MATERIALS
10gal plastic bucket or any deep waterproof
container big enough to hold clothes and with
a mouth at least 12" wide. Handles and a lid
are also useful.
1× 3 hardwood boards, 40" ( 1) and 20" ( 2) A 1× 3
measures ¾"× 2½". I ripped a 1× 6 in two.
¼" plywood, 16"× 16" to strengthen the frame’s
corners. You can also use strong plastic like plexiglass, or any rustproof sheet metal you can cut.
1" hardwood dowels, 3' long ( 4)
Wooden tool handle for rake or hoe
¼" braided poly rope, 50' or other fairly stiff rope
1" braided nylon parachute cord, 20' or other thin,
strong, waterproof rope that holds a knot
Flexible netting, 12"× 30", with 2" holes or smaller
I reused a discarded tennis net.
PEX plastic tubing, 3" OD, 10' lengths ( 2) or other
semi-rigid tubing; in Nepal we used bamboo.
Package of 4" cable ties or you can use thin rope
¾" #6 stainless steel screws ( 24 or so)
2" deck screws ( 4)
Waterproof glue
1"-diameter copper pipe slip connectors ( 2)
Aluminum bars, 1"×¾"× 3" ( 2)
or any other rust-resistant metal
7"× 3" screw eye
¼" bolt, 1¼" long, with washers ( 2) and nuts ( 2)
Nut to fit the ¼" bolt that also just fits inside the
screw eye
TOOLS
Screw gun or variable-speed drill
Screw bits
Drill bits: 1", 7", ¼", and 1½" hole saw
PVC socket flange, ¾" hole I found one branded
“Nibco” in the electrical supplies department.
Hacksaw, and handsaw or jigsaw
Pliers, and adjustable wrench or locking pliers
Rasp
Flathead screwdriver
Utility knife
Hammer and a mallet, or hardwood block
Tape measure
Sandpaper
Vise
PEX tubing cutter (optional) saves time
Cable tie fastener (optional) saves time
CLEAN ENERGY: Laundry machine prototype in Nepal
(top), and a small, cartable version of the machine
built as a woodworking project (bottom).
»
Inciting Agitation
sticks up through the clothes and prevents them
The washer consists of 3 main components: from balling together.
a container, a net bag, and a lever-driven shaft While the washer is in operation, the top cone
mechanism held in place by a simple wooden frame. holds fast while the bottom cone is pulled up and
The key component is the net bag, which is down by the shaft, carrying the clothes with it.
designed to hold, squeeze, and agitate the clothes. Each pump of the lever handle pulls the clothes
The middle of the net bag is a wide, open cylinder up out of the water, squeezes them out between the
of flexible mesh netting. End-capping the cylinder nested cones, and releases them back down. The
above and below are semi-rigid cones made from lever’s 40" length provides mechanical advantage
short plastic pipes strung together with rope. for easy operation.
Both cones point upward, so the bottom cone
Make: 61
