Washing Clothes With A Washboard
After the two day auction I won! mashaAllah... the washboard came with soap, a sop tray, towels, and a never been used washboard. It was in a cabin used as a decoration. So alhamdulilah it was delivered very quickly and I have enjoyed using it.
While the children are in the tub, sitting and playing with their toys... I am right next to them using the washboard ..inside of a big clear bin that I soak the clothes in. At the same time keeping watch on the children and washing the clothes.
I spend the time dhikring..thinking about the days task and really mostly talking to the children at the same time as they ask me about the washboard and how it works.
This domestic darling is enjoying each scrub on the washboard. I like the results mashaAllah! The whites are white and wonderful, all the clothes smell great and I think it makes my job easier.
I am considering alternating between the washboard and washing machine, right now alhamdulilah the loads are so low, I believe with consistency I can keep it this way using the washboard..it takes dedication and organization... two things I am working on.
When the children are not in the tub and are sleeping, I use the tub for larger loads of clothes and use my feet to walk on the clothes vigorously to agitate the dirt out.
The children have also taken part in this experience and washed their clothes by hand..I let them select one item each that they really wanted and they sat with me as I taught them how to hand wash their clothes mashaAllah
Well my adventures in washing with a washboard have really just begun. InshaAllah I will learn how to make my own laundry detergent very soon .
Masha'allah sis...I recently came across your blog and I am in love. I'm a homemaker in training and I've taken a lot of your advice to heart. May Allah bless you for you efforts and your zeal in traditional ways of raising a family.
ReplyDeleteA tip on homemade laundry detergent...right now I use Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds which is a great natural alternative to commercial detergents which contain so many toxins. It's all purpose so you can use it for pretty much anything. Here's a great book I recommend on homemade household cleaners also: http://www.amazon.com/Household-Cleaning-Self-Sufficiency-The-Series/dp/1602397880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334712114&sr=8-1 The recipes are awesome. Fi amanillah
JazkAllahu khayr for visiting mashaAllah! Thanks for the book info, I heard Dr Bronners is good for laundry detergent inshaAllah I will check out the link. Ameen to your duaas and may Allah continue to bless you and yours ameen ameen
DeleteYour words have certainly made my night!
Wow this brings back fond memories for me....when I was little my mom had a scrub board and I used to love to use it. I found it very fascinating how clean I could get my play clothes by scrubbing them on the scrub board. I used to have a lot of fun doing that mashalah.Thanks for reminded me of those fun times:-)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome beloved!! I am creating memories for mine, since I have never experienced it as a child :)
DeleteAsalaamu alaykum, You might enjoy Lehmans.com ... they sell a lot of items good for traditional housekeeping. On that note, its relatively easy to make a "washing machine" with a large bucket with lid (like a ten gallon bucket from Menards/lowes/home depot) and a toilet plunger. Masha'allah you are enjoying your laundry!
ReplyDeletewa alaykumsalaam you're such a blessing mashaAllah that website is awesome!!! Thank you so much for sharing
Deletesalamu aleykum,
ReplyDeletemy feelings are just opposit to yours ,
i had my washing mashine broken several times last year and no money to buy a new and just hated how i lost time washing by hand (when one could have done better deeds...)
My hands hurtet so much. My husband helped me a lot mashAllah, but even his hands cracked and hurted.
I'm soo thankfull for every invention which makes my life with husband and 4 kids easier!
I love your picture above , i can nearly smell the soap!
salam
yusra
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DeleteWa alaykumsalaam dear Yusra may Allah increase us in gratitude for all the things He has given us ameen :) I have five kiddos ....well four and one on the way alhamdulilah mashaAllah, the washboard is very beneficial for me ..alhamdulilah what works for one family may not work for another :) I am glad that things are much easier for you and your hubby with the washing machine! I know it can be hard on the hands with the wash board.
DeleteI don't think that it should be seen as a lost of time washing by hand and it can be used to do good deeds like saving money, time (not having to wait to go to the laundry mat), reflecting and mental planning, water, and for me the joy I personally get from doing it ;) Thank you so much for stopping by!!
Salam alaikum,
ReplyDeleteI really do not understand why you want to do this? I am a convert to Islam but grew up as an Amish. I think that it is absolutely ridiculous that people try to go back into time and make life harder for themselves. Allah (swt) gave us knowledge to better ourselves and our situations. Why not put your laundry in a washer, and actually spend your spare time with your children? When they take a bath play with them, when they are playing with their toys play with them, when they are sleeping bake them a special treat. Maybe read more Quran and better your knowledge? I believe in saving money, I cut corners in every way I can, but if the convenience is there why ignore it? I go to the laundry mat and in all honesty it really isn't all that expensive. I really do not understand people like you. Yes if I didn't have a washer I would wash my clothes by hand- which I had to do several times during my marriage- but if its there I use it. Sorry if I come out kind of strong it just kind of agitates me. You can do so much more with your time then scrubbing your clothes on a board.
