I hope it's ok if I start a new post on this topic.

First off I must say I really like doing laundry with a wringer, I think there is something about a washing machine with gearshift levers that as a man I find very appealing...

I have a fairly new, I'm guessing late 60's vintage Viking wringer.  A freind of mine knew I was looking for one to wash my coveralls and work clothes in and got it for me for free when it didn't sell at a household clearance garage sale (me being too cheap to pay the $20 they were asking)  I had to repair a hole in the pump housing and replace the drain hose.  It works so well I use it for all my laundry now.  The tub on it is huge.  I usualy do 3-4 loads of wash with the same water and soap.  The wringer doesn't get all the water out so I still use my automatic on spin cycle after wringing after the last rinse. 

It's more than ok to start posts whenever and wherever you like! 

I think you'll find you're not alone in enjoying using a wringer washer, man or woman! I'm not sure if it's the gearshift levers or something else, though. :)

. I had an old Maytag at one time, but I spent $35 to get it. After the factory enclosed motor started leaking grease, I set the leg it was running down in a coffee can to keep the grease from getting all over the floor. I used it several more years like that.

 

My Grandmother used hers until the day she died. Silly me, I had posession of it and sold it to my friend for her sheep's wool. I must admit that I wish I still had it. I did, however, take grandma's old kitchen cabinets, the old sears cabinets from the 40's, and repainted and installed them in my laundry room. They look so cool there with the sliding glass doors.

I think it's great that you started a discussion that I can just participate in. Please post more, I would love to see different things from the frugal man's view.

I think I like doing things in some old fashioned ways because it gets me involved in the project. I feel good when I have mixed the soap and softener, when my hands are actively working to clean my family's laundry. When the laundry comes off the line clean and my family looks like someone cared enough about them to do that...I feel good. I did that..not some machine...I did that.

 


 

 

Michelle, Brandy.

I decided to post here rather than under corncobliving to keep the threads together.

Wringer washers are where you find them.  Ask around, let everyone you know your looking for one.  And don't get in a hurry (unless you have to) speed costs.  I was thinking on my walk to the postoffice this morning that even if the rollers in the wringer on the machine are in bad shape.  (they are rubber, and with time rubber degrades and starts to crack and break up, basicaly gets dry and brittle) is if you still have your automatic is to wash in the wringer, and then use the spin cycle of the automatic to get the water out.  The rollers in my machine are still in good shape, but after double rinsing I use the spin cycle to get the clothes more dry. 

When looking at wringerwashers, do the simplest first, plug it in and turn it on, if the motor works and the agitator spins back and forth and the noise is minimal, (no grinding, severe bangs) your in luck.  If the motor runs and nothing happens it might just be that the belt is loose.  Unplug the machine and carefuly tilt it on it's side and take a look under there.  See how tight the belt is.  If the motor doesn't work grab the pully that is on the transmission and see if you can turn it.  If it does turn engage the wash lever and see if the agitator moves.  It should take very little effort to spin the pulley.

Now if the motor isn't working do some simple tests to see why.  First, can you spin the motor over by hand? if it isn't seized up, is power getting to it?  If power isn't getting to it why not?  It could be the cord end, the cord, the switch.  When working with electricity, be careful.  Use common sense (which isn't that common any more, but if your yearning to be frugal you have it)  Don't be scared to ask for help or advice if you don't know the basics of electricity.  No one is born knowing anything except how to nurse.

 A few years ago we were in a major drought here and I called the 1-800 number on the Tide box and had a nice talk with the lady there about using the greywater on the garden.  As long as you don't use detergent with bleach, fabric softener, or scents (and the scented she wasn't sure of or not, just being cautious) it is perfectly safe to use.  It wasn't recomended on veggies that you would be eating soon, and I'm certain I could taste soap in the rhubarb, (not sure if that was just my imagination) but it worked great on the fruit trees and shrubs.

One more option if your realy stuck for doing laundry and you don't have a scrubboard is to put your clothes and water and detergent in the bathtub and get in there with your  feet and stomp the dirt out of the clothes.  That's how my Mom used to wash the quilts that were too big for the washer.  Of course she got me to do the stomping when I was a kid.  Was kind of fun on a hot summer day to be splashing and making a mess (outside) in water.

Any questions on fixing just ask, I will try and help as best I can.
 

Thanks Jim! I'm printing all this info out, I know i'd never remember it.

If I use homemade detergent is it safer to put on vegetables? I wouldn't use it on plants like lettuces where we'd eat parts that are exposed.

The bugger is... the elderly lady that we bought our house from had offered me her wringer washer for FREE when she moved (she and her dh were moving in w/son&DIL)  and I said no!!!! I thought at the time, why in the world would I want THAT?!

Cinnamonhuskies:

The bugger is... the elderly lady that we bought our house from had offered me her wringer washer for FREE when she moved (she and her dh were moving in w/son&DIL)  and I said no!!!! I thought at the time, why in the world would I want THAT?!

That's one of the first lessons to learn when being frugal, is to take what's offered when it's offered, and figure out what to do with it later.  And the second lesson to learn is how to be selective and say no to stuff when it's offered for free... 

Jim:

That's one of the first lessons to learn when being frugal, is to take what's offered when it's offered, and figure out what to do with it later.  And the second lesson to learn is how to be selective and say no to stuff when it's offered for free... 

I can agree to that! When I think of everything I've let go to the landfill, I can get pretty upset with myself. Once upon a time I had a brass bedstead, a beautiful thing, but it didn't "go with" my other stuff, so I got rid of it. We lived in the country and it wasn't new by any means, so we took it to the dump. How I wish I could get it back now!

But back to wringers and so on, I found an antique wringer at a garage sale for $10 one time. It was made to attach to a wash tub. I kept it for awhile, but never used it, then when we sold the old house, I let it go with the house. I could have used it a few times after that, too.


 

The longer I think on wringer washers, the more appealing I find them. I'm reviving this thread to see if there are any new insights or experiences with wringer washers out in the community.