Are these double laundry sinks worth the money??

[City Bound]

Are these double washing sinks worth the money? I want to get one, but I do not want to waste money on junk. Also, can you put a wringer in the middle of the two sinks? it looks like the sinks are tapered so I am concerned that the clamps on my wringer would not be able to make a good bite on the sides of the sink.

These sinks: http://www.wisementrading.com/washing/wash_tubs.htm

[emdeengee]

I love a double laundry sink. Definitely worth the extra money. Makes washing and rinsing faster. I don't know if a wringer would work on a modern sink (plastic or fibreglass). We did have one on our old stone sinks.

[Astrid]

I used these for a year when I lived in the middle of the woods in Maine. One of those easy washers that look like a metal plunger as well as a washboard. A wringer would work well to get water out. A better choice, I think, is the James washer that you can find at Lehman's. They are expensive, but are much easier and work much better than just using washtubs.

[Coloneldad5]

If you can find one I'd go for a double stainless steel count/sink set up from a restaurant. Those are sturdy and can be used for a lot of things. If you shop right you can usually get a pretty good deal on one.

[City Bound]

colonel, I would love one of those sink, and another for my kitchen, but the price of them is WOW! way up there.

[City Bound]

astrid is this the James Washer? http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Go...32823315?Args=

[Beeman]

Seemes sexpensive but what can I say. I would make my own rack and use 2 cheaper washtubs if that's what I really wanted. Why not make a stand between the 2 tubs for your ringer. The sides of those tubs won't stand up to the weight and pressure of a wringer. Also looks like a pain to empty once full of water. The used commercial sink sounds better. What exactly are you wanting to accomplish?

[DAVID In Wisconsin]

I have a James that I used every week until about 2 years ago. It's a great machine. That being said, it isn't worth what they're getting for them. I got mine with a wringer used when this was the old luscenet board.

[City Bound]

bee good points.

I want to wash clothes in it. I wash them in a five gallon bucket that I sit in the kitchen sink to catch the over flow, but I want to try to make it a little easier and have an area set up for laundry day.

[SquashNut]

If I found one at a yard or estate sale I would buy them in a hot second. But we don't buy any thing new any more.

[calliemoonbeam]

CB, Lehmans has a wringer that they say will clamp onto those tubs, but an old-fashioned wringer would be way too heavy. There are stands for those, but they're antiques and can get pretty costly. I have a set up with a stand with the wringer in the middle, and then the two square washtubs on either side. I don't know how to post a picture, but the stand/wringer looks like this:

http://www.bargainjohn.com/w263cWringer.htm

Right now, it's just used for decorative purposes, but if the need ever arises I could use it for washing. Mine is patent dated 1895. Here's a link for the Lehmans wringer:

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Go...23320#32823320

In a previous discussion here a few years back, someone recommended something that I thought was a great idea for someone looking to do it pretty cheap or with limited space. They recommended a janitorial type mop bucket with a wringer attachment. They don't run the items through the wringer like the above kind, but you would just put them into the wringer and squeeze them out, same function. I think those could be had pretty reasonably. There are lots of different types and different prices.

If you have lots of upper arm strength and don't mind all the heavy labor, someone else mentioned just washing their clothes in the bathtub or a large kitchen sink with a laundry plunger (see link below) and wringing them out by hand. You just "agitate" the laundry with the plunger. This is the cheapest method by far, but I couldn't do all that hand wringing, lol. The plunger would also be good to use with any of the hand/bucket washing setups, as you'd have no agitator, or you could use a wash board (link below also). There are endless possibilities!

http://non-electric.lehmans.com/sear...0plunger&asug=

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Go...6GWB66SWB66TWB

P.S. Antique wash tubs might cost a little more and don't have that shine the new ones do, but they're made out of a lot thicker metal and are a lot sturdier, if you go that route. I looked at some new ones not long ago and they feel thin as paper compared to my antique ones, and that shine goes away after some use anyway.

[Fowler]

I got mine at a nearby traders village for 25 bucks. The wheels still work and is very clean for being antique.
Now only if I could find the wringer for cheap.

[City Bound]

callie, thank you for all that info.

I have been washing by hand in a five gallon bucket, using my arms as an agitator, I just grab the clothes and smash them in and out of the water, then i would toss them in a friends washing machine and run the spin cycle to wring them, then hang them on a line or on a rack.

