How to do Laundry with an Extreme Minimalist Wardrobe - Tips for Intentional Minimalism

[@tekeeshaodom2769]

I really appreciate your attitude towards minimalism and that you stress that it looks different for everyone. So many minimalist KZbinrs act like their was is the only way and can sometimes seem to be too judgemental if someone has "too many" things.

[@Ilegitdk]

Lia, just wanna let you know... Had a bad day , I ended up binge watching your videos. I feel so better now😭❤️ thank you so muchhhh

[@V01D.mp3]

I personally live on my own and my washing machine is half the size of a regular washing machine. I have to do laundry once a week anyways since otherwise the laundry piles up and that’s kinda ugly so doing it once a week is absolutely fine for me. I have a relatively small wardrobe already but I want to optimize it even more, especially when it comes to workout and loungewear.

[@claires2096]

When I stopped washing my clothes after every use, my life changed forever! It was just how I was raised to do laundry and then as I got older and went to college I observed others laundry patters and quickly changed mine! It’s made all the difference. This past year I’ve been in Brazil and we don’t own a dryer and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to drying my clothes by machine. I still have a lot of clothes, I struggle to get the number down but it’s a goal of mine! Thanks for your videos, I always enjoy watching :)

[@sallyw.2204]

Very interesting! Most of my clothing is white and cream, so I don't have an issue washing all white pieces together. Only the white 60 degrees pieces stay too long in the laundry bin. I also don't have to iron anything. Also, if there is wool or some other sensitive piece that needs to be washed, I just wash it together with the other pieces and set a special programme for the pieces that need the extra care. The other pieces don't mind :)

[@melodyguy4252]

Thanks for the video! I could definitely get better at not washing my tops as often. I have a wooden hanging rack on a pulley that I use to air dry our clothes over the winter. I love it because it takes the laundry out of my line of sight and they dry much faster in the warm air at the ceiling.

[@ecofriendlia]

That's a great idea! We have been thinking about a construction that would move the clothes up to the ceiling and the warm air is definitely an advantage! :)

[@tamara5082]

You are currently one of my favorite people to watch, love your videos. Much love, Tamara.

[@ecofriendlia]

Oh, that makes me so happy! I am glad you like watching the videos☺❤

[@bonniepalmatier4664]

Hi Lia. We lived off grid for 8 yrs. I followed the Amish way of washing clothes. A bucket and plunger. Actually another bucket to rinse. I line dried and what a wonderful smell! Mother Nature has the best fragrance!

[@ecofriendlia]

Oh yes, I totally think the smell of sun and air-dried laundry is the best ☺

[@ceciliefranciska899]

I so agree, I don’t want to take care of white clothes. Such a hassle

[@SimplyBeautiful516]

I’m so happy that I found your channel !! You are so straight forward without the hype. I find myself contemplating your words long after I have watched your videos . Just like a really good book or a really close friend. Thank you.

[@mmk82758]

I love this! In te US we absolutely need to normalize the idea of wearing clothes multiple times between washes.

[@ericamciver6948]

Yes! The US just doesn't seem to do minimalism like Europe.

[@uarestrong76]

I always do the sniff test haha. If it stinks or is stained I wash. But maaaan somehow we STILL have so much damn clothes. Mostly because I have a "fall" wardrobe and a "spring wardrobe"....

[@neta565]

Oh I loved this video, great discussions!

[@111-w9d7y]

Interesting video Lia. I ditched ironing about two years ago. In my life, everything must be washable or it has no value for me. Even have got summer tops and skirts that need no ironing. Still have my steam iron but put my ironing board out on the pavement and somebody took it. So that was good. In fact everything in my life has to used regularly, easy to look after or out it goes. Today snow fell in Zurich, so that brought me much joy. Think we will have a white Christmas.

[@Prizzy999]

I own a few 100% wool jumpers and I usually hand wash them, or If they need a deeper wash I'll throw them in the washing machine in a 15 minute cycle, in cold water and very low spin, with a very mild detergent. Then I hang them dry, in Italy we usually do that and we don't use a dryer but someone does, it depends on much time they have and the weather they live in, it's mild where I live and if I need I put my laundry in front of the stove and it gets dry pretty quickly. It's not recommended to wash wool jumpers too often though, just at then end of the winter season before storing them away if they're not stained or very smelly. As for the rest, I do black laundry once a week now, same for whites. During the summer I might do one more black laundry but it gets dry within the day so no probs with a minimalist wardrobe. I'm not a minimalist at all when it comes to underwear though, I can't be, gives me anxiety owning just a few pairs of knickers so I have more haha.

[@Magdalene777]

Have you thought of looking for another pair of linen pants, similar to the ones you have, but in a dark color like navy blue or black, so you can wear them for dressy occasions and also every day?

[@ecofriendlia]

Yes, that is the one pair of pants I want to add! But I haven't decided on a brand yet and have not found the perfect one secondhand ☺

[@aloluccak.8303]

I love your tips and how you explain everything so great. Like everything you mentioned and explained i do myself too! My wardrobe isn't that extreme minimalistic, but i have like the same rules and the same important things like you mentioned. But anyway i loved to listen to you, speaking about how you manage laundry. ❤

[@RachelLive]

That was actually something I was wondering about. Thank you for the video :)

[@springday.]

