Ever have a problem on how to wash a gigantic bed comforter in a small washing machine? I just had that dilemma when we got a king size comforter last Christmas from my parents-in-law. I didn't realize how small our washing machine is and never thought of what damage it will do when I dumped an elephant-sized bedding. One of the edges of the comforter got torn! It got caught with a rough plastic that's located on the cover tub. My heart sunk. Luckily, the other parts were still intact. We can't just throw away a very new, nice comforter, so we decided to use it anyway. Now the question is, how am I going to wash it without using the washing machine? An idea immediately lighted in my mind. Wash it the Filipino way!

In the Philippines, we wash our clothes by hands (at least most of us). Washing clothes is totally a physical effort. But we don't mind it. We're used to it. It's our lifestyle. We don't use dryer either. We utilize the natural heat of the sun to dry our clothes by hanging them outside our houses using ropes that we tie on one post to another. It does not only conserve energy (well, physical energy? it burns us a lot!), it also saves us money.

Going back to my recent dilemma, I found the perfect place where I can wash the bed comforter—bath tub! It's the right size that I need. You might ask if could I really wash that much size using my hands. The answer is "no way!" It's too big for my small hands, plus hey come on, I am pregnant! How in the world I could do that with my hands. Well, another way I was taught on how to wash huge items like blankets is through my...feet! Yup! Our feet is one of the best tools that we can use to do big tasks such as this. I'm quite happy that I was able to save myself from trouble of getting our comforter ripped again and finally accomplished my goal. Thankfully, I have the tools—big tub and my feet (of course water and soap too). Awesome! Problem solved. Next task? Drying the comforter under the sun.