Doing Laundry on Board

[Captain Smollett]

One issue that comes up occasionally when talking about the family going cruising is laundry.  I know there are a number of methods for doing laundry on board (such as not using any...   :o ).  I like the idea of the ammonia method, for example.

Today, I ran across an article on doing laundry while cruising (PDF warning), and in it, the use of a hand pressure washer was mentioned (and only lists for $45).



Now that's just nifty.   :)

[Anton]

I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds awfully simple...another cruiser told me to clean clothes while underway she puts all the laundry into a giant heavy duty black garbage bag, adds salt water and Joy detergent and just puts it out in the cockpit, the sun heats the water in the black bag and the wave action does the 'agitating'.  Takes all their laundry out, and walks on it in her bare feet to squeeze out excess water which drains out the scuppers.  Puts fresh water in the bag, ties it up, and lets it sit in the sun some more, heats up and agitates the soap and salt out, drains and puts the clothes out on deck to half-dry, then hangs them on a line.  Sounds like it could work.

Which reminds me of the oil field worker in Wyoming who was tired of washing his oil soaked clothes, he spent a lot of time in remote areas where there wasn't a corner laundromat...so he strapped a plastic bucket with a lid on the rear of his dirt bike thathe used to get around the different job sites.  You guessed it...he put his oily clothes in the bucket with soap and water and the bumpy ride was his wash machine.

[Godot]

Very, very cool.  Not having to depend on laundromats appeals to my self sufficient nature.  Not sure where I would store it on my boat.  But then, I'm still tied to land so I guess it doesn't have much use to me at the moment.

Still, very cool.

[Captain Smollett]

... she puts all the laundry into a giant heavy duty black garbage bag, adds salt water and Joy detergent and just puts it out in the cockpit, the sun heats the water in the black bag and the wave action does the 'agitating'. 

That method (among others, too  :) ) is mentioned in the pdf linked-to above.  It does sound mighty simple and let's the boat do the work.  One would have to keep a supply of black bags and it MAY not be as effective in a protected anchorage.

Still, a very cool idea.

I love it; I need all the 'ammo' I can get in these "well, how are we going to {x}" discussions.   :D

[Lynx]

I have heard bad reviews on this. Very few people say that it is good. The main problems is putting to much soap in and not getting the cloths dry enough so they take a long time to dry. I am thinking that people are using 100% cotton but have not been told.

I still have not decided but will try to use the bucket most of the time.

I was supprised to find a laundrymat in Bimini. I was charged $ 8 for a very large salty load. Wash and dry. I folded and waited.

Is there a list of towns in the Bahamas that have Laundrymats?

[David_Old_Jersey]

One of these works well.....



The Deluxe version comes with one of these  ;D



Would also make a useful Birthday or Anniversary present........for those somewhat braver than me  ;D ;D

[Captain Smollett]

I have heard bad reviews on this. Very few people say that it is good. The main problems is putting to much soap in and not getting the cloths dry enough so they take a long time to dry.

If a tool is misused and the results are poor, is that the fault of the tool?

The lady who wrote the pdf article linked above loves hers (she's been a full-time cruiser, with two children aboard, for fourteen years).  FWIW, she only uses a coupld of tablespoons of liquid detergent.  Okay, that's only one datapoint, but it does seem to suggest that you have to use the thing PROPERLY to get good results from it.  Not unlike just about everything else.

As for ringing the excess water out, she does acknowledge this can be tricky (same issue with a bucket or black bag, so that's not a problem with the washer).  She wraps the clothes around a shroud and twists, then hangs on a clothesline.  It works for her.

I have to admit that I like the black bag method - elegant and low tech, little storage issue and black bags can be used for other things.

[CapnK]

LOL @ Perro. :D (I need to get a Deluxe! ;) )

What a great idea! I have a bag that I bought a few years back from Sierra Trading Post that will be perfect for laundry duty - it is heavy-duty PVC with a screw-on lid (about 10" diameter), and hefty shoulder straps. Toss the laundry, soap, and h2o in there, let the sun heat it while it hangs off the boat - brilliant! ;D We have enough wave/chop/wake action here in the marina that a days worth of hanging in the bag should do the trick nicely, and be able to do more than the small loads of the handwasher, while also compacting nicely. :)

[CharlieJ]

Here's an interesting thread from SCCA about washing clothes onboard. They talk of using Sudsy ammonia with no rinsing. Laur ais dubious but I think we'll give it a shot  here at home- can't hurt to try it out right?

http://64.70.221.24/DiscBoard/viewtopic.php?t=399&sid=9acacc0607803341fa08a4946c36f1cc

What we do is use one of the kitty litter buckets with the folding lids- Laura puts soap and water in, adds the clothes and we set the bucket in the cockpit - or if in the ICW, up on the foredeck.
Then she sloshes the clothes,, wrings them around a stanchion, puts in fresh water, rinses, re wrings and hangs them to dry on either the life lines or boom if we aren't sailing.

There really AREN'T as many clothes when you are cruising as you use ashore, and mostly they are much lighter, other than towels.

And as an aside- I'm sure every one here knows this already but- You DO keep the salt water towels totally seperate from the ones you use to dry off from a shower right? That salt water used towel won't ever really get dry- so keep it seperate if you want a dry towel for after the fresh water rinse. From your sunshower or bug sprayer/shower- which ever ;D

[Anton]

Toss the laundry, soap, and h2o in there, let the sun heat it while it hangs off the boat - brilliant!