I have an old fasioned wringer. I just got it, so I have to see if it works with pants, because the last one I bought was the dynojet wringer and it worked wonderful for everything except jeans. i could not get the jeans to fit through it.

I saw that wash rack you posted on craigslist and I wanted to buy it, but the guy was so far upstate from me that it was not worth the trip.

I can not find a double wash tub at an antique store that works, every one I find has holes rusted through it. I think I might check out those plastic double utility sinks.

hand washing is not as hard as people think it is. it is quick also.

[City Bound]

fowler how much are you looking to spend on an old wringer?

I paid $35 for mine which I thought was high. I had the hardest time finding one, I was looking for two years. Everyone I found was siezed up, damaged, or the rollers were dried out and cracked. I could have bought one on e-bay, but those wringers weight a ton, the shipping would have been double the cost of the wringer.

[sunflower-n-ks]

If you are already using a bucket, just add a toilet plunger (new) and you will have it made. If you use a larger container to set on the floor with the bucket in that to catch the overflow, then it is a better work height if you want to sit while working. If you are hanging the clothes on the line outside, they can drip the extra water.

That is the method I have been using for over a year now. I work outside most of the time so the overflow doesn't matter. Sometimes I don't even hand wring the clothes, just hang them on the line and let gravity do the work. If you hang them inside, hang them over the bathtub, or in the shower so they can drip out the extra water there.

When the handle on the plunger broke, I dropped the clothes into the bucket, over and over, and that worked just fine also. Maybe that is what you are doing now?

Those big tubs, although real handy for a lot of things, will take up a lot of room when you are not using them. And how are they filled and empties?

[City Bound]

sunflower I was going to fill it with a hose from my sink, and then drain them from the bottom into a bucket, then use the waste water to flush my toilets until the water is gone.

What I do is, I grab the clothes with my hand and thrash them up and down with my hand. Except for the prune hand at the end of all the washing, it works well.

I tried a plunger and it was too floppy to do any good.

I have not needed a washboard yet, because washboards are for very soiled spots or stains.

I am trying to find a set up that is comfortable to use. Whatever I end up with, i do not want to have to struggle with the materials and work area.

What I am considering doing if I do get a double sink is build it into a counter in my kitchen. The kitchen counter will be on hinges and when wash day comes all I have to do is take the toaster and other junk off the counter and then lift the counter on the hinges. on the underside of the counter the washboard and other tools will be attached so that when the counter is hinged up and locked in place all my laundry tools will be right in front of me, like they are mounted on a wall, in arms reach for when I need them, and the double sinks will be built into the cabinets. When I am done and the sinks are dry, i will lower the countertop and put the toaster back. That is an idea floating in my mind, but I need to know if the double sink will work well before i do all that work.

[Astrid]

Originally Posted by City Bound

astrid is this the James Washer? http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Go...32823315?Args=

Yes. I love it!!!

[City Bound]

is the agitator on the james effective? I saw a woman demostrating the james in a news interview and she looked like she was wrestling with the lever just to get it to work.

[Pelenaka]

I own one square galvanized laundry tub & 3 or 4 round ones. The square one I bought over 8 years ago @ Mr. Seconds a hardware store similar to Big Lots. The round ones I bought new off a woman who had a fountain making biz for a $1 each. They all are pretty solid but I have seen some on store shelves that were junk.

Hubby punched a hole in the square tub & attached a drain hose & clamp @ the end. He bought the items @ Lowes.

I have always thought that a good solid wood coffee would make a great wash stand. Attach four rubber bungee cords for tie downs on tubs. Attach a solid stand for the wringer made from scrap wood in the middle. Paint everything with marine grade paint to repel water. Set up under the clothes line drain lines could irrigate the garden.

Had a chance to touch & play with the James washer @ Lehmans. No water of course or dirty clothes. The legs seemed flimsy for something that is suppose to hold that much water. It also was too short to comfortable use for me & I'm 5'5".
I wasn't impressed for the cost.
Planning on building one when the time comes.


~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/

[sunflower-n-ks]

If you set the tubs up to drain into a bucket, there would be lots of uses for them, like washing veggies. Any dirt could be rinsed into the bucket and no worry about a clogged drain. You would have a lot more room for large items like blankets also.