When it comes to washing clothes, the process here is totally different from the way it is done back in the States where I come from. Here, clothes are generally washed by hand. Back home, an electric washing machine is almost always the method of choice. My question is this – which is better? Which one gets the clothes cleaner? It’s not an easy question to answer!
This is one area where Feyma and I don’t see eye to eye. Maybe this is another example where what we experienced in growing up is where we still see things as better. For me, I firmly believe that clothes washed in a washing machine come out cleaner, crisper, etc. Feyma, on the other hand has always felt that hand washed clothing was cleaner. To me, I just could not imagine that to be the case, after experiencing both. Her feelings are just as strong, too.
We have a labandera (a lady who washes clothes) who comes to the house a few times per week or so. She hand washes each piece of laundry, and hangs it out to dry. My biggest problem with the labandera (and we have had a number of different labanderas in the time we’ve lived here) is that they don’t pay close attention to what they are doing. They will throw in white shirts along with blue jeans, red blouses or whatever, and suddenly when the white shirt is finished it has patches of red or blue on it. This annoys me to no end. It doesn’t happen with a washing machine (for me anyway) because I take the time to wash the whites together, and the colors in a different batch. Of course, the labandera could do that too, but so far I’ve had a hard time finding one that does it that way.
In addition to the color problems, another thing I find is that the hand washing, at least with the method they use here, is harsher on the clothing. Sometimes, a new item of clothing is destroyed by only 5 or 6 cycles of being washed. With a good washing machine you can use the same shirt for years if you take care of it. The washing process is gentle enough that it does not destroy the item of clothing.
Because I am a big person, it is not easy to buy clothes here in the Philippines that fit me. Sometimes I have to order clothes from the States and have them delivered. Other times, I have clothing made by the tailor. Because it is harder to get clothes, I don’t allow my shirts to be washed by the labandera. I send all of my shirts out for professional dry-cleaning. It’s not that expensive, and generally the clothing is taken care of better than the labandera would do. On pants, I don’t mind, because the local tailors do a good job of making pants for me, shirts are harder for them to get right, though.
One area, though, that I feel is better here is by hanging the clothes out to dry instead of using an electric or gas dryer. I like the smell and feel of the clothing that has been hung outside to dry.
How about you, which method do you prefer? Which method gets the clothes cleaner?
Side note: Today, I put up another Video Blog! This time I am showing the White House on Samal Island. This is where Feyma and I purchased a piece of land and will be building our dream house in a few years. Have a look!
Bob,
Elena has a washing machine, but uses it for the soap wash and then rinses by hand. She first washes the whites, and then each load after is grouped by color since the soapy water is reused. Then the clothes is hung to dry. I do like the fresh smell, but I like a dryer to tumble dry since it makes the clothes softer and not hard.
But that is an advantage I will soon lose. But gaining Elena is a better prize.
Hi Bruce – Indeed, it sounds like you are getting the better end of the deal! 😆
Hi Bob,
Well I finally sold my house (after one false start) and will be coming to the Philippines in late January, or February at the latest, to get married. My asawa (wife) to be has told me she will show me how to wash clothes on a bato (stone) so I'll be able to compare the two methods after a few bato washes. By the way she has also told me that I will need to chop the wood for the stove and that the car will be either the horse or carabao. A whole new chapter to life is about to begin.
As previously mentioned I will be on the other side of Mt Apo from you so maybe sometime we can get to meet.
Thanks for all the great info and articles by you and your writers on your blog. It is very invaluable.
Thanks for your nice words, Richard.
Wow! You are really gonna go native! Horse or Carabao for transportation! We might not see each other as often as we hope for! 😆
> Horse or Carabao for transportation! We might not see each other as often as we hope for! <
O yes I hadn't thought of that. ha! Could add a whole new meaning to "a ten day camel ride" 😆
Absolutely, Richard!
I prefer handwashing, and I really prefer to do it myself. We had a washlady but she has since ruined my shorts (my army green coloured shorts are now light green and yellow) with too much Zonrox. My wife and I have now decided to just go back to doing it ourselves. Venice will not let the clothes out in the rain, because the rain is considered “dirty”. Personally I think the rain is cleaner than the well water here in the village and certainly cleaner than New York rain. All I can say is Salamat sa Diyos that I didn’t give my authentic Hawaiian shirts to the washlady… if she bleached them I might have commited murder LOL. I agree with Bob, it’s hard finding clothes for big guys here, Bob can you pass on the name of that tailor? I need some new pants because I’ve gone from a 58 to a 52 in 8 months of living here.
Hi Bob and to all of you, we have washing machines (actually 3, which we brought with us, when we moved here for good). My sister-in-law Inday took over to wash our clothes every week. I didn't feel comfortable about it, meanwhile I adjusted. I told her, that our machines could help, if she would agree. She smiles…
Here's a tip for hand washing that many already know but hasn't been mentioned: Nature's clothes softener = rain! Freshly washed clothes hung out on the line in the rain, then dried (either after the rain ends or in a covered drying area if the rain continues) will be much softer than just dried alone.
