Doing Laundry in Your Fifth Wheel
If you’re out on the road in your fifth wheel often or for extended periods, you probably don’t want to have to pack your whole wardrobe because you simply won’t have the space. Also, you’ll have articles of clothing that you want to wear repeatedly, but how do you get them clean when you’re traveling? There are many options when it comes to doing laundry in a fifth wheel so that you can consolidate your travel wardrobe and keep your favorite pieces clean and ready for another day of adventuring.
47 West Trailers is your local fifth wheel dealer. Here are some tips for doing laundry while traveling in your fifth wheel so you can get your clothes clean with minimal fuss.
1. Off-Site Laundromats
The standard option when you don’t have laundry facilities in your fifth wheel is to visit a local laundromat. Some people will stop for lunch in a town near a laundromat where they can get their clothes cleaned in an hour or two. Many modern campgrounds have laundry facilities available on the premises too, which saves you the need to drive anywhere.
2. Washing By Hand
Of course, the easiest and cheapest way to get your clothes clean is to mix some detergent and water in a bucket and scrub the garments yourself by hand. This is a good adjunct method to some of the other options on this list since you can wash clothes by hand at any time and pretty much anywhere.
3. Washer/Dryer Units
If you’ve got the budget and your fifth wheel has the space and necessary hook-ups, you can invest in a washer/dryer unit. In fact, many modern fifth wheels come with hook-ups for washers and dryers. You can choose between a stackable unit or an all-in-one machine that washes your clothes, then dries them in the same machine. Investing in a washer/dryer unit is ideal if you live in your fifth wheel full-time or if you frequently travel with several people and you find that laundry piles up quickly.
4. Portable Washers
Another solution for fifth wheels is to obtain a small, portable washer that can do a little bit of laundry at a time. These portable machines are generally fairly compact and stow away in storage easily, and they can help you to do the occasional light load of laundry that you wouldn’t want to bother going to a laundromat for.
5. Additional Tips
However you choose to do laundry on the road, you should try to do more frequent and smaller loads rather than letting every towel, T-shirt, and pair of running shorts pile up until you have a mountain of dirty laundry to tackle. You may end up doing a bit of laundry every other day, but the upside of this is that it won’t take nearly as long if you accomplish your loads in smaller amounts.
To get clothing dry after hand-washing or using a portable washer, you can bring a portable clothesline or drying rack to set up at your campsite so your clothes can air-dry. Try to avoid hanging up wet clothing inside your fifth wheel, since the moisture is liable to increase condensation, which can contribute to mold and mildew over time.
Ensure you’ve always got the supplies you need to do laundry in any of the fashions noted above. For a laundromat, you’ll need your own detergent, dryer sheets, and plenty of quarters, along with a bag or basket to carry clothing in. Hand-washing requires a tub or bucket with a suitable soap or detergent that won’t be too difficult to rinse out.
For a washer/dryer unit in your own fifth wheel, you may want to invest in pod detergents that won’t spill if they fall from a cupboard. Powder and liquid detergents can make a huge mess if they happen to be jostled in transit!
If you’re in the market for a fifth wheel, check out the selection at 47 West Trailers. See our available RVs online or at our dealership in Troy, Missouri. We also proudly serve those in Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri.