Make your own DIY Washing Machine with Buckets!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Power's out on laundry day? Don't want to wash your child's muddy baseball uniform with your good sheets? Need to wash your horse's splint boots? Or how about having an easy way to wash clothes along with your 72-hour kit.
Melissa at Smith & Edwards got a group together to make these buckets. She shows you how to make your own DIY washing machine out of just two 5-gallon plastic buckets, PVC bushing, and a plunger. Just add water (& laundry!)
Get the full list of supplies:
blog.smithande...
Video by Rose Marion
Music: Circular by Gunnar Olsen
I live in an rv and I do bucket laundry. It’s cheap and I don’t have to drag my laundry out. I conserve water by using rinse water from load A as my wash water for load B. Then I use my dirty wash water for toilet flushing, so my water gets 3 uses and I don’t fill my waste water tank quickly. I do my wash in my shower stall. I use 3 tennis balls to raise the holed bucket so I don’t get them stuck. Then I have drying racks in my rv. Rv life means really changing your lifestyle to fit a small space with limited resources.
Bonus hint: when brushing your teeth, fill a cup half full. It really does give you plenty of water to rinse your mouth and your brush, and saves lots of water.
Thanks for the tips!!!👊
best thing, you still get some soap in that dirty water, so in way it's also cleaning that toilet when you think about it.
this was one of my thought, that it was wasting some water.
but using it in a toilet afterward is pretty much a win.
you're awseome!
That's so smart.
I have the portable Best washer. Works great in the RV.
It takes a lot more energy to use this than you'd think. I made and used one...I'm 64. It was exhausting doing my husband's jeans and the heavier items. Smaller items were fine, my clothes were fine, linens were a chore...queen-sized sheets do not do well in it, in my humble opinion. I would use it again, if needed, but since my son gave me his washing machine when he went off-grid, I am most grateful.
In the video it looks like a lot of hard work. It doesn't have to be that hard.
I stomped in buckets last summer like how you smush grapes for wine?? Like the plunger thingy but yeah bet my arms w old hurt..those jeans nasty job drew a line made my son take them to town laundermat otherwise tops shorts small linens sheets I enjoyed washing struggled to wring them out😂
Elderly people should use electric washing machine and dryer.
Just a tip to anyone thinking of doing this! try to drill from the inside to the outside . I used the method as shown in the video and ended up with a jagged unusable holey bucket, lol !!! Far too rough for clothes washing.
cutting plastic is an art of its own. You can even cut a smaller hole then enlarge it using an X-acto knife.
I thought it might tear the clothes too.
You need to use sand paper to finish the holes
@@yardleyj9391 try using a soldering iron , very handy for making holes
There r tons of these videos online with buckets and plungers. HOWEVER, NO ONE ever thinks to add a paint roller handle or a broom handle to the plunger. Who wants to bend over and plunge with a 2 foot handle. Or sit on the ground. You have alot more strength while standing.
Dawn Gowan I tried that once. The plunger handle is bigger than broom handles.
Dawn Gowan my dad had a broom handle on a sink plunger cause he had pins in his back and neck and couldn't bend over , found out after he passed it wasnt the right plunger for a toilet at all...he just forced a plunger onto a sanded down broomhandle
I added a telescopic handle from a squeegee to mine. Now I can have a long or short handle. I did have to use an adapter to get it to fit the plunger though.
Retta Richards
Would a bellows plunger work better ?
Im a little curios bout that?
What do u think about that
That may be too much plunger. It's the holes that give it the agitation action you want. A disc of any kind with holes in it at then end of that stick would probably work.
Many thanks for sharing this. I now live in a village, in a corner of the world where washers are an oddity. Laundry day would be daunting were it not for this genial no-electricity, zero equipment washing machine! I'm so grateful.
how much can you do? how long does it take?
@@gavasiarobinssson5108 Forgive the tardy reply, l am only seeing your message now.
You can do a lot. I simplified the system and drill no holes in the plunger because that ripped it apart, the pierced bucket also is optional.
We are a family of 3 and own 4 buckets. Essentially, one bucket holds half the load of a washing machine. We always soak our clothes for one hour or more to loosen the dirt. It is an extremely effective way to wash!
What a brilliant idea!!! I love the idea of pressing the water out with the weight from the other bucket! I would put a longer handle on that plunger for more comfort and more cleaning power!!!