Our late auntie taught this to us when we lived in Guam. There, quick rain squalls would pass over the island, drench everything for about an hour, then disappear just as quickly. Clothes hung in that rain, then sun-dried, would come out very soft and smelling very fresh. 😉
Rinsing freshly washed clothes in clean, stored rain water will soften them, too, but they just don't seem as fresh as those caught in a downpour! 😎
Hi Paul, that's what we also learnt from Inday… Amazing…!
What a interesting artical Bob….I would think { that is dangerous sometimes 😀 }..that any woman would want a washer machine and not have to wash clothes by hand….but maybe that is the culture over there…one thing I have noticed in all the photo's that are of Phillipino people is this…there clothes are like clean…very clean and u see a lot of folks wear white there…{ maybe that is for the hot weather } any way…when I look at the photo's I wonder how that is done..so bright and such..maybe it is the secret of hand washing..not sure…
But also I would think that hand washing the clothes would wear them out fast and well u could not hand wash the clothes that u get at Wall Mart or other places here in the states..they would fall to pieces in no time…a lot of them all ready do that in a washing machine…and of course I am like you..with more expensive stuff..no way would want to had wash it…the dry cleaners sound great..and seems to work good.
So..once again a very interesting artical for sure…as they all are..and for me..I think I will just stick to a washer machine and well…Make sure not put the reds with the whites and all of that good stuff..hahahaha….
Hi! I'm a Filipino so I'm going to give you what we think of handwashing (though I don't like doing the laundry!). Most Filipinos tend to think that clothes washed by hand are cleaner than when they are washed in the washing machine. They also think that clothes get more worn (though I've learned that they do stay longer with machine). It's I think a psychological thing. The act of actually squeezing and washing clothes with your hand gives one a more tangible sense that the shirt or whatever is clean. I have even used a 'palo-palo'! (palo is tagalog word for hit). it's like a flattened wooden bat used by hitting clothes to make sure that the detergent comes out more easily.
Hi Klaus – I think that smile from your sister in law is the same as the one I've seen on Feyma's face! 😆
Hi Paul – Good tip. Thanks for sharing that, it's something that I didn't know.
Hi Dan – Maybe I'll try to do a video of our labandera washing the clothes, so that you and others can see how it is done here.
Hi Cathy – Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm going to stay away from you on the laundry day, though… I don't want to get palo! 😡
🙄 Hi Bob, you are right…
Ive always enjoyed having my clothes handwashed when in the philippines; but is usually done by one of my nieces or other relations. Do you think maybee they are trying to impress me, because my clothes seem so clean and smell great?
Hi Bob My wife asked me to post a follow up comment about the handwashing debate. She says that handwashing is good because it uses less water ( enviromentaly friendly) and creates employment. I guess there is another topic for discussion here about using labor rather than technology to help spread the wealth. This subject fascinates me as I am not "living in the Philippines" but a lot of you guys are.
Hi Bob&All I can see their hand washing being hard on longivity of the clothes,but it certainly works well. Some of their clothes may be old, or even out of style, But they are CLEAN, The same as the people. Clean & pressed clothes are the norm. for them. Never smelly! The most clean aware people I have ever met. Guy
Hi anthony – Anything is possible! 😆
Hi Guy – Yes indeed, you are so right. People here take some serious pride in their clothes! Heck, if I don't crack down on them, they even iron my underwear! 😳
Hi Louis – I'll have to find out the name and contact info for the tailor that we have used. Feyma takes care of that for me, and I don't know right off hand….
Hi Bob and all…..For me, the handwashed clothes are cleaner than the machine washed. When I first moved here, I mentioned , to my wife, the idea of getting a washing machine. Her response was, it costs too much, uses too much current, uses too much water and doesn't get the clothes clean. After two years here, I tend to agree with her completely. We have a house helper that does the laundry everyday. She does not mix colors with the whites and uses Zonrox only on the whites. The clothes are hung to dry (inside out to reduce fading by the sun) and, I don't experience any stiffness in the clothes Asfar as damaging the clothes….I don't find that to be a problem. My wife has clothes from her high school years and they look fine even after, I know, they had been washed by hand in the river near her home for years. So, it is safe to say, we will probably not buy a washing machine any time in the near future.
Hi Francisco San Giorgio – Sounds like it is working well for you! I'm glad to hear that!
Maybe it's because we live close to metro Manila but I think you would go a long way here in my town to find any woman who prefers hand washing. My mother-in-law has had a washing machine for more than 20 years … one of the first things my wife was excited about buying for the family when she first went to work many years ago was a new washer. I think there's been two since then. Washing machines are cheap, save water and take out the dirt without ruining the clothes.
We don't have enough clothes to bother with a labandera … I wash the clothes during my early morning blogging/surfing hours and we have day help who hangs them and makes plancha (ironing … the part I won't do). I use a mild powdered soap and a US-brand fabric softener, they seem to hold up well. When I lived in Thailand I always had my clothes hand-washed … lucky to get six or eight cycles out of soft clothes like T-shirts … they last much, much longer without the hand wash abuse.
