Laundry

[Jimmyhenry]

We use a large bucket and soak it. Then stomp it a bit. Then we have a spin dryer. Quite small. Goes in a cupboard. This one is 110 volt. Does 1800 rpm. No heating. We pop it in the shower so the water runs away. Amazing how quick. Maybe 2 minutes. Minimal power usage. And the laundry is almost dry so a quick hang on the line and it’s all done.
I hated having to ring out the wet washing so this unit has been a godsend.

Pete

[PaintedKite]

We wash only clothes and small items when underway or away from a slip/dock. For big stuff like bedding, we have several sets, make each change last as long as possible, and do the wash when in-port.

Many marinas will let you stay overnight at the fuel dock, from after closing 'til before opening. We'll do that periodically when we want to plug-in and reset the battery monitor. We'll do a wash then, for example.

[Brian Renwick]

Originally Posted by pas63

Hello all, I lived on my boat for 12ish years up till 2018, always in a marina. I am back on my boat with the opportunity to start cruising and working remote. Marinas have their up's and downs. One luxury is a laundry room in walking distance. No need to sit there for a couple hours each week. What do those of you do that are not in marinas? Clothes are one thing, easy enough to deal with, but bedding?

Have a swim wearing all your smelly clothes when it’s raining, then stand in the rain to rinse the salt out. Probably not useful advice if you’re cruising Greenland.

[toda]

I have a small centrifuge from Laundry Alternatives similar to the one shown here.. https://laundry-alternative.com/coll...removable-drum The big advantage in a centrifuge is that it removes almost all of the water, carrying the dirt with it... Clothes are MUCH cleaner... I use a fraction of water (I spin out the soapy water before rinsing). It is a little bulky to stow, but light (I leave it in the shower when it is not in use). Uses very little power. Smart Wool and other hi tech fabrics feel almost dry after being spun. Even in damp weather the clothes dry quickly when hung out in the cabin.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by toda

I have a small centrifuge from Laundry Alternatives similar to the one shown here.. https://laundry-alternative.com/coll...removable-drum The big advantage in a centrifuge is that it removes almost all of the water, carrying the dirt with it... Clothes are MUCH cleaner... I use a fraction of water (I spin out the soapy water before rinsing). It is a little bulky to stow, but light (I leave it in the shower when it is not in use). Uses very little power. Smart Wool and other hi tech fabrics feel almost dry after being spun. Even in damp weather the clothes dry quickly when hung out in the cabin.

I had this exact device in our last land home. We didn't have a washer/dryer so sometimes did our stuff by hand. Worked great and exactly as you say, but not way too large to take on our smallish sailboat.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Here's my solution. Just add a bucket:

Does that come in any other color Mike?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Does that come in any other color Mike?

The lovely ocean blue is the only colour I've seen the plastic ones in, but I've also seen them made of aluminum.

[Wilyum]

Portable washing machine, roll it out to the kitchen once a week, drain it in the sink.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

...Out in the South Seas, sometimes you can go do the wash with the women who are also washing in streams...

We were surprised to find when we first visited French Polynesia that the only people washing clothes in the streams were cruisers. All the local people had washers and dryers in their homes.

In fact in French Polynesia home washing appliances were so common that commercial laundromats were hard to find. Nobody needs them.

Elsewhere around the world we have had no problems finding either a coin operated laundromat or, preferably, a local laundry business. In every port and in many villages somebody there is willing and happy to do your laundry for you for a low price. They also have the drying problem worked out usually not by using a dryer but by judicious use of clothes lines.

Living aboard for 35 years we have learned, long ago, that laundry is drudgery. We like to avoid it. Even if the marinas we visited had laundry rooms, which we always use if available, doing a load or two three times a week, including waiting in line for a dryer, takes a lot of time. Living in the tropics, where we sweat a lot, and working on the boat, which makes things dirty a lot, means we have a lot of laundry. (Interestingly, young male, singlehanders are often wearing dirty clothing. I wonder about their bedding.)

Using your own equipment on board, if you have it, has less impact on your schedule, but there is no free lunch. You have to have water and power, not to mention room to install the equipment and the likely hood of occasional maintenance. And you still have to do it.

And we have preferred not to try to make our liveaboard sailboat into an all-appliance and all-convenience residence with everything aboard, like a land house. Nor are we interested in washing by hand in a bucket and stringing clothes up on the boat every week for the rest of our lives. It is easier for us to lug the bag of laundry to the local business, pay the (reasonable) fee and pick it up clean, dry and folded the next day.

It costs us about $5USD a week to get our laundry done.

[Lindsaymcm]

I throw wet stuff on the floor under the outlet for my Eberspächer diesel heater. The airflow makes an effective clothes dryer. The heater itself is located in a locker under a wooden seat which heats up and is great for drying anything you care to lay on it. In summer when you don’t want the heater going you can just wear nothing thereby generating no laundry ��

[Lindsaymcm]

I throw wet stuff on the floor under the outlet for my Eberspächer diesel heater. The airflow makes an effective clothes dryer. The heater itself is located in a locker under a wooden seat which heats up and is great for drying anything you care to lay on it. In summer when you don’t want the heater going you can just wear nothing thereby generating no laundry 😊

[Don C L]

It helps to select synthetic clothing and bedding that washes and dries easily and keep the cotton items packed away.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Lindsaymcm

I throw wet stuff on the floor under the outlet for my Eberspächer diesel heater. The airflow makes an effective clothes dryer. The heater itself is located in a locker under a wooden seat which heats up and is great for drying anything you care to lay on it. In summer when you don’t want the heater going you can just wear nothing thereby generating no laundry [emoji4]

Oh the humidity !!!!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Don C L

It helps to select synthetic clothing and bedding that washes and dries easily and keep the cotton items packed away.

Yuk , synthetics

There’s a nice range of small caravan twin tub washer /spin machines around . Great devices.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by Don C L

It helps to select synthetic clothing and bedding that washes and dries easily and keep the cotton items packed away.

Yuck.

Synthetics make me “muck” sweat. And I can’t be the only one!