Although many of us line dry our clothes outside, there's a good chance we're still washing them indoors. If you're looking for a summer project, try whipping up one of these small and super inexpensive outdoor washing machines. All they need is a little muscle to make them work and run 100% energy free!
Our friends over at Make wrote about this idea awhile back, but we think it's well worth revisiting as things are heating up around the country and we're looking to conserve as much energy and water as possible. This rig requires hardly any materials and is even portable in case you'd like to take it with you to the campsite this summer.
Even if you don't see yourself out in the backyard washing your dirty clothes in this manner, we think it's a great thing to have plans printed out for in case of times of emergency, be it natural disaster or your main machines break down.
Get the full tutorial and supply list over at Make
(Image: Make)

Shaw's Original Fir...
This is great! Currently I'm not a happy owner of a Summer cottage, but if one day, then I'll for sure cut down on as much electricity-requiring equipment as possible.
this reminds me of the book "Travels with Charlie" by J. Stienbeck. Except he just hung the bucket in the back of his truck. aggitation was provided by driving.
It's a neat idea for a project, but I wouldn't wash disposable diapers or anything like that in one of these...
This is a good idea because up to a couple of months ago I was hand washing my clothes outside. If you don't have a way to wring your clothes out, they take up to 3 days to dry in the winter and that's just a pain.
sweet