Portable Washing Machine Wanted

[Armytwowheels]

Some very early preparation research going on at Armytwowheels Towers for when we are 'More Timing' in the van. I have been looking into how we are going to do our laundry. We will not be on full facility sites all the time and would like to be fairly self sufficient, but not very keen on hanging around in laundrettes every week.

Now being a modern girl, I cannot see myself hand washing the amount of dirty laundry we produce each week, so we have been looking at the portable twin tubs. Anyone got one? Pleased with it? Waste of money?

 

[Tootles]

Will send her around in the morning. Best one I ever had, lasted 45 years, and still gets my gruds clean!!

 

[Armytwowheels]

Will send her around in the morning. Best one I ever had, lasted 45 years, and still gets my gruds clean!!

Tut!

 

[Allanm]

We were in France last month, stopped at the SuperU in Gorron and they had a launderette in the car park.
We washed all our stuff, went shopping and it was ready when we came out.
There must be more of these about....

Allan

 

[Spenders]

There was a thread about this last October......

Broken Link Removed

Maybe the answers you need will be in there!

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[Gromett]

Got one of the camping twin tubs and it is fantastic.... I use it as a backup for when I can't find or get to a laundrette. Absolutely essential in my view to have something like this if you are a fulltimer. It only gets used 2-4 times a year but when it is needed it is needed.

 

[GJH]

Never mind those expensive, electricity guzzling devices. This is what you need

 

[Armytwowheels]

Yes the old bucket and posser. I have indeed been using this most excellent system, as recommended by yourself. Up to now for a two or three week holiday it has been fine. However, for more or less full time I don't fancy that rigmarole every week. It's also the problem of getting the washing dry again, I am sure it would dry quicker if it had been through a spinner.

I am constantly amazed at the amount of dirty laundry we produce each week, my machine at home must go on 4 x a week, there's only two of us!

 

[GJH]

We don't let the load build up for a week. If we are away long enough to need to wash stuff out we do it every few days so it's small amounts that don't take a lot of drying.

Also, choosing appropriate fabrics helps. For instance T shirts made of bamboo/polyester (technical?) fabric are light and take little room, need no ironing and dry quickly.

 

[chaser]

Bamboo??:thumb:

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[Forestboy]

We've got a little plastic twin tub which lives in the garage had it for 6 years.
Use it a lot when we 're away on extended trips as we hate hanging around in laundries. Does underwear shirts socks shorts and all the light stuff great little thing we wouldn't be without it.

 

[GJH]

Bamboo??:thumb:

Yes Similar to Broken Link Removed. Many of the "technical" fabric shirts are polyester but the better ones are bamboo or a bamboo/polyester mix

 

[Pat4Neil]

Hi ya

We had the 1.5kg twin tub, machine it was great, when we were away for extended holidays, it was a bit of pain fetching and carrying water though, but there are ways you can short cut the amount you need. They are low wattage so was fine on the inverter, not as robust though, mine went at the hose at the bottom, and was not repairable, so make sure you store it where the hose cant rub.

There are 2kg and 3kg versions now, so if you can go for the 2kg version, as you would be able to wash jeans etc in it. The best thing about it the spinner side and although a small one helps on the extraction of water, which if your away in bad weather is a god send as in my experience drying is the hardest bit. When in Germany last year we struggled to find any laundrettes, campsite you will find them though.

If you had to have one thing, I think I would go for a spin dryer you can get them for about £80.00 and they spin your clothes near dry. If you have a big bucket with a lid on you can put your clothes soap water and drive along with it and that does the washing bit, never done that but have heard of lots of people doing that, then have the spin dryer ones you have rinsed them out.

I found washing the most inconvenient thing of travelling for extended periods, especially if your not using campsites. We have no had a 3kg washing machine installed in the kitchen area of our motorhome, not an answer for most motorhomes as the size and weight preclude it, mine is a much smaller than normal one though, but fully functional one.

Pat

 

[teddybard]

Concern

Absolutely essential in my view to have something like this if you are a fulltimer.[HI] It only gets used 2-4 times a year but when it is needed it is needed[/HI] .

Wondered what the blue haze was around your van
thought it was a techy thing but this explains all

 

[Tootles]

Yes Similar to Broken Link Removed. Many of the "technical" fabric shirts are polyester but the better ones are bamboo or a bamboo/polyester mix

Found some bamboo kit. Looks really comfortable and easy to wear. Must be a doddle to wash as well.........Good choice Graham. oh:

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[DBK]

For spinning clothes a salad spinner is ideal and very cheap. Leave clothes overnight to soak in a bucket with washing powder/liquid, rinse then spin in the salad thing. It will only take a few socks or a shirt at a time but works very well.

How you dress also helps, lightweight clothing is the easiest to wash and dry although isn't the cheapest. Wearing a thin vest under your shirt extends the "life" of the shirt considerably and the vest is very easy to wash.

And shorts and sandals at all times if there is no R in the month!

 

[maz]

we have been looking at the portable twin tubs. Anyone got one? Pleased with it? Waste of money?

Had one in my previous van (had garage so storage not a problem) but only used it about 3 times. Soon got fed up with filling it up with water and then having to refill the van with water afterwards. Too much faffing about for me, so sold it when I got the Hobby.

In winter I'm on sites with a laundry - CC machines take twice the load of a domestic machine, cost £3 a time and take around 40 mins. In spring/summer/autumn I'll just wait for a good drying day, then stop on a CC site for one night and do two or three loads. Ok, so the other campers there think I'm a hyperactive obsessive compulsive launderer - I can live with that!

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

How you dress also helps, lightweight clothing is the easiest to wash and dry although isn't the cheapest. Wearing a thin vest under your shirt extends the "life" of the shirt considerably and the vest is very easy to wash.

And shorts and sandals at all times if there is no R in the month!

Can always go naked, all you have to do then is wash your nuts, ask Old Mo for technical details


Seriously this is the machine but out of stock at the moment

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/camping-caravan-twin-tub-washing-machine.html

there is also a manual version

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/products/twister-eco-washing-machine.html


Peter

 

[busby]

For spinning clothes a salad spinner is ideal and very cheap. Leave clothes overnight to soak in a bucket with washing powder/liquid, rinse then spin in the salad thing. It will only take a few socks or a shirt at a time but works very well.

How you dress also helps, lightweight clothing is the easiest to wash and dry although isn't the cheapest. Wearing a thin vest under your shirt extends the "life" of the shirt considerably and the vest is very easy to wash.

And shorts and sandals at all times if there is no R in the month!

SOCKS WITH THE SANDALS I HOPE.....BUSBY

 

[Tootles]

I direct my wife to the 'Rock and Stream launderette' when we are away. Keeps he occupied for hours whilst I'm busy knocking out a few ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZs.

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[g8ysn]

g8ysn

Can always go naked, all you have to do then is wash your nuts, ask Old Mo for technical details


Seriously this is the machine but out of stock at the moment

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/camping-caravan-twin-tub-washing-machine.html

there is also a manual version

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/products/twister-eco-washing-machine.html


Peter

had 1 4 about 4 yrs now use it quit regulaly as we tend to go away 4 2/1 months at a time
thats good value 4 the money:thumb:

 

[Forestboy]

Can always go naked, all you have to do then is wash your nuts, ask Old Mo for technical details


Seriously this is the machine but out of stock at the moment

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/camping-caravan-twin-tub-washing-machine.html
there is also a manual version

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/products/twister-eco-washing-machine.html


Peter

That's the one we've got I think cracking little thing. Cant see why water is a problem we just get one bucket of hot and reuse it for several washes.oh: It just sits by the garage door plugs into a socket in the garage and the drain pipe hangs out the door into a bucket. If the waters clean we tip it back in for the next load.:thumb:

 

[daisy mae]

This thread brings back memories, when we use to go on the continent for a few weeks we used 2 buckets with lids with a posser,a sink plunger with holes drilled in it, it worked a treat, still have the buckets, these days tend to take enough clothes / underwear for up to 3 weeks, if in the caravan, may be different in MH, have used site laundry but not that often,

 

[Armytwowheels]

I have worked out that in an average week for me and him, we use the following-

6 x sets of running kit - stinky & needs washing fairly soon after use
2 or 4 x sets of cycling kit - usually stinky and muddy, needs washing fairly soon etc
Walking gear ( if on holiday )
A dog towel or two
Our towels
Several tea towels
1 x bed set - ok this could go for two weeks.

