Hand Washing Clothes for Dummies

Here at NPH all the kids and tios/tias wash their clothes by hand in the pilas , yet the volunteers have the luxary of having a washer and dryer (not necessary, but very nice). One night in my section I was talking to my girls as a few of them hand washed their clothes and I was amazed how quickly and efficiently they could get through a pile of dirty laundry. When they saw the look of awe on my face they decided it was time for me to get my hands dirty and help out. Then and there I was giving a lesson on hand washing clothes Guatemalan style.

Step 1: Go out back to the pila with soap and the clothes that need to be washed. One side of the pila is bumpy for washing clothes and the other side is flat for washing dishes.

Step 2: Place a rock or something in/on the drain and fill up the center part of the pila with water.

Step 3: Lay the item you are going to wash in the bumpy side of the sink and pour water on it until it is completely wet.

Step 4: Rub the bar of soap back and forth over the item that you are washing. The bumps in the pila help to provide friction and make it easier to wash.

Step 5: Rinse the item with a bucket/bowl with water until there is no more soap on the item of clothing.

Step 6: Ring out the water and hang the item of clothing on the clothes line to dry.

Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6 with each item of clothing!