Inventive Home Made Clothes Washing Machine

[monkeybird]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fktpd1ymE8A

I saw this on another site - this is a great idea.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Kinda like gilligans island LOL
no seriously not a bad idea

[eeyore]

Nice thread, thanks for posting it

[610Alpha]

Bought like in Patriots where they hooked up a bike to the hand crank generator!!

[monkeybird]

I was just thinking that if I had one of these - I just might reduce those thighs!

[fallout boy]

very kewl and could bee a big help

[Davar]

Funny thing is this couple most likely made their washer to ahem, "save the planet". However, when TSHTF it's good to have such an item.

I've seen a bycicle powered pressure system for off grid water supplys. Pretty cool as well.

[Klayton]

You know, I have seen a few (4 or 5) homemade washing machines. Very ingenuous. But even after watching them being used, I noticed ONE thing common with them all. Now, lets understand that they are making a STHF washing machine, not ONE of them mentioned recycling the water?!?!?!

I mean, the soap water could be used on the garden (as long as you dont use bleach)...
The rinse water can be used and then reused as wash water next load...

Or am I just overthinking this???

[Matt In Oklahoma]

You know, I have seen a few (4 or 5) homemade washing machines. Very ingenuous. But even after watching them being used, I noticed ONE thing common with them all. Now, lets understand that they are making a STHF washing machine, not ONE of them mentioned recycling the water?!?!?!

I mean, the soap water could be used on the garden (as long as you dont use bleach)...
The rinse water can be used and then reused as wash water next load...

Or am I just overthinking this???

My great grandmother always used her dishwater and had a hose run out to the garden from the washer. I have done it too for years and it works fine

[Christian for Israel]

if you listen to the video this couple mentions recycling the water into the garden. they even use a biodegradable detergent for this reason.

[Klayton]

Ya, but they lost some serious cool points when they said they need to make a solar powered dryer. Clothesline!! HELLO!!

[DIM TIM]

Nice video, but I think that I should point out that these people, like a lot of others, have got THEIR IDEA from here...http://www.mayapedal.org/machines.html

This site was up and running their video long before these other posers. A short time after they had theirs posted on YouTube, then EVERYONE started in with their own bicycle powered clothes washing machines. As a matter of fact, once I saw the Maya Pedal machine, I started to gather the parts to build my own.

This isn't a post to slam their video, it is just to inform everyone that the Maya Pedal site was the first one to build, produce video, and post it for everyones consideration. I have seen a number of variations of their machine, and each has it's own distinct little modifications of the original. A case in point, is the drain for the video posted here. MayaPedal used a hose, made from what appears to be an old bicycle inner tube that is tied in a knot to keep the water from draining out. VERY SIMPLE, AND THIRD WORLD FABRICATION.
My own modification would be using standard plumbing parts from off the shelf at my local hardware store, and allow for a standard garden hose to be attached and extend the drain length.

By the way, as an aside to this smart use of materials to " expedient engineer " an everyday machine that would help out in the event of TEOTWAWKI or a SHTF event.......I have looked at ALL of the things that we use around here for our " MODERN DAY LIVING ", and have begun plans to do a series of builds to accomidate us, and keep a sort of civilized form of life going for us under less than ideal conditions ( SHTF & TEOTWAWKI ).

[sherldoe]

When I was growing up, there were years of drought when many things were done to "recycle" water. If the well was almost dry in the summer, five kids bathed in one bathtub of water. Hot water was dumped into dishwater that was still "not too dirty" to use, etc., etc. Of course, my mom was Depression Era and tight as ****'s hatband, so we was prone to that sort of frugality anyway! I still recycle my water. My gray water from the kitchen waters the pecan trees on that side of the house, and my washing machine waters the lawn and trees in the rear of the house. One of the bathtubs waters the lawn and the rose bushes on the other side of the house. Of course, we live in the country and my husband is a plumber so we have a bit of an edge.