Way back when - Mom had a Maytag wringer washer and clothes were line dried.
She used this huge bowl - it was the bread dough bowl that she mixed dough for eight loavrs of bread in at one time - used that powdered starch that came in a blue and white box - Argo? - added a bit of cold water to the starch and stirred it - it was cloudy looking - then added hot water to it so it got more translucent. Then added a rectangle of Satina to it and stirred it until it was blended and melted.
She dipped the whole item into the bowl and wrung the items out by hand. Then they were line dried. Then they were sprinkled and rolled up so things would get evenly damp and put into plastic bags. Ironing was the next day. Some stuff did get put in the freezer.
By the time she was done, there wasn' t much liquid left in the bowl. I think the leftover was dumped outside. The septic system at that place was poor - we found out how poor it was after Mom's house was demolished! Most of the used water was carried outside and dumped. That was back in the day when you could still pump out your own tanks and dump the water on the grass. This was on a farm.
And before some of you go Eeeeeewwww - probably no more disgusting than walking in a park where dogs urinate and defecate.