I also only hang dry my clothes. When it comes to pieces made out of wool or any other heavy material, I lay it out flat on a towel and if needed I put a small towel inside the garment aswell. This way it drys quickly and by laying it out flat you don't damage the piece.

[@intentionallivingspace]

Hey Lia... So we do laundry everyday. It is a cultural thing in my country. Clothes are washed on a daily basis and air dried. So we can repeat the clothes a number of times in a week since they are washed and dried the same day :-)

[@miyounova]

wow, I've never heard of that! Where do you live?

[@intentionallivingspace]

@@miyounova India, Mumbai

[@tonettepace1189]

I also do laundry everyday and live in USA .

[@susanjohn6506]

When I first married in 1980 we lived in a house with no hot water so I boiled a kettle & hand washed everything. This was fine for clothing but not bedding & towels & I hated doing those.

[@cozycatcorner7724]

I've got way too many clothes, it's funny... I cleaned out my closet donated clothes last year organized my clothes... Then now I end up with more clothes people give me and I didn't want to be rude and tell them no. Actually, lately I've been polite and tell them I've got way more clothes than I can handle.

[@marjnussby1516]

Hi Lia, Thanks for your videos!

[@katjarozantseva8069]

This scrubba bag costs almost 50€, so I wash clothes in a bucket although it's not as water and time efficient. But I think I will consider buying this bag finally

[@katjarozantseva8069]

But I wouldn't suggest anyone to wash their bed sheets by hand! I had a period in my life when it was the only option, and that was awful. Just the size of the sheets makes process of rinsing and squeezing exhausting

[@Nina-cd6uw]

I invested in it when I thought I'd become homeless in 2 months and wanted to be prepared to still be clean, since we had a river close. Now it's come in handy when our washing machine broke or when traveling a bit off grid - I love it but I would be just as happy without it, it's really not a necessary item and I cannot imagine washing bed linens with it - they're just too big and heavy.

[@katjarozantseva8069]

@@Nina-cd6uw oh, then there's nothing to be afraid for me. I was homeless for a month when nobody had even heard about scrubba bag and I still made my laundry somehow. But washbag still looks more water efficient

[@bex438]

Hey Lia, I really enjoyed watching this! Ive got quite a minimal wardrobe anyway but watching this made me rethink how many shirts I own - I like wearing shirts for special occasions or in summer but even then I really do not like ironing them, they are the only items of clothing I own which need ironing but I may just try and reduce the number as even washing and ironing one or two stresses me out and puts me off wearing them and so they sit in a pule un ironed which is stressful to look at, I think I need to find shirts that don't need ironing at all if such a thing exists 🤔

[@marry632]

I always ask myself: does this item need washing or can I just air it out for a while

[@mayvel1537]

Great video! I love that washbag idea, might get knee for myself :) when I traveled to Greece for 2 weeks, I ended up washing my shirt each night in the sink, but this bag seems more sanitary!

[@ecofriendlia]

Yes, definitely! It is more sanitary, saves water and you don't block the sink if you are doing laundry on a camping ground or something where you don't have your own bathroom. Plus these dots on the inside really help cleaning your clothes☺

[@mayvel1537]

@@ecofriendlia that's great!

[@suzonlange6410]

@@ecofriendlia what is the name of the washing bag ? I love all your videos, they bring me joy ans useful advices!!!

[@karolinarudnik5753]

Is this bag big enough to wash, for example, the sweater that you wear on this video? Or any 'bigger' things, like jeans or sweatpants.

[@kirpparilla2649]

I wash laundry once a week and its enough to take care of all weeks worth with one round (twice if i have to wash towels and sheets since they require different temperature), i use homemade detergent (marseille soap, laundry soda, normal soda and salt) and vinegar as softener. I dont separate colors but only separate according to temperature, all our usual stuff can be washed with 40degrees. Hang-dry and hope for sunshine 😁

[@alydiafraser9290]

Does vinegar make the clothes smell of vinegar?

[@sarahthatcher123]

How do you or others line dry towels and not have them be just rough and too crunchy. Towels and sheets are the only things I still dry in the dryer. I will fluff clothes for 2-3 minutes in the dryer just to get wrinkles out and then hang dry.

[@zuzanna8912]

I pour the vinegar for the rinse cycle. It works also for preserving colours.

[@lizasoliman723]

it seems like a solution to your pants is just 1 more pair!

[@annaradcliffe]

It sounds like your system is working great! I used to live alone and wash all my laundry by hand, the only problem was that in the summer my clothes would sometimes take so long to dry that they'd start to smell. (It was very humid and I didn't have a place in full sun to hang them.) I'd take my sheets and towels to a friend's house because I didn't have the space to wash and dry them. So not a perfect system, and I'll admit that having a washing machine makes my life easier now, especially because the spin cycle gets more water out than I can by wringing so the clothes dry faster. Someday I'd love to make a pedal-powered washer like this: thegreenlever.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-to-convert-your-washing-machine-to_10.html

[@koko137591]

🖐🏼🎄

[@angel0island0ninja]

If you have bad luck like me, your 2 pairs of work pants will rip at the same time lol

[@gabsskates2004]

My stinky pubescent self wishing that after wearing three kilos of deoderant everyday I didn't have to wash my shirts everyday 😅