~Grainlady, I'm pretty sure I read your mop bucket wringer tip in a previous post and I meant to ask you a question then and got distracted.
What's the largest item that can be wrung in one of those? Jeans? Sweaters? A sheet?~
niesance26 -
Another option that would probably be a blessing if you had to do laundry by hand all the time is an electric wringer:
http://www.laundry-alternative.com/clothes_wringer.htm
But for mop buckets, it depends on the size and style of the mop bucket wringer. Openings for the wringers come in several sizes. There are also many styles and a large price range. Check Sam's Club or Restaurant Supply Stores if you want to check them out and how they work. I've seen the least expensive ones at Wal-Mart, but they were smaller than professional grade. Ask anyone you know who may be in the janitorial business for information.
If you can locate one, there are still real roller wringers (like those that were used on wringer washing machines). These sit on the edge of the bucket and you hand-crank the rollers to press the water out. Those work great, but are notorious for busting buttons. So you have to be careful pushing the items through it, and drawing it out the other side, and making sure the buttons go in flat.
There are also old-style wringers available called chamois wringers that are used to squeeze the water out of chamois used for car care.
http://www.professionalcarcare.com/CW-200-Gearless-Chamois-Wringer-p-16253.html They work on the same principal as washer wringers.
The least expensive and most common these days is a style that pulls a flat, slotted plate towards the mop (or clothing) to squeeze the water out of the mop/clothing by brute force. A sales rep. told me about another type, but I've never seen one to be able to describe it very well, but there are two plates that press down, rather than one plate you pull forward.
The trick to successfully using a mop bucket to press the excess water out of clothing is not to overload it. When you do a sheet, for instance, you will do it in folded portions, not the whole sheet at a time. It also works better if you semi-fold the clothing flat, rather than wadded-up. If the clothes are wadded in a ball, you'll also press wrinkles in the clothing, along with removing the water. You'll STILL have lots of water in these items and it takes them much longer to line dry than clothing wrung out in a washing machine. The trick is to save your hands from this arduous task.
For anyone using the 5-gallon bucket/plunger or hand agitator method, you'll get cleaner clothing if you agitate the clothing, let them sit for 5-10 minutes, then agitate again. This gives the detergent some time to work. You'll also get better results if you use the hottest water possible for the fabric type being washed. Make sure you use non- or low-sudsing, soap or detergent. All-purpose liquid cleaners like Shaklee's Basic H (organic cleaning concentrate), Amway L.O.C, and Nature's Sunshine Concentrate do a great job with only a tiny amount of the cleaner. Automatic Dishwasher Detergents are also a good choice for the job (no suds - easier rinsing). It takes very little detergent/soap for the job because of the small amount of water. You may need 2 rinses to get out all the soap in the clothes, and adding vinegar to the final rinse will help soap removal.
