Washing clothes

[IanC]

Wondering how people deal with washing clothes. In the years I traveled in my youth there were laundromats everywhere, now it seems I only see them in low income areas. Also I used to wash them in a five gallon bucket, but using 5 gallons of water seems a waste. So, what do you do? In all the videos I watch, people look pretty spiffy too (or maybe they put on their good duds for the vid?)

 

[highdesertranger]

I use Laundromats, and 5 gallon buckets both. out west in the small rural towns the Laundromats are not in the low income areas because the towns are so small there really isn't a low income area. as far as the 5 gallon buckets, 5 gallons of water would do about 2 loads though them counting the rinse water. so with 5 gallons I could do wash for about a week. I have no problem getting water for washing even though most of the time I am remote desert areas. springs are everywhere. highdesertranger

 

[Damian Rolling]

I go to laundromats, usually in small towns.

Only once can I remember skipping a place because the crowd hanging out in front did not look friendly. I have skipped others because they were too crowded. This is a benefit of being a nomad - going a couple of miles to a different place is no problem.  

Some public campgrounds (and most private) have laundry facilities. The AllStays Camp & RV app allows users to filter search results to see just these places if desired.

I have also used the laundry facilities in truck stops without problem. In some places these are in the ‘Professional Driver’s’ section and I would not use those; but in other truck stops they are available to anyone.  


Damian

 

[highdesertranger]

couple of more points. I hardly ever use the dryer waste of money imo. I take my cloths back to camp and air dry them. I don't care if I look like a hillbilly. it hardly takes any water to do a load in a 5 gallon bucket, and very little soap. just enough to clean. for a gallon of water I use like 1 heaping tablespoon. this keeps the rinse water to a minimum. I have been looking into that new small power washer, I think its called a wonder washer. there is a thread on it here somewhere. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

I've used laundromats all over the country by now! Planning ahead was even more important when you were hauling a 15' trailer behind 35' of motorhome...I used a book called 'The Next Exit' - A LOT! Today, it's not a problem    

I found the trick is to make sure that you're not down to the very last pair of socks or underwear BEFORE you start thinking of doing the laundry. One of Murphys' corollaries comes in to play at that point - you won't be able to find a laundromat just when you need it the most!

 

[highdesertranger]

oops its not a Wonder washer, it's a Panda washers that I have been looking at. highdesertranger

 

[rvwandering]

We use laundromats but we have enough clothes that we can go for three weeks before we need one. 21 tee shirts, 21 pairs of underwear and 21 pairs of socks don't take up very much room. Everything else does multiple days. I've found the best way to find them is to do a google search with the city name + laundromat. Zoom in on satellite view to check out the parking. And sometimes people actually rate laundromats which will steer you away from ones that are dirty or have machines that are more often broken than not.

 

[ArtW]

Currently I have access to my ex and her new hubby's washer / dryer
They are both disabled so I do stuff to help them and they let me use their facilities
if I couldn't do that I'd likely use the bucket method, or a laundromat
HighDesertRanger, how do you keep the clothes from being stiff as heck? any time i try line drying it's like I'm puttin on papier mache

 

[highdesertranger]

doesn't bother me at all. they break in rather fast. I actually prefer line dried. highdesertranger

 

[ArtW]

unfortunately I have sensitive skin (sooper manly, no?) so it bothers me
Oh well, we all have our own way of dealing, and I'm sure I could deal with it if I had to

 

[arctic cat]

I usually travel west of Texas. Usually take plenty of clothes but about every two weeks or so stop at laundrymat in small towns. If i'm in low humidity area I air dry the clothes.

 

[rvpopeye]

Perfume in fabric softeners (and detergents) shut down my ability to breath and my skin breaks out in hives !
Laundromat machines are usually saturated with it so.....

I wash small amounts at a time in my sink .
About a gallon to wash and another to rinse. I use maybe a tablespoon of All or Sun Free and Clear type detergent . Always air dry , soften by rolling and crumpling the dry clothes.
Another plus is clothes last longer than when using the machines too !

