectively does matter. Typically you would use one bucket (or other container) for your soapy water and another for your rinse water. We actually prefer one wash bucket and two rinse buckets, to get out all that soap and grime.
 

If you are fortunate enough to have a washboard, then washing will go quickly and you’ll get a good workout too. There are many different types of washboards, but we recommend trying the Maid-Rite Washboard, Behrens Large Washboard, or the one pictured above that we use called the Breathing MobileWasher. All of these options are affordable ranging between $16-$22.
 

At first glance the Breathing MobileWasher might look more like a bathroom plunger, but don’t let the look fool you it works!
 

 

Now that you know what cleaning tool to use, maybe we should talk about the type of soap too. When using a washboard, we prefer to use a bar of Fels-Naptha. You can pick this up in single bars in your laundry isle, or online in bulk Fels-Naptha 24 count.

For washing with a MobileWasher, I use homemade laundry detergent. It is super cheap to make and depending on which recipe you use, works extremely well. This is my all-time favorite recipe for laundry detergent: ‘Moms Super Laundry Sauce’. Another alternative though is a simple homemade liquid detergent recipe as follows (I recommend using fels-natpha in it):
 

 

If you happen to use store bought detergent or just prefer to stockpile it, I would choose one that is specifically made for cold water washing. This allows you to use cold water on all of your clothing, without the need for wasting resources to heat the water. At times this can be also especially important, if your resources are limited and you can not afford to use any extra resources to heat the water.
 

Now that we’ve covered the washing of the clothes, let’s talk about wringing and drying them. Wringing clothes out manually, takes a lot of work…and a lot of muscle! Years ago when I lived in a little duplex, I had to hand wash all of our clothes in the bathtub, hand wring them, and hang them out. I did all of that without a washboard too, which made things really tough! I look back though on that time, and am glad that I learned those skills. Yes it sucked royally, but If I had to do it now with just soap and water; I could.

So let’s get to wringing! You have a few options when it comes to wringing out your clothes. The first of course is to just do it manually. If you are in good physical condition and enjoy getting a good workout, this may be the method for you. However it is important to tell you that depending on the amount of clothing to be washed, you are going to be exhausted. If you are an older person, someone with more limited mobility, or a person that just wants to get it done quicker, you may consider using a manual wringer to assist you.

You can get a complete setup using items like these:

 

You could also just build your own setup like this one found at smallcabin.com:
 

One quick note: add a bit of white distilled vinegar to your rinse water to help soften the clothes. Also before you hang each item, shake it out. This helps to remove excess water and pull out any large wrinkles.
 

To hang you can use a regular clothes line set in between two poles if you have the space, a retractable clothes line, or an outdoor umbrella style clothes dryer. In case of bad weather, you of course may need to hang clothing indoors. I usually do this in the shower so the excess water can drip down the tub, but you can also use a drying rack if you prefer.
 

There are two keys to proper drying. The first is to use durable wooden clothespins, either the traditional style or regular style. Personally, I’m not a fan of plastic clothespins. They break too easily and are a waste of money. The second key to hanging is proper spacing. If the clothes are crammed together, the clothes will not fully dry. Scatter them out a bit, as space allows.
 

Ta da…..

See there if you were to lose power, you now know how to wash and dry clothes manually & easily!
 

Two Last Reminders:
 

1. Remember to bring in your clothespins when not in use, especially if you use wooden ones. Otherwise they can get all mildewy…(is that a word) and funky, and who wants that!
 

2. Did you know that drying clothes outside can literally save you hundreds of dollars a year? Seriously! Check out this Cost Per Load Calculator to see for yourself.

 

 

Cooking from Scratch, Plus Recipes

 

 

 

I know that in todays world we all stay so busy, after all it’s a rat race out there. Whether you’re a working parent, stay at home mom, empty nester, college student or whatever your particular situation is; there are ways you can incorporate scratch cooking into your life.

Think about how homemade you want to go with your cooking. Just enough to get past those microwavable and boxed meals or full on homemade noodles, sauces, and breads. Buying prepackaged or processed foods can seem like a quick solution, but there are quite a few things that go along with them to think about. First, they are not nutritionally the best option.

On a side note, I used to really be into extreme couponing and I was one of those people that a lot of people hated to get stuck behind in line. I could easily get $300 worth of food for $80 bucks. But many of those items did end up being boxed dinners and processed foods. Like many people I did not consider the nutritional values of what I was buying. It was fast and cheap, that’s really all I cared about. Now that I have been cooking more from scratch, those boxed meals are a thing of the past. I can make the same meals and control the ingredients.

Secondly, they can also be very expensive. Don’t throw your money away on overpriced convenient foods. You can save so much just by cutting out the dinners out and by making things at home. If time is an issue, we will look into that too.
 

 



Let’s look at five benefits to cooking from scratch:

1.     Controlling the ingredients. A lot of processed foods have a high a high level of sodium and sugar. One example I read was from an article on livestrong.com. It was discussing one particular TV dinner that was beef tenderloin paired with a side of mac and cheese. The meat had 48 milligrams of sodium, and the mac and cheese had 470 milligrams of sodium and 10 grams of sugar. Notice that was 10 grams of sugar, not milligrams. That is a lot of sugar for mac and cheese! When you make a homemade meal it’s also nice to know where the ingredients come from, especially if you can find ingredients locally so you know they’re fresh.