That's what I was thinking
Have made something similar, though without holes in the plunger. The plunger is more effective and last longer without. NB: Using a long stick like a broomstick is perfect, feels a natural working position like they churned butter in old days
Tips: 1.Soak clothes in the soapy water. Only a small amount of soap is needed. Let the soap work and save you some energy. 2.The lid is helpful if doing laundry in the bathtub and you really want to agitate clothes but not necessary. 3. Water can be saved by using the "rinse" water for another load of clothes, just use it as your wash water as it already has water with soap residue in it! Just one bucket can be used and clothes placed in to a small laundry basket with holes in the bottom or a milk crate to drain out some soapy water while putting clean water in the bucket,then repeat the procedure with no soap and squeeze excess water out by hand. 4. For heavy items you can add a second extendable shower rod over the tub area to help with drainage and removing excess water so you can better hand wring the clothes.
I have a mop bucket and use the wringer to squeeze out the excess water. Doesn't stretch the fabric.
Great tips thank you dear
I love this! This can be a $4/5 project if you get 3 buckets and a plunger from dollar tree. Not only is this resourceful, but accessible as well.
You can get clean food grade buckets from any restaurant or bakery (eg: pickles for burger shops comes in 5 gallon buckets). Just ask the manager or owner if they have any food grade buckets with lids that they want to give away for free. You will be doing them a favor by reusing it. Obviously, clean the buckets before using, else your clothes will smell like pickles :)
Dollar tree does not sell these bucket's 🤦
Why do you need 3 Buckets ??
What is the thing that he put on the underside of the bucket lid where he drilled the hole for the commode plunger handle ???
Or could just use one if those foot operated mop buckets.. will spin individual items nearly dry... I use it when cleaning around house for all my cleaning cloths.
You are on to something with that idea!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
I like the way you think. Plus this looks so messy and energy drainer.
Indeed...I've used that !
Thanks for this comment ! Still helping ppl out 4 years later
@@Matt_bechillin 😊 you're very welcome!
Thanks 🧹🪣
Please kill the music but the video was very helpful.
Or at least pick a better track with less volume 😂
LOL
First thing I thought of when watching this I immediately muted it
I muted it too
what music?
I started off with a bucket and a plunger from the dollar store. Eventually, I purchased a washing wand from Amazon. I also purchased a Panda Spin Dryer and 2 laundry racks; one I've yet to use. I wanted to be proactive, preparing for washing sheets and blankets. I've never opened that box as I've found ways around that for those items. This all began for me during Covid Lockdown. I live in a multi-unit condo/apt complex. We have a laundry room, but I'd always found tenants to be 'unkempt' prior to covid. There was no way I was going to wash my clothes among the troops during Covid. I've never looked back. I don't have to wait for a washer or dryer, don't have to pay out my hard-earned money to the communal machines, and most importantly....I don't have to clean up after the other tenants, or risk....their germs. Not an easy way of life, but doable. My building does not allow for personal hook-ups. When there's a why and a will....there's a way.....
Watching this video makes me think about carpel tunnel syndrome and back pain.
I love how clean my clothes come out now! Looking back, I just cannot get my clothes washed at the laundromat anymore because I finally see a clean I've never seen before. Clothes are SO MUCH cleaner now.
I want to do this for a duvet. Im afrsid the agitator will ruin it. I wonder if it would work in a bucket
Yes, did you also notice how clean it smells through the video????
This is what I'm hoping for. I actually have a very fancy-schmancy plunger with a T handle on it that I think I'll cut up and putting a bushing in a hole in the lid is a great idea.
This is a great idea for poor people, especially the poor elementary/middle/high school students who get bullied because of their stinky, dirty clothes. I think it would be great to manufacture these and give them away to to the disadvantaged!
I showed this to my elderly neighbor and he was laughing so hard. He said that he grew up doing this. Each of the 5 kids had to do their own each week. They each had their own day Mon-Fri because they had to take turns line drying. The dryer they eventually got was for rainy days. He recommends using a sturdy rope and a sturdy tree branch to lift the bucket after the rinse was pressed out. He said his mama used the swing set. If you twist it and let it spin out you can get the clothes even more dry before line drying.
I have one $3 bucket in my van. It's my sink, my shower, my toilet(with a protective liner) and my washing machine. After i wash my clothing I put i rinse it well and put it in a net on the roof of my van and drive off.
I suggest you save up another $3 for a separate poop bucket. Just sayin'
@@pargolf3158 Ha. I've since reconfigured and now have a solar shower and clean water separate from the bucket. I don't actually poop into the bucket itself, there is a plastic bag and paper over the bag, i just keep some cleaning supplies in the bucket. I will however use the bucket to do laundry though. Anyways, in a small van the challenge is space is at a premium. I have no space for another bucket. I literally have no space to spare and even use the inside my van walls for storage.
@@12vLife Thank goodness for that. That would give a whole new meaning to "Jeeze this water tastes like crap"
I have done this. It works. I have one for rinsing. Then I hang it. Love it...
Im gonna make one of these. I have a whole stack of buckets that i had bought for a dollar each at a farm. Now i know what to do with them. I think it would make a good gift for someone that travels alot.
I use one of these weekly. Im a tiedye shirt enthusiast and using this method keeps them brighter and stronger. Just trust me when i say 'this is the way'
Yes, very good. Let's take the bucket of rising water that's sitting on the dirty ground & put it in the bucket of CLEAN CLOTHES to squeeze out the water. Right on!
This is a demonstration. I would imagine most people will be using this in a bathtub.
Gina 1965 same thing I said the dirty bucket on the clean clothes
Gina 1965
I THOUGHT THE SAME!
Agree Gina!
Noticed that right away
TY for your tip. An idea to take this even further and make it even more efficient is to make this a bucket only washer.
By making 2 buckets having sieve bottoms ( bore lots of Holes) put the laundry in on and put the other on top. Now put those 2 in a 3rd bucket with the detergent & water . Pump with the upper bucket to agitate the wash. Pump 10 times wait 5 mins , pump 10 more & fill a ,4th bucket. Move the sieve buckets to this one and pump 10 times ansöd lift out to wring/centrifuge
Spin Dry LMFAO
I know right!
Clothes are still dripping wet
On the spin cycle, instead of hold the heavy bucket of wet clothes by the bucket handle and manualy twist your wrist back and fourth, why not run a long braided cotton rope thru the handle, and anchor it to a beam 3-4 feet above you, and rotate the bucket handle in either direction and wind up the rope until it forms knots and release the winding and let the rope un twist and spin dry the heavy bucket of wet clothes with better syntrifical force until the bucket quits spinning annd the rope is stationary..
It works I just use it with one bucket and a laundry basket
Thats a great idea
This is for off the grid outside washing of clothes and hanging to dry on a clothes line. Love it and I ordered that plunger . Now to just pick up 3 buckets and i am ready for spring-summer washing. Also I would recommend a outdoor chair to sit in and work the plunger.
How did it go
I actually do laundry like this. Where I live they want $3.00 per load because you have to run the washer 2-3 times (depending on how you want to do your laundry). It washes and spins and that's it.....no rinse cycle. Then you have to pump more money into the washer to run it a second time for the rinse cycle to get the soap out. A third time if you want to add fabric softener. (I have Lupus and my skin is very sensitive and I need to add Downy to soften my clothes) Now tack on another $2.00 for the dryer and it's $11.00 *_per load!!!!!_* It's f'ing ridiculous, so I hand wash my clothes in buckets now. The only thing I need to do is drill some holes in my plunger. I've been using it without holes and it still works fine, but I bet it will agitate much better with the holes.
I also bought a 5 gallon commercial salad spinner to spin dry my clothes. Works GREAT! Spin dry my clothes, hang them up with a fan blowing on them and within a few hours (or overnight if you prefer) your clothes are clean and dry!
You should look at developing the spin dry. Maybe a rope or old inner tube and you can wind up then release. Attach it to a tree or something. Just a idea. Awesome video :)
Restaurant supply houses sell 5 gallon salad spinners used to remove water from lettuce. Depending on the model, they run about 80 to 100 USD.
3:23 ultimate method for dislocation of wrist bones
My recomendation is :dont drill holes in your plunger Viva Francisco Viva Evita Viva Malcom X Viva Chavez Viva Fidel Viva Rabin Viva Arafat Viva Allende Viva Emiliano Zapata Viva Peron !!!!!!!
Ahahahaha good observation !
lmfao
@@victorriviera8662 You lost me after the word "plunger".
