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Washing machines have made our lives simple, but what about drying those clothes? Dryers are not always affordable and traditional methods are time-consuming.
Do you prefer a modern solution? Don’t worry, we have off-grid laundry solutions for you as well. This easy guide will help you analyze your needs so that you can choose the right one and live the lifestyle you desire!
This guide of Clothes Wringer Alternatives will transform your dreaded laundry chore into a good one. Choose the right alternative, anything that would be perfect for your daily volume or time factor, and go ahead!
Outline
8 Clothes Wringer Alternatives
1. Outdoor Racks or Clothesline
A traditional alternative, that goes way back in the history of mankind, is simply using a clothesline to dry all the apparels. I mean, we did grow up playing hide and seek amidst those long bedsheets that were hanged on the clothesline after a good wash. It is an amazing option if the day is warm and sunny, and you are blessed with a fresh fragrance on all your clothing.
Don’t worry about having a fancy clothesline, a string might do it all. Tie them between two tree trunks and your work is done here!
If clothesline is your primary drying method, you must be familiar with the effortless wringing that is required before you hang those clothes. This is done to stop the dripping and it is not difficult at all. Go easy on delicates and line them up side by side on the line before you get back to collect them after a few hours.
Talking about the pros, I find clotheslines extremely affordable as we only need a rack and a line. You can use them both indoors and outdoors, just make sure it receives plenty of air always, no matter the weather.
The only disadvantage of this method is time. It might take a whole day for some of those apparel to finally dry and they might not be ready for immediate use. You have to do laundry ahead of your workday to surefire the method. Also, it is not feasible for those who do not have a garden or any airy space.
2. A Hairdryer
Get your shirt ready for work in a few minutes with a hairdryer. This easy method comes handy when you need to dry your clothes urgently. It is a very common item in every household and as you use the hair dryer to make your hair silky, use it to dry some clothes in a pinch.
If you have washed something and want to dry it as fast as possible, this option would work. It will not work as efficiently as the machine dryer, obviously, but it is a feasible option for one or two items of clothing.
The biggest pro is availability. I mean, who doesn’t have a hairdryer at home? You can dry up your outfit of the day in an hour or so, without any effort. Don’t forget to wring your clothes well before going for this one.
Drying the whole laundry is not a good choice if you are using a hairdryer to do that. This one is more of a dryer substitute because you have to wring your clothes anyway before using this. I have dried a white shirt using a hairdryer, and trust me, it did take a lot of attention as it had to be even in all parts. So, be ready to face something tedious!
3. DIY Mangle and Towel Method
As fascinating as it might seem, hand washing clothes can be very convenient at times but if you don’t have those gears to wring them perfectly, it can be a problem. This easy DIY will not only wring your clothes to speed up the drying process, but it will also remove wrinkles.
You would need a bucket and a mop with a wringer, and towel. Wash your clothes and feed them to the wringer through the roller so that the water keeps on dripping on the bucket. This method would also remove some crease from your apparels. Trust me, you will be amazed to see the amount of excess water squeezed out at one go!
You can also use a towel, tie it to something firm and secure like one leg of a table and place your wet clothes inside it. Wring the towel from the other end unless you see water dripping. Keep your towel free from twisting itself by keeping it extended always.
Both these methods are DIY options that can be handy and is mostly used when you are using your hands for laundry. Also, do not use the towel trick often. I had sprained my wrist two times while wringing a sweater. Yes, I do get over-excited sometimes!
4. Hand Crank Manual Machines
Old-fashioned clothes wringers are not efficient as they require your efforts, which makes you tired anyway. Switching to some modern equivalents, we have a hand crank manual washer and dryer which are more effective and require less effort. You need to place your clothes with some detergent and water and spin the hand crank for a good wash.
Similarly, for drying purposes, use the same method and the same unit (without detergent and water, of course). The clothes tumble at a fast speed and are almost on par with washing machines. You can also combine this method with the clothesline to get that fresh smell on your clothes.
This method allows you to wash and dry up your clothes faster than you think. Though it would still operate on your power, they do operate faster than other traditional methods. It is a good alternative when you have a handful of clothes separated for laundry.
