When you travel full time in an RV, you, sometimes, have to give up on some of the luxuries of a sticks-n-bricks home. No dishwasher. And no laundry room.
Some rigs have both. Not us. We could have opted for the washer and dryer. There are hook-ups. But we'd lose all of our bedroom closet space for two small units that would break down with all of the work they'd do for a family of five.
So, we utilize the campground laundromats. For the most part, washing costs $1.50 for about
30 minutes and $1.25 for 45 minutes of drying. The dryers stink. The only ones that worked well were in the New Smyrna Beach, Fl campground. Expect to do two drys for every one wash. Or you'll re-dry anyway. And, you can't just add a quarter or two for a few minutes...you have to put in another whole $1.25. (And not too many campgrounds "allow" clotheslines.)
If you are close to an actual laundromat, as we are this month, it may be worth taking a book, or your iPad, and utilize a few hours to head there. Not so bad, really, if you are the mom.
Here is what we spent on laundry since we left our house on November 28, 2011. (For the first 10 months, we were lucky enough to do a bit of laundry at Nana's and Grandpa's...saving us a few bucks.)
This is what we spent on laundry from Dec 1. 2011 until October 28, 2012. $448.50 For about 11 months.|
Misty Mountain Crozet, VA
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Nov 4, 2012
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13.50
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New Smyrna Beach
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Nov. 7 - Nov. 18
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6.25
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3.75
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$23.50
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Camp Inn Florida
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Nov 18 -Dec 18
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16.50
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Lakeside RV Louisiana
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Dec 19 - Jan 19
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17.50
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Texas
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Jan 19 - March 20
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2.75
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13.50
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8.00
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4.00
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8.50
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laundromat
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5/wash 3.50 dry
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70.75
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laundromat
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7/wash 2.50 dry
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Here are the amounts we've spent, solely at campground or local laundromats, since hitting the road on Oct. 28, 2012. (The gap is the amount
$93.95
So, for the year and 3 months we have been in our RV, we have spent a total of $542.75 to clean our clothes.
As you can see, since being in Texas, we have done a pathetic amount of laundry. Not so sure why that is!
That averages out to $36.18 per month for laundry. Not so bad, I guess.
The biggest thing is where to keep all of the dirty laundry. The itty-bitty laundry draw our Eagle provides is a useless waste of space. And, of course, you can't travel with several hard-plastic laundry baskets. Collapsible is best.
If you are traveling with just two, a washer/dryer combo or stackable unit may be the best bet. But some people would prefer the space and to forgo the extra weight washer/dryers add.
As for us, we try to encourage the kids to stay clean, re-wear, and hope the campground's laundromat is clean and efficient.
I live in a fifth wheel bunk house with five people and two cats. I recently purchased a Haier portable washer and hooked it up to my shower connection. After living full time in our RV and spending at least $500 for laundry last year, I figured it would pay for itself in a few months. My next purchase would have been the Laundry Alternative 3200 rpm spin dryer. But we are downsizing to a class c with extra bunks. So I'll be picking up a Panda portable washer (doesn't spin like the Haier), which is much smaller and the smaller spin dryer from Laundry Alternative. It doesn't dry all the way, but gets most of the water out. I also hung a clothesline inside our trailer and do lots of loads often. It has already saved me the inconvenience of leaving our trailer and I can work around the kids' schooling...
ReplyDeleteWe decided the space was more important, and, I use the hauling of the laundry as exercise! Plus, I like the "time" by myself!! I guess the idea of doing lots of loads often with damp laundry hanging around isn't as appealing as just bringing it to the laundromat. But, what's nice, is that there are choices for everybody. I am sure that if it were just us two, I'd have a washer/dryer. On laundry day, you can hear for miles, "Does anyone have any quarters??????" I'd love to hear how you like the Panda. I've never heard of it!
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