Washing clothes

[jl75]

I am about to go wash clothes and figured I'd share my method.  I paid about 50 for this on Amazon but it doesn't look like they offer it anymore:

http://www.gadgetty.com/easygo-wash...isfaction-guaranteed?language=en&currency=USD

It is pretty bulky but in my opinion worth the space it takes up.  Just add detergent, water, clothes, and spin for a minute.  Drain, then add water, fabric softener, and spin for another minute.  My clothes come out clean and smelling fresh every time.  Let em dry in the sun and you are good to go.

Initial investment is a bit, but you start saving money from not going to laundromats real quick

 

[highdesertranger]

I looked into those, but since I have a lot of 5gal buckets I went with that method. highdesertranger

 

[ZoNiE]

This seems to work well

 

[LoupGarou]

Too much work!

When on the road, I'll pony up and pay for a camping site that had laundry facilities. I can do laundry, s&@t shower and shave and fill and dump my tanks.

 

[highdesertranger]

zonie that is exactly what I use. only I use a gamma lid. one lid with a hole for the plunger and another lid for when I let the road do the manual work. highdesertranger

 

[Milk Hauler]

Just make sure its a new plunger [emoji33]

 

[Sabatical]

The gadgety thing is exactly like the Wonder Wash sold by Laundry Alternative. We've used one on a 3 month boondocking trip and liked it alot. We would use the spin dryer to get the water out and reuse the spun out rinse water to wash the next load. We could do a hamper full of clothes in about 5 gallons of water. We have since switched to the Panda wash machine which is a washer and spinner in one unit.

 

[highdesertranger]

Just make sure its a new plunger [emoji33]

lol, I didn't think I needed to mention that. highdesertranger

 

[buckwilk]

I have a five gallon bucket that is my toilet when camped for long periods in same spot. Lined with kitchen garbage bags. When I am ready to go down the road the bags are tied off for disposal. I fill the bucket 3/4 with water and detergent and load dirty clothes. The road does the rest. When I set camp I rinse and hang to dry, works well. Get double the use out of the same equipment.

 

[RVTravel]

The gadgety thing is exactly like the Wonder Wash sold by Laundry Alternative. We've used one on a 3 month boondocking trip and liked it alot. We would use the spin dryer to get the water out and reuse the spun out rinse water to wash the next load. We could do a hamper full of clothes in about 5 gallons of water. We have since switched to the Panda wash machine which is a washer and spinner in one unit.

Sabatical, which Panda machine do you have?

 

[Sabatical]

XPB36. It does a decent job. The Laundry Alternative spin dryer gets more water out than the Panda. We use the Panda at home and the Wonder Wash/spin dryer on the road.

 

[VanGirl]

I use the Panda PAN 30. I love it.
I like the spin cycle. It really get the water out of the clothes. It does cause a lot of wrinkles though.

VanGirl

 

[BigT]

This seems to work well

OK, this I like a lot!  
 I've been thinking about replacing my flushable camp-toilet with a bucket (& bag) for a while now because I figured I could also use it to store stuff, wash dishes, wash the van, take out the garage, etc.  I need a bucket anyway, and I don't have room for both.  
This is just one more good reason to upgrade to a bucket!  Definitely want the screw-on lid option.

 

[highdesertranger]

Big T, those bucket and toilet plunger actually work good. plus if you have a gamma lid and are driving off road the action of the vehicle does all the work. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

Too much work!

When on the road, I'll pony up and pay for a camping site that had laundry facilities.  I can do laundry, s&@t shower and shave and fill and dump my tanks.

I'm a laundromat kind of guy, too. I'm rarely anywhere I could string a clothesline. Sometimes there aren't even bushes to drape laundry on.

 

[TMG51]

I'm rarely anywhere I could string a clothesline. Sometimes there aren't even bushes to drape laundry on.

Clearly you're doing it wrong!



Works great parked in the sun. Works even better at 55mph.

Stealth is impacted slightly.

 

[Cammalu]

Clearly you're doing it wrong!



Works great parked in the sun. Works even better at 55mph.

Stealth is impacted slightly.

That's funny [emoji38]. Thanks I especially needed that humor just now.

 

[TMG51]

That's funny [emoji38].  Thanks I especially needed that humor just now.

Happy to help.

I stopped by my brother's house one day, only shortly after revealing my new van life to him. I had a towel tightly over that side door (closed in top and bottom for driving). He said, "What's wrong with your window?" I replied, "You mean what's right with my clothes dryer."

 

[Cammalu]

Well yeah, I guess people would think you had a broken window. I've seen the dryer now what do you use for a washer

 

[TMG51]

I do have a system for the washing. Step 1 is to own fewer clothes. I find it's easiest to just rotate a few shirts and rather than throwing one in the hamper when you take it off, just take it off and wash it. I don't want to carry around any kind of plunger or hand crank apparatus so I just put a big bowl in the sink and wash one item at a time when it needs it, then hang it over the door to dry. The other important bit I've learned is that an item is not clean until it's clean and all the soap is rinsed out of it. Any soap residue left behind will hold that BO smell and disperse it all over in a diluted fashion. So rinsing is most important when washing by hand. It only takes me a few minutes to wash a shirt now that I have the rhythm down, and the end result is the same as a machine wash.

I do still go to a laundromat for my less frequently rotated items, but my hand-washing practice stretches that out considerably. I just did one small load at a laundromat yesterday, in Yuma, because both of my jackets were getting funky. The last time I went to a laundromat before that was in Folkston, GA. I have only a milk crate as a hamper.

As a final tip, I put hooks on opposite walls such that I can suspend a clothes bar directly under my ceiling fan. If it's rainy out, I can still dry clothes quickly by cracking the lid and blowing air over the clothes. I store the bar when not in use. Air passing over a surface expedites evaporation more than heat.