So! Just got 20 lbs of clay, and I've been soaking it for the past day, and it's already an absolute mess, as my wife showed me when she decided to hand-wash her favorite dress in it.
But is there any good way to keep it from going down the drain? We'd like to be able to recycle it, because it's cheaper, and we'd also like to preserve our drains. Because we'd rather not have ceramic-lined pipes.
What's our best course of action here? I've heard one idea of putting down an old bedsheet first and letting water filter through that. The clay stays, the water goes, then you just dump the clay back in the bucket for later.
Unfortunately there's not enough privacy for an outdoor hose-off, putting down a hundred square feet of plastic sheeting isn't really practical, and while we'd love an outdoor mud pool like SOME people around here have... ... it's not looking too hot for that either.
I tend to do clothes filling very slowly and carefully and arrange a washing up bowl between my legs to catch the plops as it slowly leaks through my multiple layers of tights (pantyhose). If you're careful, you can scoop most of it out of the bath and back into your bucket. I can usually get 3 or 4 goes out of half a bucket of clay.
Also, get the clothes really wet first so that all the water doesn't get pulled out of the clay when it hits them. At the end, make sure the clothes are wet then run them through your fingers a bit like an old-fashioned mangle. You'll be amazed at how much gets scraped out of them and drops into the bucket. For the residual stuff at the end, there shouldn't be much clay left on the bottom of the tub. Just ensure you have LOTS of water running to dilute any clay that gets into the drain, for long enough to get it out to the giant road drain, where there's always water flowing.
Once you have scooped out all you can I use a plastic bucket with airtight lid to store the clay,Amazon have them, that way the clay doesn't dry out. Then half fill the bath with warm water to dilute the Clay Then wash down any left Around the sides then pull the Plug, that Way it doesn't get a chance to linger in the ubend/trap and pipes.
Mudcole.
The only normal people are the ones you don't know
Right now we don't have an airtight bucket, just a sterelite container with a latching lid, but not airtight. It'll do for now I think. Besides, I'm still mixing in more clay. It's amazingly messy so far
But yes. An airtight bucket is probably next on the list.
Love you, too
... it's not looking too hot for that either. 