At our house we have an American Sears machine that was new in 2000, I brought it and it's companion dryer with us since it was free to ship. The washer is, of course 110 volts, I run it about twice a week on a transformer … the dryer needs more amperage than would be safe on this house's wiring and so it hasn't been used and likely won't … in a year we've never had more than 2 days in a row outside drying would not work.
A tip for making clothes last … when hanging in the sun … turn all clothes inside out and button the collar/waistband so the sun does not hit the outside anywhere… they will be free from fading and unsightly "pattern" fading for along time. We also hang almost exclusively on plastic hangers … faster than playing with "sipit", the clothes keep their shape and it's super easy to rush them inside if a shower blows overhead … and make sure your plancha lady can read the common label on men's and women's undies .. "do not iron garter" … mmmm, ironed t-shirts and briefs … am I in heaven or what?
IMHO, t's the "palo-palo" that wears out the clothes, not the hand-washing. Funny how I was just thinking the other day about how I wished I had a "palo-palo" to soften my jeans jacket! I live in the states.
Hi Dave Starr – Yep, things must be different in Manila. Almost all the women I encounter here would not consider a washing machine, they prefer the hand washing method. Here on our end, we have sooooo many clothes, plenty to keep the labandera busy. With Feyma, myself, 4 kids and a number of other live in relatives, there is never a dull day!
Hi bebot – I think you're right on the palo-palo.
Bob, this is yet another fantastic topic! Marleen and I agree that we prefer handwashed clothes to machine washed on the idea that it actually get the clothes cleaner as you can focus on the spots that really need a good working on. Both of us are rather gentle with the clothes so they will last a bit longer as a great deal of the fraying and wear seemes to come from the dryer, in my opinion. If you are very concerned with the safety of your fabrics, the best bet is to hand wash them yourself. After all, you are 10 times more likely to be more gentle with your own children than a stranger will… The same tends to apply for your material possessions. I have had the problem of trying to muscle out the last drops from a shirt by wringing it out, only to be stopped by the sound of tearing fabric… but that was a long time ago and I was new at it! All of that being said, coming from a washer/dryer household, there is NOTHING quite like putting on a shirt or even underwear fresh from the dryer! NOTHING! I am going to have to disagree with Feyma on the eco-friendliness of hand washing, though. The newer models of washers are now designed to use as little as a third of the water that handwashing requires. Now, to offer an eco-friendly solution… use rainwater for the wash! Your clothes come out softer and rain is free and plentiful, especially in the philippines. Furthermore, those machines are a major use of power. especially the dryer. Also, my underwear were ironed once. While I chuckled to myself at how bizzare it was while it was being done, I was touched by the extra care put into it. Not a neurotic fixation, just a little extra something. If someone even thought about ironing Marleen's underwear though… "I pity da fool!"
Louis!!! You're down by 6in! That is fantastic! I gotta move to Cebu *promptly*! I have been trying to lose a bit off my waistline 😉 …and everywhere else. I tend to be a great deal more monkish about clothing and accessories (fashion in general) than most other people so I wonder about a tailor. Still, you can't beat comfort. If you can tell me that they can make a pair of pants more comfortable than my 4yr old pants… I am sold o the tailoring!
Hi Lawrence Johnson – Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing! I'm not changin' sides, though! I still go for the machine washed! 😆
Dec. 2, 2007
hand washing can be also automated it is a matter of systematic application. im a city girl but i learned all the manual when i went up to upland sitio for the upland project. i leanred the hard way but it is a realization that it is advantage in time of survival.
thanks
jenny
Hi Jenny Lao – Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment! Interesting information!
hi Everything was washed by hand , my wife would hire some neighbor ladies to wash most of the clothes but my wife would wash my stuff herself ,cause she didn't want my clothes to have something wrong with them ..to much starch or clorox..or not done right ..and everthing was great ..oh and our floor was cleaned or polished with a coconut husk everyday….
Hi phil – Sounds like you had good service!!! 😆
i did , my wife is a hard working woman ..
Hi phil – I hear you… mine is just the same!
Hey Bob,
I know this is an old post, and Rose has told me that she and her mother washes all the clothes there by hand. But of course I have never seen this first hand yet. You say the process is much harsher than using a wash machine? Just curious as to how they do it there, Rose isn't too good about explaining every thing..I will ask her how she does it..and she will just say…with soap and water honey…lol. So she doesn't explain the whole process of it..and I have heard her say..that clothes do get stretched out sometimes by hand washing them there.
So maybe this will be a good video shoot for you, and you won't have to go too far to shoot video of your "labandera" washing your clothes. And you can show us "greenhorns" how they wash clothes there in PI.
I also know it is very expensive to buy a wash machine there, but in the end..wouldn't it be more cost effective to have wash machine..and not have to pay someone to do it…a way that takes longer…I know you would still be paying someone to do it for you..but with a wash machine..I would think it would save a little..even with the cost of electricity..you can still do with out a dryer.
Rose has already told me…."Honey..you will be doing laundry with me".."so get use to it…hehe".
Just a thought..and just curious 😉
Danny
Hi Danny – Good idea on the video, I'll do that next time I get a chance. Personally, I would kind of like to get a washing machine, but everybody here prefers the clothes washed by hand. I don't, myself…. but I think I'd be outvoted! 😆