It’s very easy to make a five gallon washing machine, you just need the following ingredients:
- Drill
- Plunger
- Five Gallon Bucket
- Tight fitting lid
Make sure you use a brand-new, clean plunger for this project. Here’s a link to a cheap one on Amazon.
Building this unit is very simple, just take note of these 2 special design features that will make your washer work more effectively.
Tight entry hole Cut the hole in the bucket lid to fit the plunger handle snugly, to ensure water doesn’t find its way up and into your face.
Plunger holes
Drill about a dozen 1/4″ on the sides and top of the plunger to allow the water a place to flow through.
If you skip this step, your plunger will buckle and won’t pump up and down smoothly.
An even simpler design
You can simplify this design drastically, just fill one or two buckets with soapy water and your laundry, and agitate your clothes thoroughly. See our article on hand washing in a 5 gallon bucket. 