I maintain that useful, helpful comments left on blogs benefit everyone, and in my case often end up leaving more information in the comment section than I originally put out in a post. Let me show you what my previous post, "If Monday is washing day..." could roughly have looked like (minus some of what I would have also still included if this was the original post) if I had had the comments people left before I wrote it:
(As Gen-IL Homesteader's reminds me) In the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ma's daily chores were:
Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday.
I read and read and did I mention read these books when I was younger, so what better excuse do I have to wait until at least next Monday to use this:
Yeah, it's a plunger, but it's a plunger for washing clothes. My dad came up on Friday from out of state and brought a bunch of emergency preparedness stuff (thanks Dad!!) which will probably be mentioned here and elsewhere, but today the plunger gets the place of honor.
And this is no ordinary black rubber plunger. Not only is it blue, :) but is made of what appears to me to be hard plastic, and has a slightly different shape and a really different bottom which you can see in (you can thank Sondra from over at Clean Frugal Living for prompting me to be a better blogger by including) these pictures:
I am very glad to have the plunger, and the plan at the moment is to use it in a food storage bucket when the power goes out. You could use it in a tin tub, I suppose, but seeing as how we don't currently have one of those in our possession, a food storage bucket will have to do.
(Thanks to Kymber over at Canadian Preppers Network, I have learned about) This post over at Yukon Territory Preppers Network is a great source if you are thinking about the importance of clean clothes in an emergency situation. Written by Jennifer of New Mexico Preppers Network , it details her methods on washing clothes without electricity. I highly recommend reading it--lots of wonderful ideas, and she has more (and better) pictures... :)
And finally, you might even be able to get even more convenient accessories for washing without electricity as most of us know it if you keep your eyes open for a deal, and it will definitely be easier to keep clothes clean in an emergency if you have thought things out ahead of time. A good example of this (thanks to Carl, who leaves great and informative comments) can be found here:
"I bought a gavanized metal version of the Laundry Plunger over Lehmans for somrthing like $12.00. I had my Better half test it and she says it works fine for small loads.
I also bought a couple of metal bushel and a Half buckets to heat wash and rince water in over an open fire if required.
In the middle between our 25 speed automatic washer and dryer, I bought a 50's style Hotpoint wringer washer at a garage sale for $50.00
The advantage of this thing is that it has two speeds, fast and slow, the motor draws about 300 watts, which my solar system can handle. The wringer is a bit to learn to use, but I am sure the average 3rd grader can figure it out."
So, you could just hand wash, which was my original plan until I got my new little blue plunger "washing machine". You could use some of the ideas in Jennifer's post that I linked, and/or look around before there's a problem and find some really good options for reasonable prices or think about ways to heat water like Carl did. Whatever the case, it is going to ease stress if you know what you will do with dirty clothes before you find out that you have run out of clean ones, and the methods you employ now are no longer an option....
Ok, wasn't that better in terms of just plain old wonderful and useful information? Just an example of how much you miss if you don't read the comments. And how much others miss if you don't leave yours.... Thanks to Gen, Sondra, Kymber, Jennifer, and Carl--your comments and sharing of knowledge are much appreciated!
8 comments:
oh girl...THIS post is a perfect example of why i always take the time to check out your network!
it is simply amazing the amount of great information that i have learned by participating in this network - i feel like i should be paying people like you for all that i have learned!
Marie - it is so awesome to find a place like the Idaho Preppers Network where i feel so at ease and at home and know that everytime i visit my heart and soul will be moved and i will learn something!
your parents are the best btw...can i borrow them? do you think they will mind if i start calling them everyday? oh and btw...can i have their phone number?
yer the best girl...yer like the freakin best!
Washing dirty clothes is not something I even thought about before. Obviously it is something I will need to address. It's amazing how much we take for granted in life. Thanks for the info.
Great post Marie! and i agree that comments are sometimes really beneficial!
can you email me at kymber@novascotiapreppersnetwork.com?
i have something to ask you....oooh...sounds secretive eh?
Marie, My Mother followed the daily schedule at the beginning of your post. They were Dutch old school, old world people in Holland Michigan and then South Holland in the Chicago Area, who lived by hard and fast rules. We have lost so much of thier morals and skills it is truely scarey.
Keep up your fine Posts Here.
Carl In wisconsin
Kymber--Thanks for your kind words! I already call my parents often, so even if I gave their number out, it would probably be busy... :), but thanks for your kind words about them as well.
I think that knowing other people's methods on emergency preparedness is incredibly valuable--sometimes other people (like you) come up with things that hadn't even occurred to me, and hey, if two minds are better than one, I'm sure in the sharing of useful knowledge, the more people there are involved, the better it is... Thanks for sharing what you do on the Canadian Preppers Network, and thanks for your comments here!To answer your second comment here, I finally put an e-mail address on this blog, Idahoprepper@gmail.com that you can find on my profile--if I don't e-mail you first, you can send me something there. I've had a couple people ask me for an address, and my husband set one up for me...he's pretty great! Keep up the great work up North!
Lorrie--Truth be told, I hadn't thought much about washing clothes either, except to think about putting some soap aside and making sure that there was a way to dry the clothes (we have clothesline in the laundry room) after I had simply hand-washed everything. The plunger is a definite improvement, and hearing about the other options has me thinking about more efficient ways to get the clothes clean. So much to think about when it comes to emergency preparedness... :) Thanks for your comment!
Carl--Your comment came in when I was writing responses to the other comments, hence the separate response...
That is neat about your mother--I would love to have the skills that were a more normal part of life then, but I'm sure things were just as hard to learn/do then (or harder), so if we want to have them we have to put in the effort as well. I admire people who have those kinds of abilities. I agree that it's a different world in a lot of ways now, and unfortunately the changes are not all good... Thanks for the kind words, and your comments are always appreciated!
very informative post. i liked it. I always look for reading articles on hotpoint kitchen appliances
Henry--Thanks!
Post a Comment