Laundry Ball

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Sailor g

Fits the rule- no single use item

That's why--ahem--so many of us use a plumber's aid, an item with four distinct functions:
1. a good handhold when cleaning the hull
2. a good agitator when cleaning the clothes
3. a good way to unclog a shower scupper when the sump backs up
4. a good mute for a trombone.

[JanetGroene]

It's OK to wash in salt water, and liquid detergents do well. HOWEVER it's important to rinse in fresh water. Wash, wring, rinse in fresh water, wring, rinse again in fresh water with a little Downy, wring and hoist up the mast to dry. Buy an inflatable baby swimming pool, which can be blown up by mouth if necessary. Clean clothes by working them with a toilet plunger. Wash "tub" stows in less space than a dictionary. Treated well it lasts a season or two. Get a new one in the fall when they are on sale for a buck or two.

[GordMay]

I’ve never done a scientifically valid study; but I intuit that the fresh water required to adequately rinse a salt-water wash, might exceed that required to wash & rinse entirely in fresh water.

[Auspicious]

From practical experience I can say unequivocally that washing in salt water does indeed use more fresh water to get the salt out than any other way of washing.

The best I have found is to wash in fresh water with ammonia with no detergent. You don't have to rinse and the ammonia evaporates during drying. Wonderful.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

There I was thinking a laundry ball had to be hoisted to indicate you were washing clothes.

Yeah... I can see this working for me... balls up would be a good indicator of my laundry efforts

[sarafina]

Gotta say... reading stuff like this... I don't want in mast furlers or air conditioning or dishwashers and trash compactors or other complicated systems. But I do know that if and when the day comes that I embark on a full time cruising life style, there WILL be a water maker aboard.

Of all the things that would bother me, not being able to rinse my clothes OR my own hide and hair in fresh water would leave me one cranky girl.

and it's NOT pretty when I am cranky!

[Caribsailors]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

If you have a sturdy 5 gal bucket and lid, put clothes, detergent and water in that, seal the lid and trail it astern letting the wind chop at anchor bounce it around. Then rinse/wring it out and let it dry! Works pretty good. We most often found it more fun to take the laundry to town and let someone do it for us though... everything's an adventure! Sometimes it comes back perfect and folded and sometimes it comes back with rust stains!

I'm with you Cheechako! I like taking it to town for the adventure. That's when you meet the best people. We ALL have to do our laundry.

Cheers

[hellosailor]

Laura, I've got a better deal for you. Just send me $19.95, and hang your dirty laundry on the lifelines overnight. I will psychically clean them, freshen them, and deodorize them for you without using any soap OR water!

And if you act now, for another $9.95, I'd also resew any loose buttons and seams at the same time. But you've got to act now, this offer is limited to the first hundred callers.

[Capt.Don]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

What, no love for this gadget?

Saw one in a thrift store in Oregon. The handle and axle were broken. I didn't think it was worth the money or time to repair!

[Reach]

I use that wonderwash for laundry - works okay as long as you don't overload and more effective with hot water to create pressure. The bucket and plunger probably works just as well when clothes are left to sit for some time.

The key to onboard laundry is wringing! I got this spin dryer (think salad spinner) and it gets rid of dirty water and rinse water in about one minute each run. Final drying on the lines is very fast. The result should be equivalent to a manual wringer.

Both of these take space, but are so worth it for us where there are no laundry facilities.

[osirissail]

When it rains in the Caribbean folks do the "dinghy stomp." When the rain water gets a few inches deep in the dinghy you throw in your clothes with some soap and "stomp" around on them until clean. Then ring them out and empty the dinghy and wait for the rain to fill it again for the "rinse cycle."

[delmarrey]

FYI.....

Years ago, when I had to take a cleaning class as the manager of a building maintenance company, we were given a code word a bit like the fire triangle. It was TACT. By the use of any three of the letters would be a formula for cleaning, and all 4 were best.

But the "C" is a must. Chemical is a vehicle that separates negative from the positive ions and carries it away from the materials.
And ammonia breaks down the surface tension of water allowing it to penetrate deeper into fabrics.

Temperature
Agitation
Chemical
Time

And by increasing any of the four would compensate for the lack of the others, within reason, of course.

[SayGudday]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

No love for that at all. Had one briefly, went in the trash. Too big to stow anywhere, too small to do any laundry.

Totally agree with Hannah on 'Rita T'. A friend tried to give me one but it wouldn't fit through the hatch! Needless to say it stayed aboard his boat....Maybe he was trying to tell me something...