Washing your clothes

[kaity23]

Has anyone used a washboardfor washing clothes? Is it effective enough? Can you rinse your clothes/sheets/sleeping bag enough with just a bucket of water? How do YOU wash your clothes with out running water, including a river?

 

[wildboy860]

hehehe... dirty kids dont wash clothes!!! ::soapbox::

 

[kaity23]

well I'd rather not get scabies, or have other skin problems. I'm not really a dirty kid either, I don't wear deoderent (i think i spelled it wrong) and I've gone about a month not bathing, but I'd rather avoid serious health problems. I've also had two horrific encounters with lice, so yeah...

 

[schmutz]

Where are you going to be with no access to water? I just washed my clothes with bar soap in rest stops, state parks, gas station bathrooms...whatever. I mostly hitched though and if someone was cool enough to let me come shower at their house they were usually cool enough to let me use their washer too.

 

[kaity23]

Ya I'm just thinking about washing more than one thing at a time, or like towels and blankets. I dont think I'll be having to do it often but just wondering what people do when its a last resort kind of thing.

 

[schmutz]

Splurge and go to the laundromat? Or make sure you utilize the laundry facilities on the rare occasion you check into a hotel? I am guilty of not washing those kind of things very often....

 

[schmutz]

Oh yeah.....state parks often have laundry facilities too...

 

[Drewski]

I'm also curious about washing my clothes on the road. I'm not a clean freak but I'm not one to like being filthy either. I can go a good amount of time without showering but once I do, throwing on filthy clothes after that seems to defeat the purpose. I will always splurge and go to a laundromat if I can but I guess what I'm asking is how prevalent are laundromats when traveling?

 

[L.C.]

These threads are full of stupid freakin' questions today. The only thread i've seen stupider than this is:How do you charge your cell phone on the road. If your concerns are so stupid you are NOT ready Tenderfoot. Ask how not to die, or get your shit taken from you, or how not to get your ass kicked for asking aggro kids stupid questions under a bridge. There are much more important things to learn than doing laundry.

 

[schmutz]

Meh....we were all there at one time or another. I wish there was some place like this for me to ask questions when I ended up on the road, it would have saved me alot of agony in figuring it all out.

 

[schmutz]

So you were never a dumb kid trying to figure it all out? Guess you're just cooler than I ever was

 

[cport420]

I've found that a dry bag fucking works good to wash clothes in. They are fucking awesome. You can roll them closed with air in it so that it poofs up real tight with the water and clothes and clothes soap in there. Now I the clothes soak for a while and then I rock the dry bag back and forth sorta violently until I think they are good. Drain and refill with fresh water and do the same. Rinse twice if needed. If you have a tarp or even trash bag you can string one up and collect rain water directly into the dry bag during a storm. Doesn't take long if its rainin half ass.

 

[cport420]

I've used pond water before with Purex naturals dye free detergent and line dried with good results also. And when Luna drying if trying to remain unseen think about where you dry light colored clothes. That shit will get you noticed. It screams homeless person and most stupid fucks could be dumb and call the cops on you for trespassing or something.

 

[cport420]

Plus then you also have a dry bag with you. They roll up nicely and make nice seats with something stuffed in it. You can stash shit for extended periods of time in the woods or under a house maybe. Use as a back rest inside a tent while stuffed with shit. Dig a hole and then fill your bag with ice and beer. Cover hole up with leaves in between beers to keep shit cold longer in the field. Same for ghetto root cellar to keep fruits and veggies longer at camp under ground plus eggs for protein.

 

[Fishkiss]

Laundromat is where u wash clothes...anywhere there is water really.clothes washed in river or pond have a distinct weird odor....just use whatever resources you have...I'm gonna tell you the dirty kid secret....dryer sheets spread thru your pack.....even if you smell...your clothes will be uncommonly dryer fresh smelling...

 

[Drewski]

I've found that a dry bag fucking works good to wash clothes in. They are fucking awesome. You can roll them closed with air in it so that it poofs up real tight with the water and clothes and clothes soap in there. Now I the clothes soak for a while and then I rock the dry bag back and forth sorta violently until I think they are good. Drain and refill with fresh water and do the same. Rinse twice if needed. If you have a tarp or even trash bag you can string one up and collect rain water directly into the dry bag during a storm. Doesn't take long if its rainin half ass.

Dude I just got one of these as a present and I never would have thought of that. Thank you very much for sharing the idea I am going to do this every time I need to wash clothes with some good ol' doctor bronners soap.

 

[Drewski]

Vader88 is that your pup? That pooch looks exactly like the one I'll be traveling with. Cute lil guy

 

[Drewski]

Dude that's crazy the pup I was talking about that looks just like yours was rescued from a crack house in Portland I believe. Similar stories, twin pups, looks like we gotta have these bro dogs meet up and sniff it out! But you got rid of em

 

[Hobo Huck]

These threads are full of stupid freakin' questions today. The only thread i've seen stupider than this is:How do you charge your cell phone on the road. If your concerns are so stupid you are NOT ready Tenderfoot. Ask how not to die, or get your shit taken from you, or how not to get your ass kicked for asking aggro kids stupid questions under a bridge. There are much more important things to learn than doing laundry.

It's traveler's like you that ruin our entire image. This entire "punk-core road dog" attitude that is so exaggerated and fake that it's become nothing more than stupid cliche. Just because someone lives on the road doesn't mean they have to act like a pre-pubescent asshole, or go around looking like and smelling like dogshit. Most of us travel with a since of dignity and respect, which includes basic fucking hygiene. For fucks sake, I don't know how many possible rides I've missed because the last time the driver picked up a hitchhiker, it was some rude asshole like you that made their entire vehicle smell like a fucking dead skunk. Thanks alot, jerkwads.

Her question is valid, and I think we all remember a time when we had to learn tips from other travelers, such as washing clothes without access to unlimited water. If you didn't, then that because you went about travelling in a desperately stupid way, or you're just a stubborn-minded fool that fails to seek advice from others.

Alright back to the question about the washboard:

I actually bought a small sized washboard from an antique shop for about 20 dollars. I had no idea how to use one, other than clips I had seen in old Westerns. I found it to be a little bit more tiring in reality, as you have to really use some elbow grease to get stains out. It was also kinda rough on my shirts, and puts alot of stress on the fibers. I ended up getting a bar of soap and smearing soap all over the metal board so that i could scrub quicker and put less stress on shirts and items that were more delicate. It worked great. It was way better than washing it in a sink, makes way less of a mess, uses way less water, and gets things 3 times cleaner. They are also pretty lightweight and can tie easily to a rucksack or hiking bag. And hey, it also made a great addition to sitting around campfires with people that had guitars and harmonicas. I will also add that the water gets pretty dirty after about 3-5 shirts, so if you're trying to wash more than that, you'll definitely need to change your water out.

 

[Drewski]

^ Lol. Great response man.