I had one of those self crank Wonder Washers but hardly ever used it !

 

[jester]

You can soften line-dried clothes by giving them a quick iron. As a bonus, you'll always look preppy and well-groomed.

 

[ArtW]

Doubt I'll iron, but the crumpling idea sounds like something I could deal with
rvpopeye, I'm not quite that sensitive skinned, but one of the biggest fights of my marriage occurred when I discovered that my wife had continued using softener sheets in our laundry after I had asked he to discontinue their use to see if they had maybe been causing a particularly irritating rash on the 'what he doesn't know won't hurt him' theory
I took over the washing, the rash eased and went away

 

[IanC]

Doubt I'll iron, but the crumpling idea sounds like something I could deal with
rvpopeye, I'm not quite that sensitive skinned, but one of the biggest fights of my marriage occurred when I discovered that my wife had continued using softener sheets in our laundry after I had asked he to discontinue their use to see if they had maybe been causing a particularly irritating rash on the 'what he doesn't know won't hurt him' theory
I took over the washing, the rash eased and went away

I often wonder how much of the chemicals in detergent leach into your skin. After all , products like nicotine patches and testosterone patches have no problem delivering chemicals, and unless all traces of detergent are washed out (which they never are, which is why they get stiff line drying them ) you are walking around with a body sized detergent patch on all day . Actually all scented products are that way. If you can smell something it is because micro particles are in the air. I always get sh*t from people because I smoke, but I have been to a doctor maybe 3 times in 20 years (twice for physicals, once for shingles  ), while everyone I know with the Febreeze smelling houses and simulated pine tree smelling cars are always at the doctor - and the last 4 people I know who died of cancer were non-smokers.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

doesn't bother me at all.  they break in rather fast.  I actually prefer line dried.    highdesertranger

I'm with you on that, i've always air dried everything.  Even if they are rock stiff, they are back to normal in about ten minutes of wearing them.  Not only is air drying cheaper, clothes last longer too

 

[cognitive dissonance]

I'm with you on that, i've always air dried everything.  Even if they are rock stiff, they are back to normal in about ten minutes of wearing them.  Not only is air drying cheaper, clothes last longer too

Yes. It amazes me that so many people don't understand where lint comes from... 

I was seriously looking at the Panda washers. They get a lot of good reviews, and a bunch of the lower ratings seem to be from people who want the little washer to be something it isn't. 

However, I have recently decided to convert my school bus instead of my box truck. Given that I will have more space, I just ordered this for $299: http://www.amazon.com/Haier-HLP24E-...464992515&sr=8-1&keywords=haier+hlp24e+washer

I know someone here in town who uses the 1.0 cu. ft. version of this Haier washer, and she is very happy with it.

 

[Canine]

Sometimes it's hard to find a Laundromat with a bar.

 

[ArtW]

Ian, that's a very good point, I know there are brands of detergent I can't use, regardless of drying technique
I wonder how one gets clothes clean without detergents though
ERLH, I didn't know that, but it does make sense, once you study on it some
Cognitive dissonance, that's an interesting washer
I've been considering a wonder washer or some such, or the ol bucket method
My Cabin will be fairly small, and a washer takes a lot of room, I'm considering portable options that don't require a set aside space

 

[IanC]

Ian, that's a very good point, I know there are brands of detergent I can't use, regardless of drying technique
I wonder how one gets clothes clean without detergents though
ERLH, I didn't know that, but it does make sense, once you study on it some
Cognitive dissonance, that's an interesting washer
I've been considering a wonder washer or some such, or the ol bucket method
My Cabin will be fairly small, and a washer takes a lot of room, I'm considering portable options that don't require a set aside space

Art, if you're in a brick and mortar, try washing a load twice - the second time without detergent. Firstly, you'll see that the water in the second batch is cloudy and still sudsy, so that will tell you that the rinse cycle doesn't remove all the soap (if it did , you wouldn't be able to smell it in freshly washed clothes ). Secondly you'll see that whether you line dry or machine dry, they will be super soft. So obviously the stiffness in line dried clothes comes from the detergent left in the fabric.