Small "washing machine"

[rsn48]

This really isn't a full time live aboard washing machine but this unit strikes me as something small, portable, able to do a number of smaller items, like socks and underwear, or T shirts and shorts.

In essence, you plug the machine in, put it in a bucket with soapy water and your clothes, turn the timer on for 15 minutes and it "washes" the items.

https://www.amazon.ca/Portable-Auto...ortable+washing+machine&qid=1599449644&sr=8-6

If you go into the ratings section of the Amazon page, you will see some videos of people washing their clothes. The unit sounds reasonably strong, stronger than I thought it would be.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I've used a similar, simpler, and less expensive washing machine for years. It works on boats and in vehicles. Steep seas and bumpy roads are required. It doesn't work nearly as well without the movement. Add soap, water and clothing. Wait an hour or a day. It takes two rinses. Cost is about $3, but you will need a $10 Gamma lid to make it really convenient. No electricity or parts to break. Available in many colors. Can also be used as an emergency bilge pump (unlike the little Amazon washer that states "do not put washer in dark or humid places for a long time." A washing machine that can't get damp?).

The shortcoming of either type of "bucket washing" is that the clothing comes out soaking wet. You can hand wring (and your shirts will show it), but it still takes a long time draped over a railing to dry anything out. I have some specially made clothes pins that fit a 1 inch railing, but I don't remember where I got them. Having the clothing really secure and the wind howling is the only way to get stuff dry in a day.

 

[gunho1]

https://www.breathingwasher.com/

We've used this for years.

 

[Slowmo]

Why not just use Woolite hand wash on smaller things? I don't see that this will do much more than what you can do easily by hand. Then you don't need to store anything extra.

 

[Frosty]

Why not just use Woolite hand wash on smaller things? I don't see that this will do much more than what you can do easily by hand. Then you don't need to store anything extra.

I was thinking the same thing, having done hand laundry in a bucket for a few years. We couldn't really manage jeans or huge thick thirsty towels, but this machine would not be able to do that either (so we basically had no jeans, cotton sweatshirts, or huge thick thirsty towels). (Ha, did you see the huge stack of thick thirsty towels in the ad?)

I could see using this if you had hand issues that prevented doing any hand laundry. Another way to make it a bit easier (without this machine) is to use a (new, clean) toilet plunger vs. your hands in the bucket.

As for wringing, it definitely is a thing. We would have taken an extractor before a machine like this - just to duplicate the spin cycle on a washing machine. I did take a tip that I read somewhere (in print, back in the day), which is to take the item you want to wring and then wrap it once around a stanchion or ladder upright so it makes an open U shape. Then take the two ends of the U and just twist them around each other. Like a hair braid but with only two "strands." It's a LOT easier to wring than just with your bare hands and the item.

All that said, most people here probably have room for a "real" washing machine. I would be thrilled to have my own washer/dryer aboard, but probably won't be an option in the size range I'm looking at. (<36')

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Another "wringing" trick is to wrap smaller items (like socks and undies) one at a time in a bath towel. Then twist the whole thing. Any water that comes out of the smaller item gets instantly soaked up by the towel. Usually when wringing, the water on the item soaks back into itself when you stop twisting. A big towel will do 4 or 5 sets of socks and undies. Then hang them all out to dry. Cuts drying time in about half. The towel might take the longest.