A basket full of sheets, with underpants and towels… Your camper is already overflowing with dirty laundry. What now? Time to do laundry! But, how do you do laundry while living in a camper?
So, What Are Our Handy Laundry Tips?
Washing is one of the weekly camper life tasks which often takes time and research. Here are some simple tips that make a world of difference for us. In addition, we’ve gathered some options for doing laundry on the road or in a small space).
Storage
Choose a place to store your dirty laundry, so that a mess is less likely to arise. Furthermore, get a laundry bag that you can store somewhere. The ideal thing about a laundry bag is that it is flexible and therefore fits in the smallest corners.
Buy a clothes dryer. This is ideal if you have laundry that should not be put in the dryer and you do small washes. You can hang it somewhere in the camper, and it won’t get in the way.
Be Prepared
Always keep some cash aside. Many washing machines require you to pay with coins, and the cash exchange machine does not always work. We speak from experience!
Keep a supply of detergent in your camper. Most laundromats have detergent included, but this is not always the case; it often does not smell fresh.
It is handy to have 2 pairs of bedding so that you don’t have to wash every week, you can keep the dirty bedding separately until laundry day.
Avoid Extra Costs
This may sound a bit boring, but avoid many colours (mainly white) of clothes and sheets. As a result, you don’t have to wash separately often, which is cheaper. Instead of doing several washes, you can decide to do some hand washing instead.
Put a tennis ball in the dryer with your laundry (if you use a dryer). As a result, your laundry creases less quickly and it also dries faster. And, you incur fewer costs for the drying program!
Do Two Things at the Same Time
When you wait half an hour for your laundry, you can do something else. For example, shopping. Then you can do two productive tasks in 1, handy!
What Laundry Options Do You Have When You Travel in a Camper?
During our travels, we generally do our laundry in the washing machines next to the gas stations or wash in laundromats. We also dry most of our laundry here, given that we wash once a week, it is often too much to hang in the camper. Yet, there are many other options when it comes to washing, let’s go through the list together!
Laundromats
Laundromats can be found almost everywhere, in towns and villages. Until now we have always been able to find a laundromat near our sleeping place.
Most laundromats are open 24/7 and have the option of a small or large wash. For us, 10kg is often ideal when we wash both our bedding and clothes. Usually, there are also dryers where you can choose a program for half an hour, 45 minutes or an hour. For us, half an hour is often enough for dry laundry.
You usually pay cash for a washing program. Some also work with a bank card. Make sure you always have some cash on hand. Often it only works with coins from €0.50 to €2. Some machines work with a bank card, though most only accept coins. Be sure to keep cash available for laundry day.
How do we find laundromats? Usually simple, via google maps. Look up the word: laundromat in the spoken language. Then you will find more laundromats near your location. Here you can also immediately see whether the laundromat is easy to reach and what the opening times are.
We also use Park4Night. You have the option to filter “laundry” here. Then you see where washing machines are. In addition to laundromats, other locations are also shown, such as washing machines on campsites, private parks for campers or next to supermarkets.
Revolution Laundry
A launderette that we use a lot is Revolution Laundry. These washing machines can often be found in the Netherlands at gas stations. But you can also find them in other countries in Europe: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Spain, the UK and France. These are always open day and night and there is always parking to park your motorhome while you are waiting for laundry. Very handy!
Detergent is included in these launderettes. You can usually pay with a debit card, but not always, so make sure you have some cash in advance. The price for a wash is between 8-12 euros and takes about an half hour to an hour.
Find a Revolution Laundry near you here.
Campsites
If you are already planning to go to a car park for campers, for example, to stay overnight and/or do your services and you want to do your laundry, a campsite is ideal.
Search apps with everything related to motorhomes that we use are Campercontact and Park4Night. Here you can also see whether campsites have a washing machine.
The payment for a wash is different at every campsite, sometimes you pay in advance at the reception and you get a washing coin or you pay with cash at the washing machine. Detergent is usually not included, so make sure you have some on hand. In addition, the washing machines are usually ‘average’ in terms of space, with laundromats and laundrettes you can opt for a large weight. Take this into account when you wash at a campsite.
Washing Devices for Small Loads
In addition to laundromats and launderettes, there are other options for washing up during your trip. These are convenient for small loads while you travel on the road.
Mobile Laundry Machine on Electrics
Like the mobile laundry machine: these are lightweight and work on electricity (more or less 250W). You can spin about 3.5 kg of laundry, ideal for a small wash.
Most of these devices have a washing- and centrifuge compartment. You can connect the washing machine to a permanent water supply, but you can also fill the washing drum with water. Do you want to wash with warm water? Then you first need to boil some water and then pour it into the washing machine. To let the stopper run away, there is a drain stroke, for example, you can put a thyme under it and then pour it away. Easy peasy!
Find the product here
Off-Grid Laundry Machine
However, there are also mobile washing machines for which you do not need electricity! This might come in handy if you have a small battery.
Take, for example, the laundry machine from BO-camp. The device works largely the same as the electric machine, but you can turn the laundry true a handle or paddle. Also included is a part for centrifuging. It takes about 5-10 minutes to do your laundry with the BO-camp. You can wash a maximum of 2.5 kg of laundry in the drum.
Find the off-grid machine here
Scrubba Wash Bag
If you don’t have electricity and no space for a washing machine in your camper, this is a great alternative! The Scrubba laundry bag has not been on the market for long, but it is a lifesaver! The laundry bag is small and can be easily stored. Inside the bag are studs, which work like an inner washboard. When you put some water in the bag and knead for a few minutes, you have a clean wash. The product is eco-friendly and is available in 2 sizes: original and mini.
Find the product herescrubba wash bag.
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