Time to do your RV laundry? Here are my 7 best RV laundry solutions that will help you tackle this boring but much-needed task. After all, we can’t all go around wearing the same clothes day after day.
1. Use the local laundromat
Of all the available options this is Tammy and I’s least favorite. Yes, going to a local laundromat will work. You’ll get your clothes washed and can dry them there as well. However, what we don’t like is the waiting.
If the local laundromat is busy you can count on sitting around for a couple of hours or more. But who really wants to do that, when you can be outdoors hiking or fishing. Not us that for sure.
If you do decide to use a laundromat remember to bring your own detergent (we recommend Earth Breeze) and fabric softener. At the laundromat, those items are very expensive.
You are going to need quarters, lots of quarters so bring them along. Most laundromats do have change machines but sometimes they aren’t working.
Bring a book, music, your iPad, or a laptop. It’s very likely you will be there for quite a while so use the time to catch up on a book, your emails, or a good podcast. Our favorite podcast is the RV Entrepreneur Podcast.
Bring a hamper or a basket to carry your dirty clothes in. You’ll use the same to fold your clothes and carry them out.
For safety reasons, stay alert, and keep an eye out for your belongings.
2. Buy an RV Washer/Dryer Combo
The option Tammy and I recommend is to own your own washer and dryer. With the growing popularity of RVs, it’s possible your camper came with a washer and dryer to you have the opportunity when you purchased it to add it as an option.
The most popular unit is the combo washer/dryer. This machine washes your clothes and dries them. It all happens in the same machine. Below is an example of a combo washer/dryer.
- Reinforced internal circuitry and components - perfect for RV travel
- Reduce Wrinkles wash feature and bi-directional dryer rotation combine to reduce both fabric creasing and wear on fabrics
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Paid Affiliate Link / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
These are the pros and cons of using a combo RV washer/dryer.
| Pros | Cons |
| > Quite easy to use | > Can’t fit a lot of clothing |
| > Fits in a small space | > Can easily be overloaded |
| > Conserves water | > Drying takes a long time |
| > Can fit in a closet outfitted with plumbing |
3. Hand Wash Your Clothes
This is my least favorite of the 7 best RV laundry solutions. Sometimes you just have to do things by hand and in this case, washing clothes by hand might be an option for you. Washing clothes by hand can get a bit tedious, especially if you are washing a lot of prices, however, if you keep it to small loads you should be fine.
You’ll want to have a portable clothesline to hang your clothes to dry. The portable clothesline below is easy to use and affordable.
- ï‚·1 Compact And Lightweight- small traveling clothesline comes in pocket size, packed in zip bag. This laundry cord set take up little room and light weight for backpack, suitcase,...
- ï‚·2 Sturdy And Durable- travel clothes lines is made of nylon, get tight and less stretch, support wet heavy laundry, washed cloth, bathing suit, washcloths, hand washing items. Use...
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Paid Affiliate Link / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Besides the portable clothesline, you are going to need a few other items in order to hand wash your clothes. Here is a list:
- Dirty clothes
- Empty laundry basket
- Two plastic wash tubs
- A washboard – This washboard on Amazon has great reviews.
- Liquid laundry soap or some other soap of your preference
- Rope – Not needed if you buy a portable clothesline.
- Clothespins – Not needed if you buy this portable clothesline.
This video discusses handwashing clothes using a washboard.
4. Use RV Park Laundry Facilities
Many RV parks have laundry facilities onsite. These facilities are usually not as big as a laundromat but you’ll find they are not used often so time spent doing laundry will be a lot less than a laundromat.
You can search the website Campground Reviews to see if the campground you plan to visit has laundry facilities.
Another location to do laundry if you still haven’t made it to your destination is truck stops. Most have laundry facilities that you can use. Though you may have to wait for your laundry to be done you can usually kill some time at the local diner and/or shopping for supplies.
5. Go Portable
Some RV owners simply don’t want to spend money on a combo washer/dryer and instead opt to purchase a portable washing machine. There are several models of portable washing machines but the one I recommend is this 17 lbs Compact Twin Tub. I’ve not tested this unit but it gets good reviews on Amazon.
No products found.
This portable washer only weighs 29 lbs and had two tubs. A 10 lbs tub for washing and 7 lbs tub for spin-drying.
There are other portable washers that you can buy including some manual spinning washers. Your preference, available space, and budget will determine what you eventually end up with.
6. Wash Small Loads Often
Regardless of which of the methods above you use for your RV laundry doing small loads is beneficial. If you wait too long to do laundry you may end up running out. Daily loads or every couple of days will help you avoid, overloading your washer and running out of clothes.
7. Use Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets
When it comes to which detergent to use for your RV laundry there are plenty to choose from. However, minimizing weight in an RV is something I always try to do. To save space and weight I have started using Earth Breeze Landry sheets.
If you want to learn more read my Earth Breeze review. You can buy them here.
Best RV Laundry Solutions Final Thoughts
Doing your RV laundry should not be an impossible task. With the above RV laundry solution, you should be able to easily take care of this sometimes tedious task without much of a hassle.
