Van life laundry is an interesting topic. Doing laundry van life style causes one to get creative, and quickly forces you to own the fact that you don’t have a proper washer! We’ve washed our clothes more times than we can count in public restrooms and gym showers. Luckily, those aren’t the only places to do laundry in a van!
Van life laundry looks different for everyone, but one thing I can tell you, most people who live in a van full time probably don’t do laundry as often as those living in a brick and mortar homes. And while it may seem dirty, gross, or weird.. it’s really not. It comes with the way living in a van changes you. You soon realize you don’t have to wear a different outfit every day, and many things can be worn multiple times before they’re actually dirty.
We lived in our old van for over two years and had to get quite creative time and time again to get our laundry done. Now that we’re building out our new van, we’re thinking of all the things we learned the first go around, and how to do laundry in the van is something we thought we had to share!
There are so many ways to get your laundry done in a van, some easier than others. Let’s dive into washing your laundry van life style, then all the van life laundry tips and tricks to keep your clothes smelling fresh in between washes!
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Van Life Laundry: Washing
Public Sinks
While this may sound gross, I’m all for using public sinks for washing clothes if you clean the sink both before and after you do your washing. By public sinks, I don’t mean the sinks at the nearest supermarket. I’m talking about public bathrooms that aren’t frequented, and or public sinks at your gym!
The best public sinks to do your laundry in are those that are found in places that people tend to stay overnight in to begin with. Think, trailheads up some mountain roads, or rest stops on a random back highway.
Wash in Shower
Countless times we washed our clothes after doing a workout in the local gym. Taking a bag into the shower with you, and spending an extra 10 minutes under the hot water allows you to wash your laundry in a more private setting. There’s no harm in taking a gym bag of dirty clothes into the locker room and coming out with a bag full of clean clothes!
Extra tip.. if you work hard on your abs, you’ll have a built-in washboard in the shower! 😉 Okay, that was just a joke, but I had to say it!
Housesitting
Housesitting was the perfect way to get a good wash of everything in the camper van. When we housesit, we wash it all. Bedding, towels, and the bigger thicker clothes like sweats, jeans, and sweatshirts! Take advantage of a good housesit to get your laundry clean!
TrustedHousesitters is a great website to help you find a housesit. We used them when in Switzerland, and were able to stay in downtown Zurich for free!
AirBnB
Whenever we really need to catch up on a lot of laundry, and maybe even bust out loads of uploading or internet usage, we snag an AirBnB. We always look for ones with free parking and laundry, so we can double up on the cost of renting a home for a night or two and get all our laundry done.
Your Kitchen Sink
Your kitchen and kitchen supplies in your van make for a great place to do laundry. We had a simple, homemade portable sink that worked great to give our smaller clothes a good wash! They even make collapsible sinks now, that would be the perfect place to do van laundry!
Stomping in Hotel Bath Tub
This is an oldie, but a goodie! Hotel tubs are a great place to do a little stomping around, getting your clothes clean. If you choose to skip the AirBnB with a proper washer, and instead stay in a hotel, make sure your room comes with a bathtub.
Throw a layer of clothes in the tub, then fill the tub to just cover the clothes. Stomp around the tub, on top of your clothes. This acts as the rinsing. Then drain the water, again fill it just covering your clothes and add soap. Repeat the clothing stomp again. Drain and fill with more water than last time, stomping/swishing the clothes for a final rinse! And walla, you’ve got clean clothes!
Friends’ Houses
So many of our friends were happy to let us do laundry in their homes when we visited. Maybe they feel sorry for those living in a van, so they want to help out.. who knows. But secrets out.. vanlife is better than renting an apartment! Don’t be afraid to take your friends and family up on the offer of doing laundry at their home! Maybe just bring a bottle of wine or two as a thank you!
Laundromats
When all else fails, laundromats are great places to wash your clothes. We did our washing at laundry mats only a handful of time, but each time we did, we made sure it was a rainy day that we couldn’t be outside exploring anyway! Be sure to stay with your laundry, and double up on your time in the laundromat by giving all your electronics a good charge!
Natural Water (river, lake, stream)
Rivers, lakes, and streams are all great places to do your laundry… IF you have biodegradable soap! Please do not put harmful toxins into the freshwater around by doing your laundry with laundry detergent. There are many kinds of biodegradable soap, like Dr. Bronner’s (the lavender scent one is perfect for laundry, or this plastic-free, cruelty free laundry soap bar to use instead!
