One of the big mysteries of full time RVing to those who don’t live on the road is how do full time RVers do laundry?
The easiest way is the laundry machines often placed in RV parks. One RV blogger said that “I can count on one hand the number of RV parks that didn’t have laundry machines.” Despite this frequency, not all RV parks have enough laundry machines for the number of RVers within the parks, and not all RVers stay in RV parks! Additionally, hunting down all the quarters required to use a park laundry machine can be a struggle in an increasingly cash-less world, especially with the sometimes high cost of laundry machines.
Another solution is using a local laundromat, typically easy to find on Google, but not always found in remote areas. Most laundromats do have a machine for getting quarters though, making it easier to stock up for more washes down the road. Some even have laundry machines that can be activated with a credit card swipe.
Not every roadtrip situation offers the flexibility to wait around on laundry machines, though. That’s why many RVers have gotten creative with portable laundry devices.
This portable washer-dryer has two neighboring tubs, one for washing and the other for spin drying. It takes up to 10lbs washing capacity and has a drainage tube for emptying the dirty water, and runs off the 120v power similar to most RV refrigerators. Most reviewers do say that after the spin dry clothes are still damp though, so an additional investment of a drying rack is also recommended. Keep in mind that many RV parks do not allow outside clothes lines to dry your own clothes.
A smaller personal laundry option without needing to use your RV’s precious electricity is the Scrubba, which is popular with backpackers. It works by filling the bag with laundry, water, and detergent, rolling the bag down and clipping it, twisting the valve to deflate, then rub the clothes on the Scrubba’s internal washboard for anywhere between 30 seconds and five minutes. You then unclip, pour out the water, and rinse clothes with fresh water in the Scrubba, and they are now clean and ready for the drying rack.
Perhaps the most luxurious RV laundry option is having washer and dryer hookups within your RV, which is becoming increasingly popular in luxury fifth wheels. The laundry cycle can take a few hours this way, and you won’t be able to do this while boondocking, as it requires a lot of power and water, but is temptingly easy if your RV is plugged in one place.
No matter how you keep your clothes clean on the road, Pete’s RV Center has all of your RV camping needs in mind. Follow our infoblog today for more RVing tips, tricks, and news!