Worried about not being able to keep washing your clothes while camping away from amenities? If you can solve the toilet problem, you can most certainly solve the washing problem with this nifty little "machine" which is very simple to make.
Steps
1
Find or purchase a 19 litre / 5 gallon plastic bucket that has a lid. A size near enough is fine too, provided that it has a lid. If you have a restaurant industry wholesaler near you, food buckets with lids work just as well.
2
Purchase a brand new toilet plunger brush.
3
Cut a hole in the lid that is big enough to insert the plunger handle through. The plunger will always need to be inserted from the underside of the lid through to your hand when using.
4
Decorate if wished. It can be helpful to label the bucket "CAMP WASHING MACHINE" in waterproof marker so that everyone knows what it is and doesn't try to use it for other purposes like filling up with fish bait...
5
Fill the camp washing machine with water, clothes, and suitable detergent (see "Tips"). Insert the plunger into the lid and place the lid onto the bucket, holding onto the plunger handle.
6
Start plunging. Unfortunately, you're the source of energy for this washing machine but it will work well. Plunge up and down to mimic the action of a washing machine agitator. Do this for about five minutes. Take turns if it gets overwhelmingly tiring or boring.
7
Remove the lid and check the clothing. If the clothing looks clean, you can either perform a rinse cycle, or just hang to dry. The ability to rinse or not will be dependent on water availability, your patience level, and the pressing need for the clothing to be rinsed while camping!
8
Hang to dry. There are lots of choices for hanging clothes when camping, just avoid barbed wire fences and thorns. Some ideas include:
Hang from tent spaces
Hang in the car if car camping
Hang over a fence
Hang from clean tree branches and bushes (check for dirt, sap, insects, etc. first)
From a piece of string or rope tied between trees or objects