Randoms (Harbors, placement)
While living in the van, we found so many random places to do laundry that we would have never even noticed before. In Scotland, we found harbors often had washers and driers up for use, and we even were able to use some of the laundry facilities on Jay’s clinical placements. The best way to find these random laundry finds is to simply just ask the locals. Be honest and open with them — most people are happy to help!
Scrubba Laundry Bag
The new thing that I’ve seen a lot of travel influencers promote is this Scrubba wash bag. I honestly, don’t get why it’s such a thing and is so expensive. The concept is great, but I don’t think you need to go spend so much money on it. Instead, grab a way cheaper dry bag, and do the same thing. Load up a couple of items of clothes, a bit of soap, and some water, close the bag, and squish it around.
Camper Van Washing Machines
I can not fathom doing a van build and including an actual washing machine in the van. By hey, to each their own. There are many different kinds of small, portable washing machines, some use shore power, while others use a foot or hand crank. If none of the above mentioned ways to do your van laundry seem good to you, maybe check out a campervan washing machine instead!
Van Life Laundry: Drying
Defrost/Heater
Too many times for us to count did we drive miles and miles with underwear drying on our dashboard. We would blaze the defrost as high as possible, drive with the windows halfway down, and dry our clothes as we traveled from one place to another. The key to getting the clothes dried quickly is to make sure to rotate the clothes! They’ll dry faster than you think!
Hanging in Van
Honestly, when all else fails and it’s not good weather outside, hanging your clothes in the van works great. Just be sure to keep your windows cracked a little for the moisture to escape. We hung our clothes on the bungee cords where we stored our comforter, but we also strapped rope back and forth in the van a couple of times, hanging clothes the whole length of the van.
Clothing lines
This one’s an obvious way to dry your clothes. There are clothing racks that fold up and can be stored in the van, but honestly, nobody has space for that. Hanging a clothing line from the front to the back of your van, between the back doors of your van, or from your van to a nearby tree are all perfect for drying! It not only saves on money, but it also good for the environment and keeps your clothes lasting longer too!
We used a slackline when drying our clothes, attaching it either some crazy way inside the van or out the passenger side of the van to the back door of the van. Literally, anything that can hold the weight of wet clothes is good enough to tie a clothing line to. If you don’t have a slackline, a simple rope or proper clothing line will do.
Wall heaters/towel warmers
I’ll never forget my grandma freaking out that we would dry our clothes on the wall heaters and towel warmers in Scotland. She was dead certain it would start a fire. But nah.. when the clothes are wet or damp, wall heaters are fantastic for drying them! Just make sure you rotate your clothes as they dry, to be sure all the clothing article gets dry and nothing overheats!
Van Life Laundry Tips and Tricks
Keeping Dryer Sheets with Your Clothes
Dryer sheets or something similar are great ways to keep your clothes smelling fresh. While we don’t actually use dryer sheets when drying our clothes, in the van we keep them wherever we store clothes. A few where our coats go, and a few more on our clothing shelves, kept our clothes always smelling so fresh!
Keep Your “Can Be Dirty, But Aren’t Totally Wrecked” Clothes Separate
Your “can be dirty, but aren’t totally wrecked” clothes are those clothes that you wore out on the trails, but don’t want to wear them out on the town. They’re maybe a bit “dirty” to wear in public, but aren’t too dirty to wear again outside. Don’t throw them in your dirty laundry bag with underwear and such, you’ll never know when you’ll need them again!
Purchase Merino Wool Clothes
Merino wool is known for not holding in a smell. Meaning, if you wear it and then just lay it out in the sun or even hang it in the van, you can probably wear it a couple more times before washing it.
It’s breathable and lightweight too, making it really easy to wash and dry by hand!
Stay away from Cotton and Denim
Both cotton and denim take a long time to dry. And, they’re both difficult to hand wash and take up a lot of space in washing machines. If you can stay away from both these kinds of fabrics, your laundry days will be much easier on you!
Have Indoor/Night Clothes And Outdoor Clothes
This van laundry tip is a total game-changer. Having the same pair of clothes that you put on nightly will help keep the inside of the van clean.. especially your bedding… and help your clothes stay cleaner longer in general. And, when you’re going outside to get dirty or explore day after day, there’s no sense in wearing a different outfit each time.
Re-wear your dirty clothes outside when you’re going to get dirty anyway! Starting out dirty never hurt!
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