Travel size washing machine

[Lvntrvl]

We will be on an long cruise and have been researching collapsible washing machines. I was wondering if anyone has used these and could offer feedback. Some come with a small dryer function as well. 

[pdmlynek]

You will likely not be able to board with a machine that draws a significant current like a dryer.  It is just like curling irons, clothes irons, and like.  It is a fire safety issue.

 

I don't think that not having a dryer is going to be much of a problem anyway.  On a cruise I do laundry in the sink every night (I travel light, and don't pack more than a single change of clothes), and find that there is sufficient airflow in the cabin, so that hanging well-wrung wet laundry in the room in the evening is dried by morning time.   

 

Good luck with your washing machine, and when you get back, let us know how it turned out!

[1025cruise]

Won't be allowed on board.

[Oxo]

29 minutes ago, Lvntrvl said:

We will be on an long cruise and have been researching collapsible washing machines. I was wondering if anyone has used these and could offer feedback. Some come with a small dryer function as well. 

How long is your long cruise? This is a  first! 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Oxo

[deliver42]

No way are they allowing this. What if the washing machine springs a leak?

[ColeThornton]

Personally I prefer to take a full size one.       😉

[www3traveler]

Probably not allowed.  Once a week therre should be a "Fill The Bag" for ONE price laundry special.  When needed, I will was things in the bathroom sink and hang in the shower or towel to dry.

[DrSea]

Agreed with all the comments here. 

 

My recommendation is to get cloths that is very easily washed and dries quickly. 

 

I wear athletic wear like shirts below and board shorts. They wash very easily and dry really quickly. They also double up for when I want to go to the hot tub or the gym. 

 

[CruisinKikster]

When I travel for extended periods of time (including my upcoming cruise and trip to Hawaii), I use solid laundry soap to wash clothes in the sink. I have a travel clothesline that I then use to hang dry my clothes on. It's a really compact way to do laundry and doesn't require a lot of time or effort on my part. 

[BermudaBound2014]

I had to look this up. I never knew such a thing existed. I think the poster is talking about bringing something like this: Travel Washer from Amazon (in which case I think it would be allowed)?

 

However; At first read I pictured this...

 

 

 

 

 

PS: Cole that is the funniest thing I've read online in awhile. Literally laughter tears here. 

 

To the OP: no offense intended. Please let us know if you are allowed to bring something like the link I posted above.

 

 

[Travelling2Some]

16 minutes ago, CruisinKikster said:

When I travel for extended periods of time (including my upcoming cruise and trip to Hawaii), I use solid laundry soap to wash clothes in the sink. I have a travel clothesline that I then use to hang dry my clothes on. It's a really compact way to do laundry and doesn't require a lot of time or effort on my part. 

Same here except that I just use the shampoo from the dispenser in the shower, which works fine too.  Having non-bulky clothes that dry quickly is key.

[coastcat]

1. This question might get more responses if you posted it to the general questions forum here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/69-ask-a-cruise-question/
2. Before you spend any more time researching, call NCL and ask if this type of electrical device would even be allowed onboard!
3. Do you really want to take up that much suitcase space?

 

Of the options I found online, you've got a choice of non-collapsible ones which are big & heavy (the one linked above is 2' x 2' x 1' and weighs 10 pounds) and collapsible ones which are smaller but only capable of washing things like underwear and maybe t-shirts (1' x 1' x 4", but still about 7 pounds). 

 

You might be allowed to bring one that's purely a cold water washer. But without a dryer option, you might as well just wash clothes in the sink.

 

I pack a little spray bottle of Febreze to freshen up things like sweaters and jeans, and wash undergarments/t-shirts in the sink. 

Edited August 6, 2022 by coastcat

[pdmlynek]

20 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

Same here except that I just use the shampoo from the dispenser in the shower, which works fine too.  

