How to Use a Wringer Washing Machine

Using a wringer washing machine is easy once you understand the functions of your machine, and what performance to expect.

I have used a wringer washer for almost two years now, and can say I like it better in many ways than the automatic clothes washer I had before. It is energy- ,water- , and soap-efficient, takes little time to use, and takes tough loads easily. (My family goes through lots of heavily-soiled, outdoor-work clothes.)

There are several makes and models of wringer washing machines available (some are new), and while I have examined several, I have only owned two models. Both are Maytag. One (shown in the photos here) appears to be a 1940 model (or earlier), and was found in a shed on the farmstead my family acquired. The evidence left near it in the shed says it was originally gas powered, and has since been through at least two electric motors, with the third (still installed) being not far from needing to be rebuilt. So we concluded this machine probably was the one and only washer the previous resident ever owned. (We know, even at 90-something, that she never had an automatic washer.)

My second washer is a 1945 (?) model, and hasn't had nearly as many wash loads through it. It has some design differences, but performs similarly to the first. It is the same machine my grandmother and mother sometimes used, and now it is my turn.

I will share with you some of the knowledge and tricks I have learned (mostly the hard way) for using a wringer washing machine, after I moved into a thoroughly hands-on, rural lifestyle a year-and-a-half ago.

Using a wringer washer does require more commitment, physical strength, and time carved into blocks (rather than snatches) than an automatic washing machine. I prefer to commit a few hours once or twice a week to doing laundry, rather than trying to do the smaller loads many of us have become accustomed to. The Monday Wash Day Blues makes more sense to me now than it did as a child!

What you will need in order to get successfully through a wash day:

• 14-20 gallons of clean water
• 2-3 laundry baskets (one large, and two medium or small are ideal)
• Soap or detergent of your choice (I like to add a small amount of borax with the detergent)
• A place to dry your clothes. My family of four uses at least 60 feet of clothes line, on average.
• Stamina, patience, and cheerfulness
• An easy-to-fix lunch

I have to haul water in buckets to my washer (which has since these photos were taken been placed indoors), so don't like to use more than I have to. The trick to using only a small amount of water is to know in what order to wash your clothes. This may sound simple, but really, you have to pay attention.

Like this:

• Whites and the cleanest things go in first
• Light colors and the medium-dirty items go in next
• Darkly colored clothes, things with dyes that bleed, and the dirtiest items go in last

Washing laundry in this order means you can do a whole weeks' worth of laundry in one batch of wash water, and one batch of rinse water, should you choose.

Should you have the luxury of using hot or warm water (I normally don't), starting with the white items is important. That way, by the time you get to the darker colored clothes, your wash water will have cooled enough not to harm them. (Should you be forced to wash in cool winter temperatures, be sure to have ready a place to warm your hands between loads.)

You determine wash times. You can let each load go as long or as short a time as you wish. Experience will tell you how long to let your dirtiest loads wash. While you are rinsing, it is usually not necessary to allow each load to agitate more than a minute or two. Sometimes I don't bother to turn off the wringer at all, but simply grab out items from the still-agitating washer, running them through as fast as the machine will operate. (However, some models don't have enough power to run both the wringer and agitator simultaneously, particularly with heavy loads.)

There are several things you should know about your wringer. Of course, the first of these is, "Don't insert fingers into wringer!" Some terrible, gross things have happened to people who tried this. (Fancy having the skin peeled back off your whole arm? I don't either.) You should, of course, keep small children away from the washer while it is in motion.

To prevent injuries, and also to release stuck blue-jeans and such, you should know how to quickly release (loosen) your wringer. Many models of wringer washing machines have a catch-release of some kind, which will allow you to instantly stop and separate your wringer rollers, to release anything which is stuck. Some have a pop-up bar across the wringer frame, which, when hit, will cause the rollers to pop apart. Other models have a little bar on a pivot which, when twisted one way, will allow the rollers to separate, and when twisted the other, will cause them to stay tightly together.

How to re-set your wringer for wringing action is another thing you should know before filling your washer for the first time. Some models have to be re-set by flipping the top-half of the wringer frame all the way back, then forward again until it catches and the rollers come together. Others will not re-engage until the pivot-bar is twisted the correct direction. Look your model over until you see exactly what to do - don't wait until you have a disaster on your hands to try to learn.

To start the wringer action, there is typically a lever at one end of the frame which will start and stop the rolling, and, when placed in "neutral" (straight up and down), will allow you to re-position your wringer where it will be most convenient. Some washer models allow only three different position settings, others allow you to put the wringer anywhere within a 360* radius.

