When I first read about this portable washing machine called the “Wonderwash” that’s suitable for taking with you when you go camping I wasn’t sure I thought something like this could be useful mostly because I hate the thought of doing laundry while I’m camping. My philosophy is to take enough clothes with you to last the trip and then suffer with a lot of laundry when you get back home.

But, I know this isn’t always practical when camping for longer periods of time - especially if you have kids. On long camping trips I’ve made use of the washers and dryers available at the campground. But what if you’re taking an extended wilderness camping trip where taking a lot of clothing isn’t practical - you’re not going to carry your entire closet with you unless your entire closet doesn’t even fill one suitcase.

Then there’s the issue of electricity. What if you don’t have it?

That made me take a second look at the “Wonderwash” and read what people who have used it are saying about it.

The Wonderwash is a pressurized compact washing machine that doesn’t require electricity and cost $42.95. Plus it uses only 10% of the detergent that a conventional washer uses (although keep in mind it doesn’t wash as many clothes at once as one either).

According to the product website it will wash
10 t-shirts or 30 pairs of socks, or 2-3 pairs of blue jeans at one time.

This is how it works:
You put warm or hot water that has the detergent in it into the washer, and place the lid on the machine to seal it. Pressure will form inside the washer forcing the water and detergent through the fabric. There’s a hand crank to turn the clothes which you crank for 1 to 2 minutes. Then you drain the water out and rinse the clothes by either putting clean cold water back into the machine and turning the machine on for another 30 seconds or by rinsing them by hand.

There are several testimonials/product reviews on the website and Camping Life Magazine gave it a positive review in their May 2007 issue.

There’s also a one year warranty with the machine and a 30 day money back guarantee so you can try it out knowing you can return it if it doesn’t meet your expectations.