Maybe hang it up using a rope then spin it around, letting the rope coil up. Once u let go, it shud spin the opposite direction. So u dont have to exert as much effort
The plunger is the real key to success. I think fuller brush sales co. Used to sell plungers to help in hand washing and my Mom did the wash in the bathtub sometimes. This also really helped clean cloth diapers when done with a different plunger in a diaper pail.
so great!!! love the full bucket of water to press access water out. tha ks for sharing and making the world a better place
Get a portable washer that spins dry. I have the Best Choice Washer and it is awesome. Perfect for RV or apt.
I used this technique for over a hundred thousand years during the last ice age using Wal-Mart buckets. So that proves it works.
This may turn out useful while I live in my country of service, where the electricity is unstable. The way clothes are laundered by hand here is admittedly very laborious. Could save me a lot of time, could be an idea to share with others 😁
Pretty cool! I lived in Vanuatu for a year (Island of Tanna) and I had something similar to this, except I used a pvc pipe that was roughly 5 inches in diameter and 4 ft in height . Of course the clothes never got to clean perfection due to the water being concentrated with volcano Ash (Mt Yasur) 🙄🙄
The look on her face when she plunges the plunger?......PRICELESS!!!!!!!!
This is pretty lit! I mean, as a youngster, people would say I'm being extra, but I think it's fun and good exercise!
I’m sure all these negative comments will turn into thank Toya when this method is actually needed and there’s no resources for laundromats etc. people are just too much.
1:23 Love it when they're enthusiastic like this
Man those brand new shop towels the guy washed with the tags on them sure needed to be washed!!!
Who tf washes clothes like that,right?
But the idea is cool
Just great Thanks a lot from a corner of this planet where ideas like these are vital thanks again you got a venezuelan friend.
I'm not sure I would want to put the bottom bucket on my clean clothes to help drain them. That just doesn't seem like it would help because I'd have to wash them again since the bottom bucket would be sitting on a dirty floor or outside in the dirt.
This is AWESOME!!! I will make me a set for my travel trailer. Thank you for the tutorial.
Been using it for years sailboat washing machine
I need a longer plunger handle and don't know of a mop replacement handle that would fit a plunger cup's threads. I wonder if a piece of PVC pipe would work to extend a handle. I got a plunger at the dollar store and sit on shower chair to plunge the clothes in a plastic dishpan, and leave the shower head running in the tub while rinsing.
That is basically what I do also, wash in the shower stall, doesn't matter how much water I splash. I hang things in shower until they stop dripping then on a rack on the patio, works well for about 1/2 my laundry needs. Cuts costs
Invest in a 5 gallon salad spinner (commercial type, orange color) you'll spin dry clothes in about a minute
This is good for necessity of which I did for a little over three years for a family of five. I have come to the conclusion that a woman's best, best invention was the washing machine. And that was followed by water to the house and then refrigeration.
Woow! Totally amazing💪Thanks for sharing. Blessing.
This is a fantastic idea and have seen a few different ideas for home made washing machines. For me however im not physically well but if i was i would deefinately give it a go 👍
Thanks for sharing!
Wow! Thank you for such a simple and cheap solution!
So the lids a bad idea?
Got to check the laundrymat out, $1.25 for a 20lb of laundry is cheapest around in El Paso. You get a prewash, wash, and three rinse cycles at Rainwater Laundromat.
Wow just WOW! This is an amazing project!❤👍
It was ok but you still gotthe clothes dirty. When you tookthe bucket from the floor to rinse it of
Ideally you would do this on a clean surface
2:20 Question: How do you keep the buckets from sticking to each other when it comes to removing the inner one?
If they are the same size do the holes prevent the buckets from sticking?
The "sticking" of buckets is caused by a vacuum effect of the air trapped between the bottom of the 2 buckets. The drilled holes prevent any air from getting trapped so the vacuum effect doesn't occur--so no "sticking"
In college I had a hairdryer that converted into a washer for undergarments. I never did figure out how I could get it to dry my hair and wash my undies at the same time.
I do my laundry in the bathtub especially quilts and sheets
This video made me tried.
Need a nap, now. Lol 🤣😂
Definitivamente la voy a hacer! Thanks so much and special regards from Mexico!
Looks like more work than the regular hand wash.
Because they're not doing it right. That's why.
