How to Do Laundry in an RV Without Washer & Dryer Hookups
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Ashley Mann spent three years living full time in a 38-foot, 5th-wheel RV with her husband Josiah and their cat, Kitty. Her favorite thing about RV life is the challenge of finding the perfect way to organize a space, and she loves seeing all the creative and clever ways people come up with to customize their RVs.
When you live in an RV full time or for extended periods of time, figuring out how to manage laundry can be tricky if your camper is small and doesn't come with a washer and dryer already installed.
In this article, I'll go over some RV laundry solutions for people whose RV's don't have the prewiring and hookups for adding a washer and dryer. These options include ways to add a washer and dryer to an RV as well as alternate ways to do laundry while camping or traveling.
Option 1: Add Washer & Dryer Hookups to Your RV.
When you've found the perfect RV except for the fact that it doesn't have W/D hookups, the next logical question is usually, “Well, could we add washer and dryer hookups?” This is a lot easier in theory than in practice, however. Here are some things you would need to consider in order to add washer / dryer hookups to an RV that doesn't already have them:
- Where would you put a washer/dryer unit? Does your RV even have space for one?
- The weight of a washer/dryer unit – Assuming you've found a spot where one will fit, will the weight be too heavy on the axle? Will the overall weight put you over your cargo towing capacity?
- Adding plumbing – You would need both hot and cold water lines running to your washing machine as well as a drain pipe leading to your gray tank.
- Electrical wiring – You would likely need a dedicated circuit for your washer & dryer that meets the electrical specifications of your particular unit.
- Powering the unit – A washing machine and clothes dryer or washer/dryer combo unit will most likely require full hookups or a generator in order to run. You may not be able to run it at the same time as an air conditioner since these all draw a lot of power.
- Warranty coverage – If your RV is under a factory warranty or an extended warranty, this type of custom modification will likely void warranty coverage on any related systems.
Once you've considered all these factors, you can start figuring out the exact steps for adding washer & dryer hookups to your RV.
Installing Washer & Dryer Hookups Inside Your RV
Here's a video showing how one couple modified a cabinet in their fifth wheel to add a Splendide Washer/Dryer combo unit, one of the most popular washer/dryer models used in RV's. On a personal note, this is one of the first renovated RV's I ever saw someone living full time in that inspired me to try full time RV life myself!
Creating a Laundry Area on the Outside of Your RV
A few clever RV owners who didn't have space inside their RV for adding a washer or dryer found space on the outside of their RV.
Outdoor Kitchen Converted to an RV Laundry Area
One idea I personally love is to turn an outdoor kitchen into a laundry area, as seen in the photo below. While I don't have much information about how this was done, the owner of this fifth wheel has shared the process in her Instagram stories which you can see here.
Washer and Dryer Mounted to Back of an RV
Another interesting idea one RV owner had was to add a cargo rack on the back of his fifth wheel to carry a full size washing machine and clothes dryer, which are both hooked into his RV's electrical and plumbing systems.
Option 2: Use a Portable Washing Machine and/or Clothes Dryer.
Portable Washing Machines
Before you start planning a major modification to your RV, you may want to consider instead purchasing a portable washing machine. Not only are these a lot less involved to hook up (they can plug into a regular wall outlet), they're much cheaper as well.
The one pictured below hooks to a kitchen or bathroom faucet and drains into a sink. It includes a spin cycle, which sets it apart from models which require moving the wet laundry to a separate compartment for spinning. There are many similar models on Amazon which you can shop and compare here.
Small Electric Clothes Dryers
If hanging your laundry to dry on a drying rack or clothesline is a chore you'd rather avoid, there are lots of small portable clothes dryers now on the market.
Here's one example that has lots of glowing reviews on Amazon. It's 2 feet tall, 19″ wide, and 16.5″ deep, and it can sit on the floor, on a shelf, or be mounted on a wall (though I wouldn't recommend mounting one on flimsy RV walls). It plugs into a standard grounded electrical outlet and does not require venting through a wall.
Option 3: Wash Clothes By Hand and Hang Them to Dry.
Gadgets that Make Washing Laundry by Hand Easier
For occasional camping trips, someone who lives alone and doesn't do a lot of laundry, or if you have a very small camper, washing clothes by hand can help you avoid making trips to the laundromat.
You can wash them in the sink and wring them out by hand, but if you're washing clothes on a regular basis, you may want to purchase some products that will make the job a little easier, such as this agitator to help you swish your clothes around and pull soap through them as you're washing them in a 5-gallon bucket.
Another product to consider for hand washing clothing is this laundry washing bag, which comes in two sizes.
Solutions for Wringing and Spinning Laundry After Washing
After your clothes are clean, you'll need to wring them out before hanging them to dry, which can be tiring for your hands. A clothes wringer will make this job a lot easier. This traditional style clothes wringer can be clipped onto the edge of a counter or the rim of a 5-gallon bucket.
Another option that would be a lot cheaper is this mop bucket, which I personally own. It spins the drainer basket when you pump the peddle with your foot, and even though it's not advertised as a laundry product, I think it would work well for this purpose.
If have reliable access to electricity, you can upgrade your hand washing game with this collapsible mini washing machine that does the agitating for you and includes a spin cycle.
Where to Hang Laundry to Dry in an RV
Many RV parks and campgrounds prohibit hanging laundry outside to dry for appearance's sake, so you'll probably want to have some way to dry your clothes inside your RV.
A collapsible clothes drying rack is a classic option. I remember my mom setting one of these up inside our house over a heater vent when I was a kid.
Another option is to hang a retractible clothesline that you can string across a room in your RV that hides away when not in use. (This would be useful for hanging swimsuits and towels to dry after swimming, too!)
Option 4: Do Laundry at Laundromats and Campground Facilities.
Accessories to Help You Manage Laundry Day While RVing
If you're making a lot of trips to laundromats and RV park laundry facilities, these accessories will make managing laundry while you're camping or traveling a little easier.
One thing that really helps is a nice laundry bag. I have this hanging laundry bag and really like it because you can hang it anywhere in your RV–a cabinet handle, a hook on the wall, a doorknob, an over-the-door hook–and then it closes completely with a drawstring for transporting your clothes.
A backpack laundry hamper is another option that makes carrying a big load of laundry a lot easier. I like this one because it has an extra pocket for your laundry detergent.
If your RV is very small and you don't have space to store so much laundry between loads, here is a smaller wall-mounted laundry tote:
For ideas to help you store and organize clothing in your RV, check out these articles:
