Date:         Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:52:40 -0230
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: [NVC] Dept. of Wishful Thinking: Camping gadget for doing
              laundry
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2009032802035571@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

You know, laundromats are a really easy way to do laundry on the road!

And if you're at a campground anyway, the sink is pretty good too.  For that
matter, lots of campgrounds even have laundromats!  No need to clutter your
van with washing machines...

On the other hand, dumping soapy water into the environment might not be
such a good idea, unless you're using biodegradable soap - available in
camping goods stores for more than it costs to go to the laundromat (whose
soapy water goes to the sewage treatment plant before it gets to the
environment...).



Joy




On Sat, Mar 28, 2009 at 3:25 AM, Bill Glenn <idahobill@gmail.com> wrote:

> Almost forty years ago my family were camped at a reservoir in Colorado,
> and in the adjacent campsite was a fellow who was driving a step-side
> pickup, and pulling a small trailer, about eight or ten feet in length.  He
> was traveling around, camping full-time for the summer, and he had a number
> of practical solutions to his basic needs.  Mind you, this was long before
> anyone thought it necessary to take the entire house along, including the
> kitchen sink.
>
> To wash his clothes, he had a galvanized milk can strapped in the step-side
> recess.  When he knew he would be driving that day, he would put his dirty
> clothes in the can with a bit of soap, fill it 2/3 full with water, and put
> the lid on.  The 1/3 void in the can allowed the water to slosh around as
> he drove, providing all the agitation needed to wash the clothes.
>
> Later in the day he would stop where water was conveniently available, pull
> out the clothes and wring them out, dump the wash water and refill the milk
> can with fresh water, put the clothes back in and continue on his way.  At
> his final destination for the day he would rig a small clothesline, again
> wring out the clothes, and hang them up to dry.  This routine took little
> time and effort.
>
> When not being used for laundry, the milk can was perfectly suited to
> either carrying water around full-time, or hauling water into camp only as
> necessary, and could also be used for weather-proof storage.
>
> A five-gallon plastic bucket with a snap-on plastic lid, more readily
> available today than a milk can, can be similarly used, and is even more
> versatile.  It is used to scoop water from the stream, and in an arid,
> fire-
> prone area such as southern Idaho where I live, a campfire should never be
> lit without first having a bucket or two of water present.
>
> The buckets I carry are black, and in warm weather I often fill one with
> water and set it out in the sun for the day.  As the day cools, I may wrap
> the bucket in a small blanket, rather like a beer can cozy.  The warm,
> often very warm water is then available for washing dishes, and showering,
> by pouring some of the water into a solar shower bag.  If needed, the warm
> water can be augmented with hot water heated on a campfire, or on the
> stove, but otherwise, the propane supply in conserved.
>
> The buckets also double as a small table, or a stool, and when empty of
> water, can be used to isolate the bag of charcoal, or for weather-proof
> storage.  They can be used for collecting bits of firewood, and filled with
> sand or rocks, they can be used to tether an awning or windbreak in mildly
> windy conditions.  Anyway, you get the idea, these buckets are among the
> most useful things I carry, whether I do laundry in them or not.
>