I am a home health care RN and I go into some really rural and poor areas. I was recently in a home that had both a wringer and and modern washer. The patients wife was using the wringer that day! We started talking about it (I usually find something to make small talk about when I go into a home, it puts the patient more at ease). The lady told me she NEVER uses her automatic machine. "It is nothing but a piece of junk" is how she referred to it. Amazingly she told me the timer didn't work on the machine so she just turned it on and let it wash an hour or so. She was telling me how clean everything comes out. I was really thinking about how rough that would be on clothing to be washed for an hour or so. However, the family was not wealthy and was still wearing very dated clothes. Other than being from the 70s and 80s I was amazed to see the clothes they had on were in good condition. She had her sheets on the line outside. I could see they were not full of holes etc. I have read that heat, agitation, detergent, and time is what cleans clothes. She must have it down pat.