Me too.  I find the shampoo, or hand soap to be better than a typical laundry soap bar.  The advantage is that it is already in a liquid state; using a laundry soap bar is just an additional unnecessary step.  And a liquid soap, or liquid shampoo is readily available wherever I travel, so I do not need to lug around laundry soap bar.

[pdmlynek]

25 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

 Having non-bulky clothes that dry quickly is key.

Well, yeah, if you are going to the Caribbean or some tropical destination, that's fine.  But for cruises in colder climes it is tougher, because you will need bulky clothes as well. 

 

We typically solve this by wearing an underlayer, so that bulky shirts (flannel, rugby, etc.) do not absorb the sweat, and we can wear the midlayer several times before needing to launder it. We just launder the underlayer all the time.

 

[rbxlady]

I know most people are fine with just handwashing in the sink, but without going into detail as to why I wanted another option, I researched it for those of us who want something more than that but not full laundry service, which will cost you.

 

I ended up buying a Scrubba wash bag. I was going to purchase one on Amazon, but some reviews said they were subpar counterfeits. Therefore, I went to the Scrubba site and purchased directly from them. It wasn't cheap, and shipping took a little bit, but I figure it will probably come in handy over time. It looks like REI and other stores that sell camping gear also sell it, and I assume those stores would be selling legitimate products.

 

I am going to put shavings of either Fels-Naptha, which I love, or Zote!, which I bought but have yet to try, in a small Ziploc bag. Both Fels-Naptha and Zote! are mega inexpensive, and the opinions I Googled seem to be split on which is better. My guess is that it's a wash, no pun intended.

 

Edited to add that I just did a search in the forum for "Scrubba" and came up with a bunch of stuff. It's talked about fairly extensively.

Edited August 6, 2022 by rbxlady
stated

[Cruising Lynne]

The Scrubba bag looks great for camping. The ship cabin has a sink which I use to rinse out my swimsuits and occasionally underwear, so I do not find it necessary. I finally started packing more undies so I do not have to do laundry on my trips. This thread made me think a salad spinner might work to get excess water out of my swimsuit or undies. LOL I may try this at home to see if it works. I usually roll them in a towel, but then that towel gets really wet and unusable until your room is done up. Anyways, we get a free bag of laundry on board with our Sapphire Lattitudes perks.

[hernando52]

I pack a couple of the very large "ziplock" bags.  I fill it with water, soap & whatever I want to wash...squish it around....empty it in the shower, put in rinse water & squish around again....squeeze out excess water & hang to dry.  At the end of the cruise I just toss any that I have used....works very well for small things and doesn't weigh a ton.  The rest of the bigger stuff I send to the ship laundry.

[tallnthensome]

Is this the same person that wanted to bring the barbecue for their balcony? 

[Independent]

1 hour ago, rbxlady said:

 

1 hour ago, rbxlady said:

I ended up buying a Scrubba wash bag. I was going to purchase one on Amazon, but some reviews said they were subpar counterfeits. Therefore, I went to the Scrubba site and purchased directly from them. 

 

A person who thinks like me!  I pondered the travel wash question for quite a while and found all sorts of interesting gadgets online.

I have a Srubba and I like it.  The Scrubba feels nicer to me than washing in the sink.  It is similar to the plastic bag approach, but is a fairly sturdy thing, more like a snorkel dry bag than a kitchen ziplock.  The Scubba has little nubs that help get things clean, and a valve to remove excess air. 

 

In terms of soap, I like laundry detergent sheets, so no liquids to carry and they dissolve well.

[FlGoodShips]

I wash in the sink, then if needed, after clothes are dry,  use Downy Wrinkle Releaser. It works great.

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, pdmlynek said:

Well, yeah, if you are going to the Caribbean or some tropical destination, that's fine.  But for cruises in colder climes it is tougher, because you will need bulky clothes as well. 

 

We typically solve this by wearing an underlayer, so that bulky shirts (flannel, rugby, etc.) do not absorb the sweat, and we can wear the midlayer several times before needing to launder it. We just launder the underlayer all the time.

