Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Needs the grid
One of 2 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
A plumbed supply and drain, and a socket. A countertop model needs neither and will run from a tap adapter, which is what makes the appliance route possible in a rented flat; it holds about half the load of a full-size machine
A machine that recirculates a small charge of hot water through spray arms, so the same litres wash every item several times before draining. That recirculation is the whole reason it beats a tap: a sink method can only reuse water within one basin, and a running tap reuses none. A modern full-size machine on its eco programme uses 9-10 litres and about 0.7-0.95 kWh per cycle, both measured under a mandated test.
This solution is not buildable as a DIY project.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.