Former poor person here. You don't need any fancy equipment other than a bath tub or large vessel. Fill with clothes, warm water and soap (laundry detergent, dish soap, or castile soap). let it soak for maybe an hour followed by a few mins of stomping with your feet (like grapes). Let drain, rinse and wring by hand. Dry in an area with fresh air or in the bathroom with the fan running. From my experience, jeans do well to soak with a cup or two of vinegar. CLR can be used 2x/ yr to remove mineral build up from whites, and borax really does boost the cleaning power of regular detergents. When you're washing by hand, you have a lot more cleaning options available to you.