DIY 5 Gal. Bucket Clothes Washer

In an extended emergency situation you will find the need to wash your clothes. Of course, if you do not have power, you will not be able to use your normal washer and dryer.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to make your own clothes washer, all you need is a five gallon bucket, a snap-on/snap-off lid, and a basic plunger. What I mean by a basic plunger is one that does not have a fold-out flange for using with toilets. I had a hard time finding a basic plunger, as all the ones at Home Depot had the fold out flange. However, these type of plungers are heavy duty, so I purchased one and just cut the flange off with a knife. Now I had a basic plunger.

The above shows the three parts you will need to make a five gallon bucket clothes washer. A five gallon bucket,
a snap-on/snap-off lid, and a plunger.

If your plunger has a fold-out flange, simply cut it off.

The best type of lid to use is an easy-on/easy-off lid which are available at various stores such as Home Depot. Unlike normal lids, these do not need to be pried off a bucket once you put in on. If goes on easily, stays securely on the bucket, then comes off easily.  You will need to drill a one inch hole in the center of the lid, for the handle of  the plunger to fit through.

Drill a one inch hole in the lid for the plunger handle to fit through.

Next you need to drill holes in the head of the plunger. If you don't, when you push down on it in the water, it will just suction the clothes. You want the water to be forced through the clothes, pushing the dirt out. I drilled eight 1/2 inch holes in the head of the plunger.

I have seen various configurations, but many that I have seen only drill holes in the top. I drilled four in the top, then alternated four in the side, off-set from those in the top. I felt this would better agitate the water through the clothes, as water could squirt straight up, and also through the sides.  I can't scientifically prove this is better, but it works well. It should be note, that if the flange had not been cut-off then the water would not be  able to squirt through the holes in the plunger.

Four 1/2 inch holes were drilled around the top of the plunger, and four more offset on the sides.

You now simply fill the bucket half full of warm water, add a small amount of detergent, place the plunger in the bucket, and place the lid on the bucket, with the plunger handle sticking up through the hole.

The above shows the five gallon bucket clothes washer ready to go.

The plunger is pushed up and down on the clothes for three to four minutes. Then empty the dirty water and wring the soap out of the clothes. Then, put fresh water in the bucket and plunger again to rinse. Wring the clothes out again and hang to dry.

This shows how the plunger agitates the detergent in the water. The cover was removed for the photo,
but should be on the bucket when pressing the plunger up and down.

As you can see, a clothes washer made from a five gallon bucket and a plunger is a simple project but will provide you with a means to keep your clothes clean when power isn't available. It works very effectively, and if you want to get fancy, you can buy one of those mop wringer buckets and use it to wring out the clothes after they are washed.

We hope you enjoyed this article and will help support our efforts by checking out our products. As always, Be Prepared To Survive

Copyright © 2014 by John D. McCann

Click here to return to Do It Yourself