Reagards.
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DeleteWalaykumsalaam! Thanks for your comment and concern that My life may be a bit harder but alhamdulilah its not :) I am truly happy and if you do not understand people like me, that is okay, what works for one person may not work for another.
DeleteFeel free to visit my other blog to see what I do with my children http://habeebeehomeschooling.wordpress.com inshaAllah you will find some ideas there to try with your children :)
Thank you for your comment!
As Salaamu Alaikum,
ReplyDeleteI have washed out clothes by hand before and it requires effort of course more than a washing machine. I for one am in awe of you and the service you do for your family. May Allah reward you and you do what works for you and your family. Props to you.
Salam alaikum, at my fathers we didn't have a washer machine, and the town was too far away to do laundry regularly. Every Thursday was our laundry day. My step mother and I would scrub the clothes by hand- we didn't have the luxury of a washing board- and hung them to dry, even in the winter time. We always washed outside since our house was small. 6 people living in a 1 bedroom, 1 living room, and 1 kitchen house. We didn't even have a bathroom, just an outhouse. 8 people when my brothers came to visit on the weekends. I will never forget waking early in the morning to milk the goats and tend to the chickens and horses. Now I live in the city, such a drastic change.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was an infant we didn't have a washing machine or dryer and we couldn't afford to pay for the use of one at a laundry mat so I did it by hand. I used the bath tub and my hands. I used detergent if we could afford it if not what ever was on hand. My hands were so sore and ruff, especially after jeans. I hung the clothes to dry all over the apartment. I was so grateful when I could get to my mother in law's and use her machines. We had been given cloth diapers so we saved money that way but we were very poor and inshallah if ever we are that poor again I will forbid my family from wearing denim LOL. Everything else is tolerable but not denim. Sometimes I think maybe I should get a wash board just in case we get that poor again.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutly no desire to voluntarily go back to that. I would much rather not waste my time when Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent has blessed me with having a washer and dryer and electricity.
Not that you are hurting anyone but honestly sister isn't there something more beneficial you can do with your time?
If its concern for pollution, then there are certainly much much more efficient ways to accomplish the same thing.
Rig a stationary bike to the washer to run the motor, then at least you gain health benefits.
Alhamdulilah thanks for stopping by, and thanks for commenting.
DeleteI actually enjoy my washboard, it's not an issue for me of time, because i totally believe Allah rewards us for whatever our hands do in taking care of our family and homes, whether you make bread to feed them, put the clothes in the washer to clothe them, or walk to the store... all the love and energy you put into whatever you do for your family is never a waste of time.
As you said I am not hurting anyone, so what I do with my time is beneficial..it may not be what you do with your time but alhamdulilah this is what I do with mine and I thank Allah for my ability to use my hands to do task for my family, they appreciate it and alhamdulilah that makes me feel good...theres never a moment in my home that my family does not make me feel appreciated, as if I waste my time.
I pray Allah continues to bless you in your life to make things easy for you in your homemaking :) Allah has blessed me with a love for washing clothes by hand LOL it may not be what other sisters like and that is okay with me alhamdulilah as I have said...each family has their own way of doing things and how they function. We should learn to appreciate every way that is good and pleasing and not depreciate what others are doing.
something I NEVER can comprehend is why when something is not for us, to our liking, to our comprehension, or in our ways yet-we feel the need to down it or complain or make it seem like it's a bad thing? Why must we do this SubhanAllah?
ReplyDeleteI don't want to handwash since I used to do it and yes it is harder and more time consuming but I'm not knocking you if you do it MashaAllah that you can and want to.
May Allah make us smile more, be more supportive and helpful ameen
As salaamu alaykum sister, I never quite understand why people assume that such things are a waste of time. Alhamdulillaah this deen is so beautiful and full of opportunities for rewards, and taking care of our families is just one of those ways. If you want to add a little extra effort into doing so then that's beautiful maashaaAllaah and may Allaah accept it as an act of ibaadah and allow it to weigh heavy on your scale of good deeds, aameen.
ReplyDeleteIbaadah comes in many shapes and forms and i am sure if you decided to volunteer to clean your neighbours car or make a daily dish for them purely for the sake of Allaah this would only be seen in a positive way but because you choose to do something a little different that people may not understand, it attracts negative comments. Such a shame! Just because there are easier ways to do things nowadays does not mean that we have to do them. I say if you enjoy it then keep going at it my dear sister x
ASA Ladies,
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and work that washboard Sister! When my kids were small and in diapers, it was alot easier for me to soak and wash baby clothes, crib sheets, diapers, underthings, hijabs, etc by hand than pack up the kids and hit the laundromat. A nice, wide drying rack and you're good to go. Every thing else had to wait till I got all those quarters together for the 'mat. LoL
Your blog is fun and motivating, and just between me and you Sis, I had fallen out of love with homemaking for a while . . LoL. May Allah accept your effort, ameen. Keep up the good works and thanks again for giving me that little 'push'.