I think you have a couple other items you can play with.  If you know some one who has a honey extractor that would work for spinning out your clothes.  It spins out honey so clothes should be a piece of cake.  Also their is probably wringer washers available that you can get the wringer off of. 

I am sure that I have seen hand cranked wringers in some back to the land type catalog. 

I grew up using an electric wringer/washer.  It was great.  We had laundy day it took a couple hours to do all the laundry for the week but we did it on the cheap and used very little energy or money.   

Another tip if you do not have a lot of clothes to wring I roll them tight in my bathroom towels to get out the excess water.  Then I just re-hang my towel to dry....

Suzy

Thanks for the ideas, Suzy! I only need something that will work for a few weeks, so I'm loathe to out-right buy a washer-wringer just now, although I would love to have one. I've kept my eyes open for one for a while in my local area, but one hasn't surfaced yet. The honey extractor is fascinating - I just picked up a book on hobby bee-keeping from the library, but I don't know our local honey producers well enough to ask to borrow their equipment.

LOL Joyous! Now I would love to see a picture of those baseball bats! haha You're a hoot!

Well, good news! I was going through a Reader's Digest all-things-household book when I happened on a section on washer troubleshooting. Turns out that both of my washer woes (poor agitation, not spinning) can be caused by a loose drive belt. Now that we know what the problem probably is, the husband can go in and tighten the drive belt, which will be a lot less hassle than hauling out one washer and putting in the other. But he still doesn't really have time to do it until Christmas break. Maybe I can press the issue and get my washer working again for Thanksgiving. When I was agitating the clothes by plunger last night, he came and said sorrowfully, "We'll get you a real washer one day." I think I'm going to pounce on that pity and sorrow and get my washer repaired sooner.

Just an update to say that baseball bats lashed together was merely a fool's daydream - I never tried it and wouldn't expect it to work because the bats are not straight cylinders (they thin towards the handle). I haven't been able to get a free mop wringer, so I haven't tried that yet because I ain't paying $60 for an experiment. The two-laundry baskets method works tolerably well, but it's a hassle to lug the dripping laundry to the bathtub (which is still not draining properly) to squeeze out the water.

Joyous:

he came and said sorrowfully, "We'll get you a real washer one day." I think I'm going to pounce on that pity and sorrow and get my washer repaired sooner.

I think I'd go this route! I didn't figure you meant it about the baseball bats..that was pretty funny! I hope he gets it going for you sooner, rather than later!

 

There are tabletop washers that spin.  I've seen them on alterative green living sites and on eBay.  Approx. $50 USD.  It only does a small load at a time.

I have a url if anyone wants to contact me so they can start looking into it for themselves.  Its probably a great alternative for a single person in an apartment who doesn't have access to laundry facilities.  I don't know how well they work, I just know they exist.  I was considering similar and/or locating a vintage Hoover Washer/Spin Dryer last year when our washer was leaking (its 12 years old).   We had a repair man fix it (my HD tried but it was beyond his scope).  The repair man said its good for many, many years.    I think the trick is finding an honest and trustworthy appliance repair person.  The big box stores just want you to buy a new one.    I'd gladly refer the repair person to anyone in my town after this experience.

Dot

 

I've seen the tabletop ones - they do about two pairs of jeans at a time. An acquaintance of mine in college had a hand crank one. She loved it. I think it would be best suited for a single person or as a complement to a larger laundry system. Maybe if someone found themselves doing several small loads of diapers a week, for instance, the tabletop drum might come in handy if something is already in the washer and a small stinky load needs to be done quickly.

Here's the website url

http://www.laundry-alternative.com/drying.htm

The tabletop washer sounds excactly as you described, able to do two pairs of jeans at a time.  The spin dryer is a separate item, but someone mentioned in the reviews they use it for their hand washables.

I've seen the tabletop washer on eBay for around $30.  Might even be available through freecycle or thrift stores.   The low price may make it "disposable" to some.    The tabletop crank is recommended for RV and campers.     

I had my washer/spin dryer Hoover back in the 80s when I lived in an apartment.  It was wonderful, spun the clothes like crazy.  I had one offered to me through freecycle, but we fixed our top loading washer instead.   

 

Just read about some HIGH speed spinners that you can buy  that spin clothes at 3000 + RPM that really cuts your drying times.  One of these spinners would really make air drying even your jeans and towels practicle.   There is even guides like How To Hang Dry Laundry to help you learn how to air dry if you have never tried it as a cost cutting effort. 

Suzy