 

 

2.     It saves money! Many of the items you purchase will last for more meals then you’d think. For instance, if you buy flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and sugar you have the makings for various items that will last you a while. And speaking of that when you’re shopping, calculate the savings. You can buy a regular sack of flour or sugar for $3 bucks or less, or you can get double that amount for two dollars more. This will help you keep these items in your pantry longer and you’ll have them on hand when your kids are beating you down for pancakes.

 

3.     It tastes better! This one is pretty self-explanatory I know, but you are the master of your kitchen and you can take pride in your dishes. If you are one of those people who think that they can’t just get in there and whip something up so easily, remember that is what cook books are for. I have lots of cookbooks and believe me I use them all the time for new ideas. Usually after you make the dish a few times, you’ll even be able to do it on your own. No worries, this isn’t master chef lol

 

4.     Teaches your children skills! I love to have the girls help me in the kitchen. In fact last night, two of them were in charge of battering up our chicken for frying. With kids and todays’ overload of technology, I consider them taking time to help as a win. Letting them help in the kitchen also teaching them about the importance of quality ingredients and proper procedures for using tools and equipment.  If yours are too young to use utensils such as knives, have them do other things to help you out. You never know it could spark a lasting passion!

 

 

5.     Dinner time! You get to sit down with your family and enjoy a meal that YOU created. This alone should be something to take pride in and this is vital for bonding with your family. If you don’t already, turn all the phones and distractions off, and talk to each other. I remember about 5 years ago when the girls were smaller, I was working a lot of overtime. We lived in a little bitty house and didn’t even have a dining room table. When I mentioned we were getting a set, Brittney was so happy because she said we could finally sit down and eat as a family. That hit me like a ton of bricks and made me realize how important those little moments were to them.

 

Now if scratch cooking seems intimidating, it really isn’t. It’s completely up to you, how much or how little you want to incorporate it into your life. My thoughts are, start small. No one expects you to be Martha Stewart, and don’t you expect that either. You’re going to make mistakes, we all do, but hey that’s life.

Another obstacle for many people is that they are so busy; they don’t think they have the time to come home and then make a meal. That is where creativity comes into play. Even if you can’t cook a meal seven nights a week, shoot for 3 nights. If you have a crockpot, there are so many different types of meals you can throw together and have ready later. Just start it on your way out the door in the morning, and when you come home you will have dinner ready. You can also use meal planning or make a week’s worth of meals and freeze them for later. There are tons of shortcuts. Like I said before there are always cookbooks and also the internet has tons of recipes out there, I utilize that a lot!

Let’s look a couple simple recipes and see how difficult or not they really are. Let’s start with one of my own biscuit recipes. This recipe I like to make because first of all they are good and secondly because I use powdered butter and shortening, I can store extra and have it ready to go when I need it.

 

Trailer Park Biscuit & Drop Biscuit Mix:

5 cups All Purpose Flour
3 tbs. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Salt (I used sea salt)
1 cup Powdered Shortening (Provident Pantry Shortening Powder)
1/2 cup Powdered Butter (Provident Pantry Butter Powder)

Makes Approx. 6-7 Biscuits

Combine all and bag per previous instructions. To Make: Add full bag to 1/2 - 1 cup of water (add slowly, so you can judge if you need the entire amount). You may have noticed that this recipe does not include milk or sugar like some, but it is a great and versatile recipe still. If you would like to replace the water with milk it works fine as well. These work terrific in cast iron and are warm and buttery! (in a pinch it can also be thinned to make pancakes as well)

To Use for Drop Biscuits: use one entire bag of mix & decrease water to 1/4 - 3/4 cup; add to soups as you’d like.

 

The second recipe I want to share because it is amazing and it’s one of the kids’ favorite treats, it’s Amish Cinnamon Bread. If you haven’t made this, you have to try it! But note: it does call for a lot of sugar so beware, especially if serving to someone that is diabetic.

Amish Cinnamon Bread:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups of milk +2 tbs of vinegar or lemon juice

4 cups of flour

2 tsp. baking soda

 

 

(Separately Combine:)

2/3 cups sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

 

Directions:

Cream together: butter, sugar, and eggs. Then add milk, flour, and baking soda and mix well until smooth. Put 1/4 of batter into greased loaf pans or fill muffin cups 1/4 full.  Then sprinkle some of the cinnamon mixture on top. Add ¼ more of the batter and sprinkle with last of the cinnamon topping. Swirl with a knife to mix the cinnamon mixture into the loaf or muffin batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Or until toothpick tester comes clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.

 

Last Thoughts….

The girls also help a lot, so they get to see the whole process from growing our food to harvesting it. One thing about it is even though we live in a trailer park we don’t really let that become an obstacle to growing. It is such a good way to get them involved in where their food comes from.

