The Laundry of a Sick Room: Water, Fuel, and Rinses to a Stated Cleanliness

A sick room produces a stated daily linen load of 3.0 kg dry weight. Washed by hand in 15.0 litres, with the cloth retaining 1.5 litres after each rinse, each rinse in 15.0 litres dilutes soluble material by a factor of 0.0909. Two rinses reach a residual fraction of 0.008264, below 0.01, and three rinses reach 0.000751, below 0.001. A load washed and rinsed three times uses 60.0 litres of water. Heating the wash water from 20.0 °C to 60 °C takes 2.512 megajoules of useful heat and 1.116 kg of wood at the stated stove efficiency; bringing it to boiling and evaporating 1.0 litre takes 7.28 megajoules and 3.236 kg of wood. Drying takes 1.67 hours in sun and breeze, 5.0 hours in still shade, and 12.5 hours indoors in cool air. On a schedule of a full load every second day, with 4 loads in a week, the weekly budget at the three-rinse standard is 240.0 litres of water, 4.46 kg of wood for a hot wash or 12.94 kg for a boil, and 280 caregiver minutes.