One of the hardest parts of tight-arse travel is how to do laundry. Washing your clothes can cost you the same amount as having a good lunch in a café these days. If you are travelling on a budget you don’t want to waste money on laundry when that cash can go to much more fun purposes.
Enter The Scrubba, an Australian invention which I discovered this year and can not believe I ever managed without.
It is a small portable wash bag which has a unique flexible washboard in-built to scrub your clothes as clean as a washing machine would do with just 3 minutes of man power. The Scrubba can be bought online here for $55USD and I even scored free delivery to my German address. With washing averaging about $4.50 – $6USD these days, it is an investment that will pay itself off in a very short time.
Check out how to use it here.
There is an option to buy a drying kit as well which includes a micro fibre towel to soak up extra water from clothes, a couple of inflatable hangers, and an elastic travel clothes line. I only bought the bag since I already have the clothes line and figured I can do without the extra baggage.
I have been using the Scrubba for over a month now and I’m extremely impressed with the results. My clothes come out just as clean and fresh as from a washing machine, and I’ve even successfully washed larger items like a pair of jeans. Prior to the Scrubba I had been washing clothes in the shower, or in the bathroom sink…. neither of which yielded good results. My clothes often still smelt, forcing me to fork out the money for a proper load of laundry, not to mention that bathroom sinks are often GROSS and you really don’t want to try clean your clothes and a dirty sink.
The secret weapon in the Scrubba is the washboard, which gets those clothes fully cleaned and smelling like new. In summer the clothes will air dry quickly enough, and in the winter there are usually always heaters around which will help dry your washing. The trick is to stay on top of it, just a few minutes each night to wash out the clothes you wore that day, and you will always have fresh clean things to wear.
I have also been really happy with the company’s customer care. Unfortunately the first bag I bought had a faulty air release valve and leaked water. I contacted Scrubba and they told me that they did have a faulty batch, apologised that mine slipped through the QC, and sent me a new one free of charge. I was not even obliged to send back the faulty one, and they sent me instructions on how to repair it with a bicycle puncture repair kit, so that I can still use it as a spare!
This little invention has made it’s way onto my essential pack list. I will never again travel without a laundry! It is an investment that you simply can’t afford not to make for your travel plans.
My tips for washing on the road:
1. Wash daily
It only takes a few minutes of your time to wash out the clothes you wore that day. At the very least, wash your socks and undies each day. This way you can pack less things as you will always have fresh items to wear. It also means a few minutes a day rather than a big day wasted doing all the dirty laundry in your bag.
2. Give them time to dry
Since you won’t be spin drying that excess water out, you will be hanging up soaking wet laundry to dry. Wring out as much of the water as possible, and use a towel to sop up even more, but even then your things will still take a lot longer to dry. Don’t wash late the night before you are moving to a new place and expect dry clothes in the morning. The great thing about the Scrubba is that it’s water tight, so if you do have damp gear when you pack, just stash it in the washbag so it doesn’t make the rest of your belongings wet.
3. You can use shampoo!
I have successfully washed my clothes in the Scrubba using all sorts of things from liquid hand soap in hostel bathrooms, to my shampoo. The result has been the same, there is no need to fuss over laundry detergent. The one thing that DIDN’T work was using laundry powder as it did not dissolve properly and left white marks on my clothes. But anything liquid will work. My favourite choice of the moment is Dr Bronner’s liquid castile soap since it is highly concentrated so you don’t need to use too much and it is also a great face wash and body soap too, giving you 3 in one, and non fussy guys and gals can even use it as shampoo, making it a 4 in one!
4. Invest in a clothes-line
My little elastic line has come in handy so many times when hanging space is scarce. It is usually pretty simple to find places to attach it in order to string your things out, and it will take up hardly any space in your bag.