 

Layers work in all climates.  We don't typically travel in the tropics at all.  Here's my carry-on only "system" from outer to inner layer:  Rain shell jacket (weighs nothing, takes up no room in luggage,  "puffer" down jacket (weighs nothing, crushes down to the size of your fist), heavier zip up fleece type jacket (wear this on the plane because it is a bit bulky), and light weight zip up fleece.  You put all of that on at once (rarely!) and you are ready for anything.  I do the same as you in that (unless you're a sloppy eater) there is not much need to launder your "outer shirt" just the layer next to your skin.   I also wear my heavy hiking boots on the plane (TSA precheck is a big help since I don't have to remove my shoes.).  Also, for cooler climates, a long sleeved merino wool t-shirt is a must as it never absorbs odor and can be worn over and over.  All my clothes are black and shades of blue so they mix and match and I always at least look presentable.  Weirdly, the item I find most troublesome to pack is my swimwear!  Heaviest and bulkiest item of clothing by far since I'm no longer the bikini type!

[rbxlady]

12 minutes ago, Independent said:

 

A person who thinks like me!  I pondered the travel wash question for quite a while and found all sorts of interesting gadgets online.

I have a Srubba and I like it.  The Scrubba feels nicer to me than washing in the sink.  It is similar to the plastic bag approach, but is a fairly sturdy thing, more like a snorkel dry bag than a kitchen ziplock.  The Scubba has little nubs that help get things clean, and a valve to remove excess air. 

 

In terms of soap, I like laundry detergent sheets, so no liquids to carry and they dissolve well.

 

Glad to hear an unsolicited review, so thank you for that! We have kids, so we know that stains happen. I have Shout wipes (and I always have a Tide pen in my purse, but I hate the way it smells), but some things are a bit much for spot removers.

 

Years ago, before we had kids, my husband and I were on a Royal Caribbean cruise when a lady spilled her entire glass of red wine on me. We were seated in the theater, and she knocked it over into my lap and stained my pants and shirt very badly. She quickly apologized and ducked out, never offering to cover the cost of laundering it. We asked about the cost to launder them to attempt to get the stain out, and it was prohibitively expensive (more than the cost of replacing the clothing). I tried washing in the sink to no avail, so I ended up throwing out both pieces of clothing and was seriously bummed out about it. At least a Scrubba bag would give something like that a fighting chance.

 

Anyway, we are in club balcony so get one free bag of laundry (and may spring for a second), but I intend to use that to cut down on the amount of dirty laundry we bring home rather than to handle stained items.

 

What detergent sheets do you use? I was just planning on bringing Fels-Naptha or Zote! shavings, especially since I know the former is great at stain removal, but am open to new or better ideas!

[Travelling2Some]

2 minutes ago, rbxlady said:

What detergent sheets do you use? I was just planning on bringing Fels-Naptha or Zote! shavings, especially since I know the former is great at stain removal, but am open to new or better ideas!

There are dry detergent sheets called "Washees" that are great for travel when you will have access to washers in Air B&Bs or hotels.  You can also cut off a smaller piece of one and use it to hand wash.

[Independent]

Lately have been using this Beyond Free and Clear for travel:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RZFXJDX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve also used LuckyFiji, also from Amazon, and it seemed to work just fine.

[chengkp75]

5 hours ago, Lvntrvl said:

We will be on an long cruise and have been researching collapsible washing machines. I was wondering if anyone has used these and could offer feedback. Some come with a small dryer function as well. 

The only collapsible ones I see only have a "spin dry" feature, which only guarantees damp clothes with no dripping water, but this would still fall under the "no household appliances" ban.

 

I would also be hesitant to say that any detergent is acceptable on the ship, even the so-called "biodegradable" sheets mentioned above.  The ship's waste water treatment plant operates on a different system than a septic tank, or municipal system, due to the throughput rate, and these may affect the operation of the system.

Edited August 6, 2022 by chengkp75