Plus our everyday civvies!

You pile that lot up on the floor and it's a lot of washing! How do people with kids get on

I ain't doing that lot in a bucket and salad spinner!!

 

[Armytwowheels]

Can always go naked, all you have to do then is wash your nuts, ask Old Mo for technical details


Seriously this is the machine but out of stock at the moment

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/camping-caravan-twin-tub-washing-machine.html

there is also a manual version

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/products/twister-eco-washing-machine.html


Peter

You tease you! Show me the answer to my laundry conundrum and then tell me you don't have any!

As for the twister Eco wash thingy, tried it didn't like it.

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[GJH]

I have worked out that in an average week for me and him, we use the following-

6 x sets of running kit - stinky & needs washing fairly soon after use
2 or 4 x sets of cycling kit - usually stinky and muddy, needs washing fairly soon etc
Walking gear ( if on holiday )
A dog towel or two
Our towels
Several tea towels
1 x bed set - ok this could go for two weeks.

Plus our everyday civvies!

You pile that lot up on the floor and it's a lot of washing! How do people with kids get on

I ain't doing that lot in a bucket and salad spinner!!

There's an easy solution. Leave the dogs and bikes at home and go to Fun meet. You'll be too busy drinking to go running and you'll fall down before you get to bed

 

[Minxy]

Looking at your list of washing per week, I can't see how a little 'camping' style combined washer/spinner will do what you want without you spending ages washing each week. Obviously some stuff doesn't need to be done each week (eg normal clothes etc) but your running stuff will. I'd therefore suggest a combination of a camping washer/spinner with a visit every fortnight to a launderette or campsite with the facility, to do your bulk load (you could have your fortnightly shower too! ).

I foresee the most difficult part however being drying the stuff. We went on holiday for nearly 7 weeks last year to Germany/France and had 'fun' in a launderette so ended up being able to do a big wash, but had to hang it all in the van to dry as we travelled! I made up a spider's web with washing lines strung from cupboard handles (an obstacle from Mission Impossible comes to mind!) and it took 2 days to get it all dry. Ironing needs consideration too, however by changing your type of clothes to those that are quick drying and don't need ironing you will drastically cut down on that, if not totally eliminate it. Dump jeans, heavy thick jumpers etc, and get fleeces and lightweight trousers (wind-proof ideally) - I'm sure you'll know what I'm on about as you do running and cycling etc so will be familiar with sports clothing of this type.:thumb: They have the advantage that they are much easier to store and they pack smaller and don't tend to crease like 'normal' clothes. Also, for storing clothing, towels etc, get some 'vacuum pack' bags (the ones you roll up, not the vacuum cleaner ones!) as we use these in our van and they really do reduce the bulk quite significantly. they are also ideal for dirty washing storage until you're ready to wash it as again they pack it down and also keep the 'stinky' smells in!

 

[Tootles]

For spinning clothes a salad spinner is ideal and very cheap. Leave clothes overnight to soak in a bucket with washing powder/liquid, rinse then spin in the salad thing. It will only take a few socks or a shirt at a time but works very well.

How you dress also helps, lightweight clothing is the easiest to wash and dry although isn't the cheapest. Wearing a thin vest under your shirt extends the "life" of the shirt considerably and the vest is very easy to wash.

And shorts and sandals at all times if there is no R in the month!

Just don't get confused, and end up putting salad cream on a pair of green knickers....then attempting to eat them!

 

[Rapide561]

Washer

I have had three twin tubs...

1) 1.5kg wash capacity - forget it.

2) 2.0 kg wash capacity (quite hard to find) - great - just that slightly larger drum makes all the difference

3) Now have a 3.5kg wash capacity - you can get a lot in it but it uses a lot more water and the spinner is still only 2.0kg capacity.

If buying again, I'd have the 2.0kg capacity model.

Russell

 

[teddybard]

There's an easy solution. Leave the dogs and bikes at home and go to Fun meet. [HI]You'll be too busy drinking to go running and you'll fall down before you get to bed[/HI]

Often the case Bike or no Bike
Dog or no Dog

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