Hand crank washer won’t be effective on heavily stained clothing or incredibly soiled apparel. For the drying part, it won’t be perfectly dry either as there would be some dampness. So, it is better to be combined and used with a clothesline as well.
5. Washing Machines and Dryers
If we are talking about laundry, how can we forget washing machines? These electric machines are extremely efficient and can dry up things faster than anything else. If you have a laundry room in your house, you must have these bad boys installed. But such machines are not practical for a household, either due to space or just because the necessity isn’t this big.
You don’t have to be actively engaged while using a washing machine. Just throw in those clothes, press two buttons, and relax! The machine will do the rest of the work. Your laundry would be done in no time and you don’t have to dedicate some precious hours doing laundry. It is quite expensive compared to wringers, but don’t you think the price is worth it?
A huge advantage of having washing and drying machines is the time! One would have a much easier time doing their laundry, without any effort and saving time. It is a sophisticated option that will make your clothes shine and improve their looks as well. They work on heavy stains as well!
These machines are not always affordable. Unless you buy them at a sale or something, they are quite difficult to afford. Also, they consume a huge amount of space in your household. It is not practical to keep such voluminous machines if you do not have more than a dozen laundry chores to do every day. Moreover, your living space needs to have proper earthing and electrical hookups to install them, something that is not at our disposal!
6. Rolling Pin and Heat
You might have been surprised by this one, but why not? A rolling pin is so much more than just baking. It is the easiest and the most obvious option for a wringer. Yes, you have guessed it right, it is only because it can be rolled over so easily!
Just roll it over your wet clothes with low to medium pressure and you will see water squeezing out of them. You have to repeat this process several times before you get a semi-dry, damped cloth. Just like a piece of dough, put the cloth on an even surface or maybe a grid or porous one so that water could escape easily.
Another indigenous method to dry your clothes is using heat. By heat, I didn’t mean the hairdryer this time. Using a fireplace or campfire site efficiently can save your day by speeding up the drying process. You would need a clothesline for this one, but if that is placed beside a campfire, things are meant to get stirred up for the good!
7. Laundry Services
You might find buying a washing machine or dryer is too much, you can take up some laundry services every week or every month. There are professionals trained for doing your laundry or dry cleaning in exchange for money. If you are stuck with work, choose this alternative for your laundry.
There are also laundromats setting up nowadays where you can visit with all your items of clothing and do your laundry by using their machines. This one is also a good alternative in case you want some cost-cutting.
If you are short on time and you can afford a laundry service, you must go for this option. This is a full-proof alternative where they will return your clothes in the best possible way. Similarly, laundromats can be good when you have both time and money, but you don’t want to spend extra effort using a wringer.
Both of these services can be very expensive because they charge you on the basis of the material of clothing you are willing to wash. So, a sweater or formal coats would be very pricey. Also, you cannot get this done in a day or two. You need to plan things up at least a week before in order to get them on time. So, this is something you must not forget while you are dropping off your clothes in a laundry service!
8. Hand Wringing
I would end the list with the most simple, primitive, and instinctive instinct if we have a wet cloth in our hand. None other than hand wringing! All of us are quite experienced in this method as we have done it infinite times and surprisingly, it works well! So, we don’t need a cloth wringer anymore, our hands are enough!
This won’t make your clothes dry, but they will eliminate the excess water and hence, speeding up the drying process. If you are willing to put in little effort, traditional clothes wringers are not at all required.
Though the process can be arduous, you don’t have to pay a single penny if you are choosing this option for clothes wringing. It won’t be dry and you have to air them, either by clothesline or dryer maybe! Also, don’t wring them with extreme force, you might end up damaging the fabric.
This is not a good option when you are preparing your clothes for work as you cannot afford to damage the fabrics. You have to combine this with another method for drying, which might be inconvenient at times. So, if you have plenty of time and no hurry, go for this!
Having perfect clothes wringer is very important as we can hardly spend a week without laundry. Choose the alternative that suits your interest the best and get your laundry chores easier than before!