By having them in the kitchen with you, you also have the opportunity to teach them proper hand washing techniques, measuring, how to read recipes, and the importance of kitchen cleanliness from a health perspective. I think it also helps them to value all of the work that goes into preparing meals. Most of all have fun with them and make memories. And if you’re like me, remember to take pictures to capture those moments!



Homemade Cleaning Product Recipes

 

Feel Free to Try These Recipes and Let Us Know How You Like Them !

 

Easy Peasy D.I.Y. Laundry Crystals:

5 Cups of Epsom Salt

20-30 Drops Essential Oils

...

Add 2 Tablespoons in Washer Along With Your Detergent & Enjoy the Freshness !

(It's to Freshen, Not a Cleaning Agent)

(Similar to Purex Crystals)

Homemade Dishwasher Cubes:

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup Washing Soda

1/4 Cup of Epsom Salt ...

10-15 Drops *Lemon Juice (Enough to Make the Mixture Moist)

Let Dry Thoroughly for 2 Days Until Hard

This Makes Enough For 2 Trays

Try Use a Mini Cube Tray if Possible,

So They Fit Into the Machines Soap Dispenser.

*Vinegar can be Substituted For Lemon Juice

Homemade Fabric Softener:

6 Cups Hot Water

1 Bottle Cheap Conditioner

3 Cups Vinegar...

Few Drops Essential Oils

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"Never Ending Dryer Sheets":

Fabric Softener of Your Choice

One Container (Preferably with a Lid)

Clean Sponge

Dip the Sponge in the Softener

Squeeze Out Excess Liquid

Put in Dryer With Clothing

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Basic Floor Cleaner:

2 gallons of hot water

¼ cup baking soda

¼ cup vinegar

Add 1 Tablespoon of liquid dish soap at the very end.

(an optional ingredient you can add if you have a tough spot or a big mess to clean is adding in a ¼ of borax) but generally this mixture works just fine without it.

Click Here For Our Tutorial For: “Mom’s Super Laundry Sauce”

D.I.Y “Mom’s Super Laundry Sauce”

Does This Stuff Really Work?

 

 

So for a while now, I had been seeing these posts all over Facebook for this “Mom’s Super Laundry Sauce” Recipe From Liss Burnell at Budget101.com. After reading a lot of the reviews about how amazing this stuff is, I thought I would make some to try out for myself using the “No-Cook” version of the recipe. I documented the process with pictures for future reference and here is what I did:

 

 

First I had my daughter Moo, dice up one bar of Fels-Naptha which is a laundry & stain remover bar that is made by Purex and can be found in the laundry isle of most stores. You split the one bar between two quart size mason jars.

 

 

After we split the bar of soap between the two jars, we added 1 1/2 cups of hot distilled water (we have very hard water) that I ran through our coffee maker, into each jar. We let the jars then sit overnight. 

 

 

The next day the liquid will be a gel like product, take a butter knife and break up the gel! Next, you add in one cup of mule team borax and one cup of washing soda.
update: Fill the jars with enough hot water until it reaches the shoulder of the jars.

 

 

Next, make sure your jar tops are dry and clean then put your blender seal on the jar and insert your blade. Then just screw the bottom part on and then blend together on the “whip” setting until it comes out with a mayonnaise like texture.

 

 

 

Word of Advice:

 

Make sure after you mix the first jar of soap, you rinse and DRY your seal and blade BEFORE putting it onto the second jar to mix. I did not, and I broke my seal !!!

 

 

Since I broke my seal and did not have a spare, I had to improvise to complete my mixing! I hot glued the blade onto the jar top and mixed it….it worked good, but afterwards I ordered new seals!

 

 

This was the final product, creamy with a bit of a gritty texture.

 

The Real Test:

 

 

 

I was worried that this product would not work well with my brand of washer because it is a H.E. and is a low water washer, meaning that it has a sensor in it the detects the amount of clothing in the washer and only fills it to cover the clothes to a certain point. It does not fill the whole tub with water, ever. Because of this, I can not use powered laundry soap because it never dissolves completely and comes out on the clothing.

 

Surprisingly….This Product Worked Well !

 

You simply add one tablespoon into each load, makes enough for 128 loads!

 

The clothes came out clean, smelling good, and there was no extra product left in my washer..what a relief!

 

I would definitely recommend this product to everyone to try!

 

Liss Burnell has a recipe for either a cooked version or a no-cook version.

 

 

Here is the link to both:

 

Cook Version -

 

http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/whipped-cream-super-laundry-soap-3993.html

 

No-Cook Version-

 

 http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/5-minute-no-cook-laundry-detergent-recipe-4075.html

 

 

If You Try it Out, Tell Us Your Thoughts!

 

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Author Information:

Sharon Pannell is a self proclaimed "Prepsteader", both prepper and homesteader. She authors the blog The Trailer Park Homesteader where she teaches others about the importance of disaster preparedness and self-sufficiency. Sharon believes everyday the stuff can hit the fan, it is not one big epic event necessarily and it only takes one set back to create a hardship; so big or small prepare for it all ! Along with her blog, Sharon can also be found managing her other social media sites including her Facebook Page The Trailer Park Homesteader, TTPH Pinterest Page, and TTPH Twitter Page.