I haven't seen what the pdf file says (Adobe drives me crazy FSR) but what I was told was to just lay it on the deck in the cockpit, the whole bag starts roliing around from one side to the other...be careful walking over it...

I used to wash AND rinse my clothes in salt water, dry them on the boom and put them away...then I'd beat them against the boom to get the salt out before I put them back on.  Never bothered me!  But then again, I'm just a big dumb Man living the uncomplicated life... ;D

[CapnK]

Followed CJ's link to the SCCA discussion, interesting stuff there. Took note of the suggestion to use a roller hand wringer to get most of the water out, thought that sounded good until I googled them - Zoiks!  :o A cheap one is over $100. I wonder how a rolling pin would work? :D

Then again, gravity and time are very CapnK-energy efficient... ;D

I wonder why it is that I begrudge my weekly clothes washing budget of $2.25 (wash and dry) so much? Regardless, I'll be doing them by the 'bag and gravity' method this week to test it out. :)

[Godot]

I think too much soap is often used.  A few years ago a lady who owned a laundromat that I frequented commented that 1/4 the recommended amount of detergent usually cleaned just fine except for a few particular cases (can't remember the exceptions; but it was probably extra gooked up clothes from a greasy car shop or something).  Ever since then I've always used significantly less detergent without noticing any difference in how clean the clothes came out.  It's probably more environmentally friendly, too (not to mention that the clothes rinse clean easier).

[Lynx]

Anton,
      You have been the first person to promote washing in salt water for some time, however you also say that beating the salt out of them works. I have not heard that.  Most people are saying that they have problems with the salt in their cloths. Any thoughts on this?
Do you wash with fresh water when you can? That is, washing the salt out often with fresh water?

My present plan is to do laundry when in port every week or so in the Bahamas.

I do agree with the point of not using a machine properly in regards with the soap. Another point about the too damp cloths. A bucket does not wring at all.

Another point is the space taken up. But a bucket takes up the same amount.

[Captain Smollett]

I do agree with the point of not using a machine properly in regards with the soap. Another point about the too damp cloths. A bucket does not wring at all.

Another point is the space taken up. But a bucket takes up the same amount.

Couple of quick points:

That little machine does not wring at all, either.  If anyone was trying to use it as a "spin" cycle, they would be hopelessly disappointed.  It works by generating pressure in the unit and "forcing" the soap into the clothes, not by the mechanical force of agitation.  You only spin it for a minute or two.  You still have to find some way to wring excess water, just like with a bucket, the black bag, or any other hand washing.

Also, about storage.  At least a bucket as other uses - many other uses.  So, perhaps it is easier to justify the space it takes.  I suppose you could mix party drinks in the hand washer so it has another use, just don't tell your guests that you use the 'washing machine' to mix drinks!   ;D

[CapnK]

A bag like this would work well, stows very small, & only costs $13.50 from Sierra Trading Post (they have other sizes and models, too).

On a calm day, hoist it to the masthead for maximum agitation. :)



BTW - S.T.P. is a good company, I have bought stuff from them for years. The only thing I could say bad about them, is that they send out too many catalogues, but I think they do that because their inventory changes very frequently.

[Anton]

I've been told by people that salt makes them itch, or damages their clothes...I must be the exception.  I think at one point I must have gone close to a year without me or my clothes getting a fresh water bath unless we were caught in the rain, which definitely happens.  I don't have a problem with dry skin generally anyway, and I only wear cotton, if that makes any difference.

For washing clothes I made what amounted to a washboard, for bathing I would jump over the side, climb back in and scrub down, jump over the side again.  I was anchored far out enough that at night I would only scare the fish.

Second the kudos for Sierra Trading Post.  Their paper catalogue is huge.

[meps]

I was planning to use a bucket with a toilet plunger as an agitator. Then again, why should I do the agitating if the boat's motion will do it for me?

Those little plastic pressurized washers look cute in the photos, but they are actually awfully big. Even my friends with 40-foot boats think twice before stowing something that big that only has one purpose.

And the only other thing you could use it for is to mix up raffle tickets!

[Auspicious]

I have read in several places about using ammonia and fresh water to wash in. Apparently you don't need to rinse at all -- just wring and hang to dry.

I haven't tried this yet.

[BobW]

...and hang to dry

While we don't do laundry on board, we do need to dry things ocasionally - like towels. 

During our SF Bay trip each January we spend each night in a marina and take advantage of the facilities to shower.  It would be great to be able to dry the towels so the second and third night we aren't trying to dry off using cold damp towels. 

Currently we drape the towels over a pile of gear on the settee, but they don't completely dry, and the gear gets damp.  Is there a way to effectively dry towels in the cool/cold and damp environment of late January on SF Bay?

Is there some type of quick-dry material we could use as towels?

Another idea is to bring multiple towels for each of us, but then we'd have a bag of cold wet towels taking up space.

Any ideas?

[Cmdr Pete]

100% cotton makes a good towel, but hard to dry.

100% polyester makes a lousy towel, but easier to dry.

Maybe you can get a mostly polyester/cotton mix?