Hand washing your laundry is a great way to save on water and energy, and it is very therapeutic. I've been doing our laundry by hand for almost a decade now and do not miss a machine (other than for big blankets, which is really a two-man job if done by hand).

• Fill a tub with about 5 gallons of water (enough for a medium sized load) and add all natural soap.
• Add your clothes and swill them around.
• Rub each item of clothing over a washboard, dunking it in water between each rub.
• Wring out and put aside, ready for next rinse.
• Repeat this process a further two times, totaling three washes (15 gallons).
• Hang on the line.
• Put your grey water on the garden or trees.

I take about an hour to do a load of laundry, and then hang them on the clothesline to dry.

One thing that really surprised me was how clean you get your clothes. I had always assumed that a machine would get them cleaner, but this is not the case. I brought this up to my husband after using a relative's machine. His reply was, “Of course. There isn't a tiny little women inside the machine scrubbing them clean.”