So Messy.
let it soak for 5 minutes, agitate for the next 5, then agitate to rinse with regular water.
It is a really great invention but it looked difficult and like it would kill your back 🤣
You could also hang the finished bucket on a rope and spin it. It would get a lot of the water out.
OMG YOU GUYS ARE AWSOME!!! THIS IS SO SMART I LOVE IT... DOWNLOADED YOUR VIDEO SO HOPEFULLY TOMORROW I CAN DO THIS... THANKS FOR IT!!!
Glad you like it Maribel!! Let us know how it goes! :)
Sorry, but why are you screaming?
Lol , its almost the same to hand washing , i used my hands , arms to wash clothes or blankets or anything . Now I have rheumatism , I cant do that hard work anymore
I also had RA...took a minneral called mms removed my inflammation within 48 hr.I take no more immune suppression drugs!
I’m old and dying
@@robh.3124 Some one still loves yoy Rob
@@xprtpunk8662 awww, you're so nice
Where do you get MMS? Thank you@@mikewhite4768
1:23 That smile reminds me of my High School sweatheart.
Think we have a vintage metal plunger in old barn maybe was for ? Clothes or??
One bucket + 1 foot = even cheaper!
How about converting a pair of warned out truck tires for laundry, one washer and one dryer? You may ask tires stores for them for free as well. They may have some unusable few laying around at the back of the stores, so you can explain they are for your recycling tires laundry project.
You should have a second bucket with a hole in tge bottom...lift out wet clothes place into second bucket for spin dry
This is great. Kill the music in the next take though, please?
Richard M
Which mute button?
Turn de volume down
That's not music. That's sensory torture
BroccoliQueefed I was popping to the music
PaquitoNYC yes that was awful..had to turn my volume off.
That is SO cool!! You guys made a SUPER cool product!!
My washing machine broke and there's no way to get another during this pandemic so this will come in handy very soon.
A better agitator design would make more sense. ....attached to a handle that a person can spin back and forth
Best part 1:22 🌝
Wonderful idea! This will sell like sweetcake here in South Africa.
How to get the smell if the rubber to off gas quicker. Mine plunger has a string rubber smell. Will that get on my clothes?
Use soap that doesnt get to sudsy if you can find some
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!
Good video, one fail - explain the fancy drill bit. Twist bits tear up the bucket, yes mine is new and sharp. I used a spade bit, much better but still had to clean up every hole. Tedious.
This of alot of work just watching this video
It's EXHAUSTING
Just get a portable washer... Simple.. Done
Cuts the time in half
Yea except some folk like me are broke as hell and cant afford to go to my laundry mat and cant have a laundry machine in my apartment. So theres that too.
Not a troll but it seems more complicated than washing clothes by hand or adapting a bike to a tub and having a biker-powered washing machine, something thought up and made by the Dervaes Family of Pasadena.
IT IS MUCH BETTER AND MORE COMFORTABLE TO DO IT WITH A BIGGER STICK
2:33 - demonstrates permanently fusing two buckets together
Thats cool, now ill make a diy dryer with old heater and metal buckets lol.
They did this back in the early 1900's.
For the spin hang the bucket off a rope and wind it up and let it go. Sorted
Geeat exercise!
As long as your hands would not get iriitated bybharsh soapa and too much manual sudaing as the conventional handwashing , this would be good!
I'm going to have to make one of these.
Spin dry hang the bucket up with some twine and spin it one way until its loaded then let it go
just bought a plunger and it had a bad smell when I check the label it said contains chemicals known to cause cancer
Que brazos tan fuertes va a desarrollar.,,no va a tener que ir al gym, es muy buena ésa idea de lavar así. 🖒💪🌷🤗
Already do this works well
It's a butter churner for your laundry.
My favorite part 1:22.
same.. scrolled til I found this comment
How clean is this vs hand washing? Or simply...how clean does this make your clothes actually? It seems to me like I'm just dislocating the water with the plunger and sucking whatever cloth is on top and come what may to all the rest. P.S: Just an innocent question. I'm not comparing the effort and cost-efficiency. Just how CLEAN can this really make your clothes coz at the end of it, that's the main goal.
I made this!! I love it so much.
Wonder if the FEMA camps will have these.
good idea but I feel the lid is redundant
Brilliant! Thank you
Two hands are better than those DIY Washer Buckets! Proven effective for thousands of years!