I was asked this question in a recent comment, so I put the question into my search engine.
I asked AI this question: How does she wash her clothes Bealtaine Cottage?
(16 years of sharing Bealtaine Cottage is now immortalised on the World Wide Web.)
Answer: Colette O’Neill of Bealtaine Cottage washes her clothes using traditional, off-grid methods that align with her permaculture philosophy. Her process typically involves:
Hand Washing: When her washing machine broke down, she transitioned to washing items by hand daily. (2009)
Rainwater Rinsing: She uses a rainwater barrel for rinsing clothes. She notes that this naturally softens the fabric, removing the need for chemical softeners.
Outdoor Rinsing: She prefers rinsing and working with laundry in the open air, often using a line to hang heavy, wet items like patchwork covers.
Alternative Equipment: While she has expressed interest in old-fashioned twin tub machines for their water efficiency, she primarily relies on manual labor and natural resources.
Natural Drying: Clothes are dried on an outdoor washing line or, in colder weather, draped over her Stanley stove inside the cottage to dry.
Thank you for sharing. Your posts are always a pleasure.
One thing to add, for those living in a dry Winter climate (~New England): Drying clothes on racks indoors helps to humidify dry air.
Lucy
My daughters think I am odd because I wash my smalls each night. I say why wait until you have a really big load of washing haunting you? Air drying is rare in my neighbourhood but we keep up the tradition!
I am delighted to see someone doing laundry the old-fashioned way. I stopped using a normal washing machine back in 2006. Since then I have been doing my laundry either at the pump or using rainwater collected in large barrels. At the moment the water is frozen, so I have to use tab water. I built a “washing machine” consisting of two buckets. One normal, the other one with lots of holes. I put the latter into the former, add clothes, detergent and water, and use one of these sticks with the orange rubber bit (used to clear sinks), no idea how you call them, to push the clothes around and get them clean. Then I lift the upper bucket, and the water stays in the lower one. Saves a lot of wringing. Unfortunately I cannot use the pump here, as this is an old petrol mining area and there is always a thin film of petrol, and a very slight smell on the water in the buckets. Ok for watering plants, but not for clothes. Drying takes ages at the moment with the rain and snow. Sometimes the clothes are frozen hard like a board in the morning. Take them inside to let them dry once they do not drip any longer.
Your laundry reminds me when I was small Mother washed clothes on a scrub board in the bathtub and dried out on cloths lines even in the freezing cold, then put them in at night near the cooking stove on chairs to dry. 😊
Deepest Respect Always For Caring About Other’s Needs
I love hanging clothes out on a line. There’s something therapeutic about it. I also love the smell of the clothes that have been line dried.
Hi Colette,
I remember when I was young being told that The Holy Mother would dry her laundry on rosemary shrubs…thus the reason they started blooming with blue flowers. Your post evoked that memory!
I love this, and right now it’s exactly what I needed to distract me a bit from all the evil that’s being revealed.
Wonderful! Living as a single woman I often wash ‘by hand’ and hang dry on a rack under the furnace vent. And, where did you purchase the spiral candle holder? Happy Spring. From Ohio
Hello Colette, this is what my nana used to do. I remember the washboard and helping her when I was very little – maybe 4 years old.
A lovely memory – thank you.
I love this! The best ways to wash, rinse and dry laundry!!!
Hello Colette! Zen & the Art of Laundry. I have a hard rubber ” bell” plunger for the set tub in our basement. Great for my husband’s farm overalls. I tried my late mother-in-law’s 1960s wringer washer and boy oh boy was that a challenge to use! I finally mastered it and promptly retired it when my new washer arrived. I can’t imagine the work she went through to do sheets, towels and farm clothes for five males! My hat is off to her.
Love this. As humanity slows itself and embraces consciousness, I believe we will see more of this WILD WASHING. Lol. I have missed it and have plans to create my own cottage to include wild foraging, washing and living. Cheers!
This little letter made me chuckle. Your famous Collette! Who would have thought an idea to grow a woodland would lead you down the path of AI.
Lovely. Doesn’t it hurt your hands, especially in the cold weather?
Rubber gloves 🧤?
You are an example to us all and the photos are beautiful.
Dear Colette, that’s a wonderful way to wash and dry laundry. I have almost the same utensils, such as the tub and the laundry tamper. But your washboard is nicer than mine ;-). In Switzerland, we use the Stewi to dry laundry outside. Hugs from Switzerland to you and Patsy
Love it🌬❤️
The old ways are often better!