But it is something we all have to deal with and not everybody around the world has a washer and dryer in their house. We don't!
And of course when we're traveling in the motorhome, we've never had a washer and dryer. But you have to get some clean clothes, so somehow you find a way...
In fact, we have never owned a clothes dryer. Even when we had our house and a "normal" lifestyle, Ruth hung the clothes to dry. Clothes dryers are expensive to buy and they suck up electricity. We simply never saw the point of owning one. Interestingly, clothes will dry on their own without a clothes dryer! Who would have thought?!
Did you know that it is only in Canada and the U.S. where some communities have laws against hanging your laundry outside? That's pretty bold isn't it? Imagine telling your neighbor that they're simply not allowed to hang their laundry outside. There are far too many rules in Canada and the U.S..
We don't have a washer or drier here in our cabin, but there is one of each in the back of the restaurant building. Even though there is a drier and it wouldn't cost us anything to use it, one of the first things I did when we got here was to install a clothes line.
The clothesline I installed running between our cabin and the shed.
So, when we're traveling in the motorhome, it's not always easy to find a place to do your laundry. Usually we stop at a small town laundromat in the U.S. or Canada, and in Mexico we can find a "lavandaria" where you drop off your clothes and they wash, dry, and fold it for you. But sometimes, you have to find ways to do it yourself...
Doing the laundry by hand at the Kadekaman Hotel and campground in Vizcaino, Baja California, Mexico. December 19, 2007.
Doing the laundry in the the Rio Colotepec in Barra Colotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico. February 22, 2009.
A lot of people do their laundry in the river!
These women in the western highlands of Guatemala use whatever water they can find to do their laundry. Amazingly, their clothes are so white and bright. And I bet they don't use Tide!
Now, here's an idea to build your own washing machine. This is a simple, great idea for anyone traveling in an RV. We're going to build one for Sherman!
Thanks to readers Barry and Jeannie for sending along that great idea to us!
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Great concept for washing you clothes, especially in Mexico. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt will be a neat thing to try out!
DeleteYep, solar clothes dryer! Costs nothing, clean energy. Did I mention "free"?
ReplyDeleteYep, we love free!
DeleteI installed a clothesline not long after we moved to this house in '92, in spite of the fact that we have (I think) some silly rule about hanging clothes out.
ReplyDeleteI say, "bring it on!". If some by-law do gooder wanted to stir the pot, I would take out a full page ad in the local rag.
Kind of like when they dared ticket cars left parked longer than the "three hour limit", when in fact folks were taking cabs home instead of driving drunk. That little bit of stupidity didn't go well for the city's image. "So you're advocating drunk driving? Hm?"
In over twenty years, there has been nary a peep from anyone. Just the same, I do very much like our gas dryer. Considerably better than electric.
Yep, we felt the same way. where we lived in Ottawa some of the areas had a ban up for actual clothes lines but those umbrella type ones were fine. They said that the actual lines were unsightly, how stupid is that!
DeleteI have seen a similar version of this used in Mexico by Rvers. Worked great.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it will be much easier than doing it by hand, that can be hard and tiring to do sometimes.
DeleteRemember, it ain't no true hillbilly washin machine, unless it sets outside the rig all the time, next to the ole fridgerator!
ReplyDeleteWell, then I guess we wouldn't be true hillbillies because we don't have an ole fridgerator outside.
DeleteYou speak quite authoritatively about laundry, but I only see pictures of Ruth scrubbing away? :)
ReplyDeleteI was waiting for somebody to bring that up. By the same token, any pictures of the car or the motorhome being washed will only have me in them.
DeleteI have always liked to hang out the laundry....but I do appreciate having a washer! And a dryer if it's cold and rainy!
ReplyDeleteYep, I like the smell of the clothes when I hang them outside.
DeleteJudy beat me to it! :-)) Really Ruth never helps wash the rig and the car??
ReplyDeleteI too am a lover of clothing hung out to dry. We camp a lot in state and national parks where you are not permitted to string ropes between trees and for good reason. So it is often hard to hang clothes out. We now have a great accordian drying rack that hooks to our ladder LOVE IT!
Nope, I never help wash the rig or the car. I have too much laundry to do! :)
DeleteDrying clothes outdoors is hard on people with allergies. Love the smell of sheets dried outdoors...no fabric softener can duplicate that smell.
ReplyDeleteNope, not everyone can hang them outside but we like too!
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