Our van came with a 3kg automatic machine. Good if you are fussy with where and how you wash your clothes, and are somewhere with no water restrictions. I have used ours to wash (wool wash) some, then hand wring, wash next lot etc, then use machine to spin out clothes. Have managed a weeks washing in 20 lts. Also used it just for spinning after hand wash.
(when genny fired up for one thing we make the most of it, hot water, wash machine and cooking etc)
Twin tubs are a lot more water efficient.
But then the cost involved with purchase price, the space needed, and the extra water, weighed up with a bit of hand washing every other day, and the cost of machines in c/pks or laundromats ranging from free to $3, $4 or $5 for a full wash.
Also as Dougwe said, a weight issue. They are not very heavy, but often it doesnt take much........
We have a portable twin tub and it is fantastic.
Have a small inverter to run it. Dougwe has seen it in action at Greens Lake.
Travels in the back of the Ute or in the shower.
Aldi sometimes has them for around $100
Their are a lot of caravan parks that we have been to and it is not uncommon to see people washing their dog bedding in the parks washing machines. That is one of the reasons why we have a washing machine in our van. Over the last 10 years we have saved a lot of money, when parks charge $4- 5 a load.
We purchased a mini washing machine from a fellow forum member & put it in the back of the Tug when we are doing a week or so stop over at a single location. It's very light & I strap it permanently to a plinth that is in turn secured by easily removed tie down point anchors.
When on site I set it up in the annex & SWMBO finds it a great convenience to drop in a few items every second day or so. She usually keeps the larger items like sheets until we get home (we carry extra sets of bed linen). They can be done in it if you wish but drying becomes an issue she tells me, though a long line under the awning is OK in good weather.
Edit .. re the following post. Yes, we find that our little twin tub spins pretty efficiently.
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 8th of July 2019 11:06:30 AM
A good sealed bucket and round stone does the job while traveling ., yea good to have one to spin cloths half dry. Especially in ( wet) cooler months .. Mainly wash our little things every day . Jeans etc much longer .
My van came with a single tub 2.5kg washing machine which I thought would be rubbish - it's brilliant!
I only use it to wash on the rare occasions I'm in a caravan park and have unlimited water otherwise I do my washing in a 44L tub using river water, two hours (or overnight) in the washing powder, a quick spin then one hour in plain water with 100mL of white vinegar added (breaks down residual soap) then into the brilliant spin dryer which seems to remove 90%+ of the water. The spin dryer is *very* temperamental about load distribution and care must be taken but you soon get the hang of it.
A much more useful too than I expected.
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