We are no strangers to the simple life. We strive to not own too much beyond necessities. (Except for that book and plant problem.) We use rags, cloth pads, cloth diapers, and reusable items where applicable. We live in smaller homes despite having a large family. We grow much of our food and try to buy local. We don’t do vacations or fancy parties. (Not that I’d mind some of those! Haha.)
The simple life is just the default around here. And I often apply that to cleaning as well.
One thing I will miss when we leave this house is my harvest gold colored 45 year old washing machine. The single dial has two settings. When you open the lid it keeps running. It uses adequate water to clean. It stalls twice each cycle and you have to give it a good whack on top with your fist to restart it, like Arthur Fonzarelli on a jukebox.
I like it because it is simple. Simple gets things done. Perhaps that is why our family trip history mostly involves camping.
In the theme of simplicity, we are taking a look at the Allurette Washer. This washer bag is the epitome of simple. If you want to wash delicates, diapers, hand washables, or you just happen to be out in the wilderness communing with nature with some serious b.o., then this simple washer bag can be a nice asset.
As some of you may know, I’ve taken part in the Flats Hand Washing Challenge in the past. In this challenge, we spend a week using only single layer flat cotton cloth diapers on our children and then hand wash them and air dry them to prove that anyone can use cloth diapers if they put their minds to it. Well, in that challenge I used a bucket and a plunger to hand wash the diapers.
With that experience in mind, I thought the Allurette washer might actually be more convenient. I can fit about six flats comfortably in the bag.
Using the bag is easy. It is very similar to a dry bag you would use on a backpacking trip.
Place your dirties inside. Add the adequate amount of water. Add a tiny bit of cleanser. Roll the bag and clip the buckle. Use the air vent cap to let out the excessive air so that you can properly knead the bag. Now, if you are just using the bag at home to wash a delicate bra that got a little sweaty, you really only need to swish for about 30 seconds. The directions say 30 seconds to three minutes. There is a panel of rubbery hearts on one side you can knead for friction for deeper cleaning. Basically, the heart panel acts as a washboard. Remember those?
Unbuckle the bag, drain the soapy water, refill with rinse water. Repeat the swishing and kneading for the “rinse cycle”. Once rinsed, pour out the water.
Gently squeeze extra water out of your clothing. I recommend rolling them in a towel to gently remove the excess moisture and laying flat to dry. Of course, for non-delicate items, you can simply hang everything on your clothesline or even on a hanger in a tree.
Now for cloth diapers, my approach would be slightly different. I would place six flats in the bag, add water, roll and secure. Then without venting air, I would swish for three minutes as a pre-rinse to remove solids. Pour out the poopy water. Add clean water and cleanser. Roll the top and buckle. Let out air through the vent like usual. Then swish and knead the bag for a good five minutes. I might even let it sit and soak for a couple minutes before the hand washing cycle.
Then I would drain the dirty water and proceed with the rinse instructions, only I would do the rinse twice. Squeeze out your excess water and hang flats across the clothesline letting the sun do its job bleaching stains and drying the cotton.
>>>>8 Ways to Get Started Folding Your Flats & Prefold Cloth Diapers
If you have any doubts about things getting clean, you will be surprised. For heavily soiled items, the most important ingredients in cleaning are water and friction. It is why low water, agitator free washing machines are so bad at cleaning clothing.
I might have just spent too much time focusing on diapers here. If we are at home, the real focus with hand washing an item is right there.
My first grader is very into wearing button down shirts and neckties. It is his thing. He has about six neckties in rotation. He wears them to school each day. I just shrug. If the kid wants to dress like this instead of wearing t-shirts, well…….OK. However, he is a first grader. So, those ties get pretty dirty from running around on the playground. I have to wash them far more often than one would usually need. Using a mesh bag in the washer is still too rough on the ties. In real weekly life, the Allurette Washer bag is my neck tie washer so I can keep my quirky son happy. All of my kids are quirky. His quirk is just obvious, haha.
Child labor works well for the rinse cycle. (Obvious disclaimer here about not leaving children unattended around a plastic bag.)
So, if you need to hand wash some items from time to time, and would like your washer option to double as a dry bag or even a laundry bag, try out a bag washer like Allurette. You can purchase a delicates hand washer laundry bag by Allurette conveniently on Amazon.
*Washer Bag C/O Allurette for review purposes. No other compensation was exchanged and all opinions are my own.
