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| The actual laundromat I use. |
Does laundry day strike fear within your household? Can you imagine having all your clothes in a tiny smaller home and having to figure out how to wash them? Yes, I know the fear is beginning to rise.
When you begin your journey to a smaller home, you usually downsize that 150+ foot closet space you personally use. In a tiny home that is sometimes more square footage than your total new smaller home will have.
Even with a downsized, fabulous, great looking on you, new smaller wardrobe, you will need to consider how you are going to do laundry.
I chose a Laundromat
Going into my new tiny smaller home, I knew I would not immediately have access to running water. I decided on a bi-monthly+ drive to town. I'd utilize the laundromat to take care of my washables. Fortunately, at my laundromat, there are plenty of clean washers, dryers, and folding areas. It opens early enough and stays open fairly late 7 days a week. I do one load, utilize laundry bags for items more delicate and wash on the permanent press cycle. I have found that I usually spend about $10 a month on all laundry expenses.
Before Electric Washers
Many have asked, “how in the world would one do laundry in downsizing to a tiny smaller home?” My immediate thought has been back to the older days: a creek, rocks for helping scrub and a great tree limb for drying. I believe next came the wash bucket and scrub board (also doubled in a porch band as an instrument). To this day, I fondly remember my grandmothers ‘new fandangled wash machine' with the rollers at the top for wringing out the laundry, just before you took it outside to hang on ‘the air-dry line'. (When someone told you not to get your fingers around or ‘in' the rollers on the ringer, don't! I did and you don't want too, ever! Fortunately, I still have my fingers without any crushed bones. God has kept me safe many times)
If I had running water on the property or from pipes, I might have been hand washing everything versus going into the laundromat. Still, I do wash out a few things in a bucket occasionally. When I see the wonderful smaller portable washing machines that you can hand crank or even turn by foot pedal power, I still think, just use a water bucket and do it yourself -without spending $'s. That being said, I have posted a few fabulous “Portable Washing Machine” ideas below…
You can start with my bucket and hand washing idea, or get an agitating by hand gadget – (it does not double as a plunger – although it looks similar). From there you can work upward from hand powered or 110V electricity. (This is a basic start – there are more out there – something will indeed be just right for you.) Enjoy Living Smaller and have a Huge Life!
Hi Brenda:
Here are some suggestions for ways to do laundery in the small space of the tiny home. Lets see more pictures of your bus.
https://tinylifeconsulting.com/doing-laundry-in-a-tiny-house/
Hey Kevin – Thank you for your link for laundry in a tiny house – I look forward to reading it. As you know from my article at https://smallerlivinghugelife.com/laundry-day-in-a-tiny-smaller-home/ I do my laundry at the laundromat. Still, the one shown here. Being mostly off grid I do not have running water inside the bus. From time to time I do some small handwashing and line drying. Though with the humidity in VA and now having a husband and large dog added to my bus home, it’s easier to do our laundry at the laundromat on a day into town for other errands as well. Saving all the way around 🙂 .
Yes, I'm very thankful for a good laundromat for when our well water gets low ! At this point I am able to wash a small load in our washer as long as I space it out in between showers so our low well water doesn't run dry. It is working for me so far. Glad you've worked it out to get your clothes clean even with a "downsized" closet. Less to wash, but still needing to wash the clothes you have. Good ideas !