How to wash raw fiber in small spaces

If you don't know, I live in a pretty small apartment. Okay, it's tiny. Maybe 600 square feet?

This makes certain things rather difficult... like cleaning tons of raw alpaca fleece.
 

There's a washing machine in the basement that everyone in my building shares, and even though I plan on washing my little human's cloth diapers in it (in six months!), I don't think raw fiber washing is acceptable in the shared-washing-machine etiquette. Besides, this machine is the coin operated type that is void of choices. (there is no "soak" feature)

So what is an Apartment Dwelling, Fiber Enthusiast supposed to do? This is when I decided it was tub time. (minus me, plus picked alpaca)

Here is my technique:

Pick and fluff out a bunch of raw fiber.

Place in garment bags.

Fill tub with warm water.

(there is no lanolin in alpaca so super hot water isn't needed)

Add a sprinkling of baking soda.

Mix mix mix.

Place fiber filled bags on top of water.

Gently! push each bag under water until it's totally drowned.

(not dead, just free of air bubbles)

Soak for 20 - 40 minutes.

(depending on how long I forget about it)

Drain! 

Then I do the same thing without baking soda.

And once more with vinegar added to the water. 

(baking soda and vinegar are amazing - click the links!) 

Here is one pound of clean, dry, fluffy, snuggly alpaca fiber. Next time I'll clean a whole fleece at once (2 - 4 pounds)

Super cute crias from the farm in Florence, Co