When God created Adam and
Eve, they didn't have to worry about washing clothes. They just jumped in the
nearest water source and cleaned off. But after Cain and Abel came along, I am
sure that Eve lamented the amount of dirt they tracked into her house and how
fast they got their deer skins dirty.
I am faced with the same
challenge. In fact, I'm pretty sure that dirty clothes multiply in secret
--when you aren't paying attention. So, when we moved into our RV in October
2011, I immediately missed my washer and dryer. After a year of using the local
laundromats, I calculated that it cost $40-$50 a month to wash clothes.
As we spent most of the
last eighteen months in the Golden area, I found my favorites haunts. For a
while, I used the washers at Clear Creek RV park for $1.50 to wash and the same
for drying. It was convenient, but expensive.
After that, I found the
Golden Coin-Op. A small retro dry-cleaner/laundromat across from Clear Creek
and tucked away on a back street in downtown Golden. For $3.45 or $5.00,
depending on how much laundry I had, I could use their commercial washer and
get all my stuff done in 30 minutes. Then, using their massive drum gas dryers
for twenty-five cents per eight minutes (I usually put in a $1.00), I dried it
all within forty minutes. Plus, I could run a few errands and leave it there.
The ladies that run the laundromat are very kind and helpful.
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| Golden Coin-Op |
As much as I enjoyed the
weekly trek to the Golden Coin-Op, I wanted to find a solution that allowed me
to do the laundry at home. We only have one car and it is a royal pain in the
patootie to load the car up with all our books, bags, dirty clothes and
assorted sundries while jamming down breakfast, packing lunch and scrambling to
get out the door so my husband isn't late to work...again.
I started researching portable washers and dryers in earnest at the beginning
of this year. I envisioned something that would fit in my bathtub.
Because we had the big ol' fifth wheel and no truck to haul it, I thought we would
be able to use the rv park showers and not worry about using our own.
But before I bought any
washer, I was determined to try out my Wonder Washer. Which was purchased
years before (off craigslist), after my old washer died and I didn't want to be
left without some sort of alternative. I discovered, very quickly, the
disadvantage of having to wring out wet clothes by hand (we won't mention my
dog trying to pull all the laundry off the line --believing that I invented
this brand new game all for his entertainment...).
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| Wonder Washer |
The handle accidentally broke (must have been from all the times I shoved it
underneath our rig while trying to reach something else) and I turned it over
to an rv neighbor who used it to rotate her compost...
So, now fully armed with
the knowledge that a spinning action is required to remove water from clothing
--I changed my search parameters to include spinning. My next
acquisition, compliments of craigslist, included all those wonderful features.
I LOVED this washer. Plus,
I only paid $200 for it. It fit perfectly in my bathtub and I could get even a
blanket washed. I strung a clothes-line along our couch slide out and my
husband would often come home and have to duck under pants and t-shirts hanging
down over the dinette or couch. I viewed them as wet curtains protecting us
from the gawkers strolling along Clear Creek (I was one of those before we
moved to the park...).
The only problem I had was
that it wasn't practical for mobility. If we were theoretically forced to use
our own shower, then hauling it in and out of the bathtub wouldn't work. It
would work beautifully in a toy-hauler or if fit on casters, could slide in and
out of the way if you had a space to put it. It is designed to be connected
to the kitchen sink. I retro-fitted it to connect to my shower.
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Haier 1.0 Cubic foot portable washer
Since my friends were
moving out of their house and into an RV they were parking on a piece of land
while building their house, and had three small children, I took the washer over to them. Now, I had to continue the hunt. Sigh.
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I needed something that was
easy to lift in and out of the bathtub, small enough to fit under or near an
out-of-the-way place and strong enough to handle our family.
In the end, I ordered these
two beauties:
I bought them for a few reasons. Namely, I had just spent $200 for the other
washer and couldn't justify a huge expense. Plus, they fit my criteria. There
are several good agitator washers out there, and a couple good spin dryers. I
settled on these based on the Amazon reviews.
I used them for a couple
months in our huge fifth wheel and then easily moved them to the Sunseeker we
currently own. It is easy to do laundry when you don't have to worry about
filling the gray tank and are attached to city water. It is a whole other ball
of wax when you are forced to rely on the fresh water tank and carefully
conserve when only hooked to electricity.
After four months of using
the washer and dryer combo and adapting it to my class c, I found a good
routine. I have to mix the load so that it only has one heavy garment,
like a pair of jeans, a towel, or a sweatshirt. I fill the washer with a little
water and agitate it after adding a little soap. While the shower nozzle fills
the washer the rest of the way, I add my clothes and push them down until
everything is wet. I put enough water in to cover the clothes and let them
float freely. Then I let the washer agitate for about twelve minutes. I gravity
drain the wash water and fill it for the first rinse. Same process. When I fill
it for a second rinse, the water is usually gray afterwards.
After the second rinse, I
pull the clothes out and carefully stuff them into the spin dryer. Using
centrifugal force, the spin dryer gets out most of the water. I set that for
about two to three minutes. Using the water from the second rinse cycle, I add
some detergent and get it ready for the next load. By the time my load is ready
to wash, the dryer is done spinning and I pull everything out.
I added an extra shower
curtain rod to the middle of our shower (we are all shorter, so this works for
us) and keep extra hangers up there. Plus, I rely heavily on the octopus
holder.
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IKEA Octopus hanging clothes dryer
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Our family goes through
alot of clothes, so I end up doing about three loads every two days. We
recently stayed at a park that only had electricity and made you pay for
showers. So, I dumped almost every day. On the plus side, I became very
comfortable handling the rig in small spaces and backing up is a breeze.
When they aren't in use, I
drain everything out thoroughly and store them alongside my bed on top of a
shower curtain remnant (I had to cut it down to fit in our little shower stall)
to collect any extra water that came out. Plus, I leave the lids up to dry out.
It can be a pain, but I've become adept at moving them in and out. I also use a
little shelf mat (the kind you cut down to keep your stuff from sliding around)
to keep the washer and dryer from moving around too much.
I tried stringing a
clothesline in our little rig, but it doesn't work. I only do enough laundry to
fill the shower. I usually hang the clothes off the cabinet handles at night.
This allows me to keep up with the laundry.
My only problem. When the
tank fills up, it backs up into the tub. Which backs up into the washer and
dryer and shuts off my GFCI breaker. Then I have to wait until everything dries
out. I try to keep an eye on it, but doesn't always work.
So far, my little
investment has paid for itself. The laundry doesn't pile up and the kids are
learning how to empty and refill the washer. I am also considering adding this
to my collection, just in case it breaks down or we don't have electricity...