The entire wringer can be lifted out of its place on the washer for repairs and adjustments. It is heavy!

Your wringer rollers can be adjusted to compress the clothes either more loosely or tightly. You will find the adjustment screws on the underside, and you will probably have to take the wringer off the machine in order to make adjustments. If you get it too tight, you will have trouble with jeans and heavy items; too loose, and smaller items will remain too damp.

Finally, your wringer will need to be oiled from time to time. Beware of drips shortly after having oiled it, and don't let clothes you especially care about touch the ends of the rollers for a while. (Beware of this anyway, as it invites snags.)

Most wringer washer drains are designed to both drain into buckets, or be attached to a garden hose - whichever is more convenient in your setting. I find buckets to be the more convenient choice most of the time, but if you have a bad back, and you can drain the water far enough away from your house not to create problems, the hose may be your better choice.

Many older wringer washers have hoses which have deteriorated some, and/or kinked where they attach to the washer underneath. (Appropriate replacement hoses are not always easy to find.) You may have to pinch the kink back into shape at the start of each draining period, to get maximum flow.

Also, your hose may sometimes get clogged with fuzz and gunk. (Many wringer washers are very efficient at not letting excess fuzz and "big chunks" down into the hose, but over time, build-up happens.) This is easily solved by cupping your hand around the end of the hose to create a clean seal, and blowing hard until you release the clog. (If you don't have enough wind, use an air compressor.)

Finally, the agitator sometimes "pops" loose. In order to fix this, you may have to drain your wash load, and then fit the agitator back into place. It may go in somewhat hard, but will fit down tightly once you have it positioned correctly.

Just remember, whenever something goes wrong, there probably is a simple solution, which doesn't require a great deal of muscle. Afterall, while many wringer washing machines were designed by men, they were intended to be used by women, and therefore don't require a grizzly bear and a gorrilla to fix.

Finally, before showing you a typical wash day from early spring/late winter 2010, I will explain a bit about how to insert clothes into your wringer. As mentioned, be careful when wringing out clothes, and keep fingers, hair, and loose clothing clear of the rollers. Watch carefully as each item comes out the other side, to ensure it doesn't get angled down underneath the rollers, and wrapped up around them. (If this happens, stop and release the rollers, pull the item out, and start again. Reverse sometimes works, but only if you catch the mistake right away.) Run heavy items through twice when rinsing, for faster drying.

• Button-down shirts - Begin by inserting flattened collar, allowing shirt to then follow naturally through toward the tail. This will take less time than inserting it sideways or sleeve-first, and will also prevent button damage and excessive wrinkling.
• T-shirts - Insert collar-first.
• Blue jeans - Align waist-band (no bunching), and start at a slightangle. This will allow the jeans to go through (hopefully) without snagging, bunching, or making you cuss. Larger jeans will naturally require more care than smaller pairs, and you will soon learn exactly how to handle each pair. Some zippers do best laid flat and aligned, others prefer to spread or fold down some.
• Sheets, blankets, rugs, etc. - For sheets, begin with one corner, and untwist out of the wash tub as you go. Run through twice, shaking the sheet out the second time to get any bunching or twists free. Rugs and very heavy items should typically be folded lenghwise, if possible. If you find that you can't get something through the wringer, just haul it out in a basket or bucket, and pour or squirt fresh water over it as it hangs on the line, to rinse it.
• Delicates, lingerie, very light items - Run through in bunches, with items of similar weight, so that they get wrung out well. (Blue jeans and underwear aren't compatible!)

I have always gotten by with just one wringer washing machine at a time. However, many people prefer to use two - one to wash, and one to rinse, as this speeds the process greatly.

If you only have one washing machine, the way to do is this:

First wash a good, big batch of clothes, and let them all sit in a basket after having gone through the wringer once. Next, empty the wash water, and fill the machine with clear rinse water. Begin as at the first, rinsing and wringing your white/cleaner items, and working your way down to the darker, heavier things. Wring heavy items twice. As each rinse load agitates, you can hang out the previous load, keeping going a continuous cycle of rinsing-and-hanging until you are finished.

Wash day typically involves for me two to three hours of steady work, using no more than one batch of water.

• Extreme delicates and some silks - the agitation motion is frequently too harsh, and may stretch or tear the fabric.
• Wool or denim quilts - usually too heavy, and nearly too bulky. These are better washed outdoors in a washtub, or in the bathtub.
• Things with large buttons or other bulky decorations - they may not survive the wringer, and even if you don't mind mending buttons and such, you may never find them again once the wringer has either eaten or tossed them.