One of the most common questions for those uninitiated into RV living is: How do you wash and dry your clothes?
Luckily, there are plenty of washer and dryer set options available for life on the road; From ventless washer/dryer combos, to washer/spinner sets, and even off-grid, manual options!
Whether you’re in a spacious RV or small converted van, plugged into the electrical grid or boondocking, you’ll be able to find a washer and dryer set that fits your particular lifestyle.
Ventless Washer and Dryer Combo:
Electric Options
Washer and dryer combos found in traditional homes are typically vented: Meaning, the heat produced within the dryer is vented out, requiring a hose and hole to release the heat.
The perks of vented dryers are they’re normally larger in size, dry laundry in a short amount of time, and are efficient.
However, in an RV or converted van, a vented dryer would be cumbersome and require a lot of energy, space, and holes in the wall to remove moisture exhaust…
Fortunately, there are ventless alternatives!
In a ventless dryer, a small amount of outside air is taken in and heated in the condenser. The heated air then begins drying the clothes in the drum, evaporating the water in the laundry- and instead of outputting the moisture via a vent, the air is again pushed through the condenser and the process is repeated.
One of the most popular ventless washer and dryer sets for RV living is the Splendide washer/dryer combo.
Best For: RVers often plugged into the “grid”, have long-term access to electricity, and prefer the familiarity of a more traditional washer/dryer set.
The Splendide can hold 11 lbs. of dry clothes, runs quietly, runs off of 110V and is small to fit enough to fit in many RVs and converted vans (dimensions: 33-1/8″ Height x 23.5″ Width x 22-1/4″ Depth).
Ventless dryers are useful, effective, and smaller than their traditional vented counterparts, but beware: You’ll need more time to dry your laundry with a ventless option!
So, if you have a mountain of clothes, you’ll either need to do laundry with more frequency, or do your laundry in smaller batches.
Still, if you’re living in a RV outside of the city, or just don’t want to go into a laundromat, waiting a little longer for clean clothes while in the comfort of your RV is a small price to pay!
Washer and Spinner Combos
Washer and spinner combos are another great option for RVers. Unlike traditional washer and dryer sets, spinner combos do not heat the washing water, nor do they heat while drying.
The lack of heating makes washer/spinners great energy savers, especially if you’re off grid and power is at a premium.
Best For: For RVers with less electricity access, or those dependent on solar panels, the simple washer/spinner set may be the perfect fit.
You can place up to 8 lbs of dry laundry into the washing basket, put detergent in (a little goes a long way!), and with the appliance’s water inlet, fill with water. Then, just set the timer, wash, then rinse!
The spinner holds less than the washer basket, with a maximum holding weight of 5 lbs. Instead of relying on heat to dry laundry, the spinner simply spins at a high velocity, squeezing the water out of the clothes.
It’s important to note: When the spinner’s cycle is finished, laundry will not yet be dry!
Clothes will still retain enough moisture to require you to hang your laundry to completely dry.
Know that dry time will vary: Jeans may require overnight hanging, while a thin shirt may only need a couple hours until it’s dried and wearable.
Personally, our portable washer/spinner was one of the best purchases we made for full-time RV living: Small enough to fit in our bathroom, reduced energy usage, and no more laundromat visits!
Non-Electric Options:
Manual Washer and Dryers
There are many reasons to consider using a non-electric, manual washer or dryer instead of traditional machines: Never needing to worry about electric hookups or running the generator to do a load of laundry, water conservation, and saving money in the long-run.
Manual washers come in two types: Foot-powered or hand-cranked.
Best For: RVers completely off-grid, who don’t want to rely on an external power source to wash laundry.
Foot-Powered Washer
Foot-powered manual washers allow you to spin laundry loads quickly and with minimal effort; Washing and rinsing clothes in under 15 minutes.
Check out this van lifer’s first time using the YiREGO washer in her van here!
With a weight capacity of 5 lbs, you can wash up to seven personal items (or one pair of jeans) at a time. Each load of laundry uses about 1.3 gallons of water, with an additional 1.3 gallons of water for rinsing.
Using an average total of 2.6 gallons of water per full washing cycle, the YiREGO uses 80% less water than an average washer!
The YiREGO washer also serves as a spinner to remove excess water after washing and rinsing laundry, so it’s an easy to use, convenient option while on the road!
Hand-Cranked Washer
Hand-cranked, manual washers are easy to use, but require a bit more physical energy to wash laundry than it’s foot-powered counterpart.
Operation for a hand-cranked washer, like the Wonderwash, is nearly identical to the YiREGO: The drum holds a maximum weight of 5 lbs, and requires little water for the washing process:
| Load (lbs) | Load Size | Water (Qts) | Detergent (Tbsp) | Wash Time (min) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | 1/4 full | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| 2.2 | 1/2 | 3 | 2 | 1.25 | |||||
| 3.3 | 3/4 | 4.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 4.84 | Full | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 3.3 | 3/4 | 4.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 4.84 | Full | 6 | 4 | 2 |
The Wonderwash’s holding drum is compact, so it can handle smaller loads of laundry: About seven personal items or one pair of jeans, like the YiREGO.
Either warm or cold water can be used for the washing process, with cold water suggested for the rinse portion.
For all washer/spinner combos- including the Wonderwash- it’s recommended to follow the water and detergent proportions: A little detergent goes a long way! (We learned that the hard way!)
Make sure use liquid or powder detergent (I suggest liquid), but avoid pods- those little pods pack a punch, and contain far too much detergent for such small loads of laundry.
Drying Racks
If using a spinner in lieu of an electric dryer, a place to hang dry your clothes becomes a necessity. Without hanging laundry up to air dry, clothes can easily start to mildew.
So, to keep our clothes clean and fresh, there are great space-saving folding drying rack options available.
Every RV and van conversion varies in their storage space availability, so make sure to pay attention to the dimensions of folding dying racks before purchasing. Also make sure that the rack itself it up for the challenge of life on the road: Wood racks may look good online, but make sure the wood is long-lasting or that the wood has been treated- without proper coating, some wood racks can start to mold!
One of the more study, long-lasting racks available is the Peaceful Classics Amish Craftman’s folding rack.
Made from brown maple wood, this rack can not only support regular laundry easily, but can also handle the heavier weight of towels and blankets!
Peaceful Classics offer two sizes: Medium, 16lbs (36″ W x 52″ H x 16″ D) and Large 20 lbs (40″ W x 60″ H x 20″ D), and when folded up for storage, both retain the same width.
Although there are plenty of racks available on the market, ranging from other wood racks to those made of metal, make sure to find one of high-quality, like the Peaceful Classic. Keeping clothes fresh and easily cared for makes RV living easier, and can save you money in the long run (you won’t need to purchase replacements for flimsy racks!)
Conclusion
Washing clothes while in an RV full-time is absolutely possible! Depending on your particular needs, there is a range of washer and dryer sets to choose from: From ventless machines, washer/spinner electric combos, and even off-grid, manual options.
Living in an RV, you don’t need to give up all the creature comforts of traditional homes, including having the ability to do your laundry “in-house”! Choose whatever option best suits your lifestyle on the road, and…