Doing laundry in our RV

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.

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...).

 

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.

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.

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:

Table top spin dryer

Panda portable washer 

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.

IKEA Octopus hanging clothes dryer

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...