How Do You Do Laundry on a Boat? A Sailor’s Guide

Wondering how we keep clothes clean on a boat? Well, wonder no more.

It looks different depending on which boat you’re on, whether there’s a washing machine or not, and what you’re actually washing. So, let’s run through the laundry process on our boat, and then I’ll explain some of the ways we’ve seen other people make it work.

The Washing Machine

First, in full disclosure — we have a washing machine. Lower your thoughts, though; it’s the smallest front loader possible. Whatever the case, it’s an improvement from a bucket, and we’re very thankful.

Why does it have to be the smallest possible? Because it’s squeezed into the starboard forward bathroom shower. Yep, it’s as many tricky and tight turns as it sounds, but once it’s in there, it’s awesome. I mean, we’re down a shower, but clean clothes are worth it.

Something else that we knew was a must for our washing machine was the ability to do a 15-minute short load. The reason for this? Water usage. We’ll touch more on that in a minute.

Wondering if you REALLY need a washing machine on a boat? Check out our video on that exact topic here.

The Process

All right, here’s the exact process of doing laundry on board. We do this a few times a week to keep up with six people’s worth of clothes. A lot of the time we just wear swimmers, and therefore the washing load isn’t too bad. But other times, especially in cooler climates, we will need to do a lot of washing.

Oh, and don’t forget the running clothes…

#1 — Pile it up

All the washing is piled into a basket on top of the washing machine throughout the week and is then loaded into the machine.

#2 — Start the load

Throw in the washing liquid, close the door, spin the dial round to a 15-minute load, and hit go.

#3 — Hang it out

15 minutes later, pull everything out, take it up to the bow, hang it on the rails, and use a hundred pegs to make sure it stays there.

#4 — Hope for sunshine

Later that day, go check that it’s dry and hope it hasn’t rained. Pull it in and bring it inside.

#5 — Sort and deliver

Sort through it, fold it, and then deliver it to everyone’s cabins.

Voila! Washing is done!!

Differences From the ‘Normal’

Even though we do have a washing machine, there are still some differences when it comes to laundry on a boat versus laundry on land.

First, we don’t have that many clothes. Like, we are minimalists, and we don’t actually have much room for that many clothes. I recently counted and I have 5 T-shirts!

So, we tend to wear the same things on a rotation, and when we run out of shirts? We have to wash them. This results in regular (as possible) loads.

Water

Okay, I said I’d elaborate more on this.

We make water on the boat — turning saltwater into fresh water by a process called reverse osmosis. You can go read about how we make water here.

The water we make then goes into tanks. When they’re full, they would last us about 4–7 days.

So, as we have to make every drop of water, things like washing that take quite a lot of water become interesting.

When looking for a new washing machine, a key thing we needed to find was a short load. As you’ve seen, we have a 15-minute load.

The reason we needed this is because the short load only does one rinse cycle, which means one batch of water is used. Yes, this means the clothes may not be as clean as normal, but it also allows us to do laundry more regularly.

No Dryer

Another thing is that we don’t have a dryer. We always have to find a way to air-dry our clothes.

When we’re on passage, this can be an interesting process as we try to rig up lines out of the salt spray…

Oh, and we lose pieces of clothing.

Like, “Where’d my green shirt go?”

One of the kids looks down guiltily, and you know they accidentally forgot to add the fourth peg when they were hanging it out.

It happens.

Other Methods of Doing Laundry on a Boat

So far, I’ve explained how we do our washing, but there are so many boats that do it differently. Some of those ways?

Well, we’ve met boats on either end of the scale — some actually have a dryer, while others clean their clothes in a bucket by hand.

We’ve done the bucket washing… it’s not the end of the world, but it is definitely not a very enjoyable process, especially when there are six people’s worth of clothes!

Most boats without a washing machine will hand wash their everyday clothes, and then when they reach a town, they will head into the laundromat and get their sheets, towels, and bigger things washed.

You’ll often see sailors walking through the streets with a big bag of dirty clothes, wearing the one thing they had left in their cupboards.

I honestly admire these people and know very well that if there hadn’t been a washing machine on board when we bought the boat, we would be doing the same thing!

It’s a great leveller, laundry. No one is above having to clean their clothes.

A Few Q&A:

How do you wash clothes on a boat?

Clothes can be washed on a boat using a washing machine, by hand in a bucket, or at a laundromat when you're ashore. The best method depends on the size of the boat, available water, power, and storage space.

Can you have a washing machine on a boat?

Yes. Some cruising boats have washing machines, although space, power and water consumption are important considerations. Compact washing machines are particularly useful on smaller boats.

How do sailors dry their clothes?

Most sailors air-dry their clothes using lines, rails, lifelines or other drying setups around the boat. Sunshine and wind can make air drying surprisingly effective.

How do you do laundry on a boat without a washing machine?

Many sailors hand wash clothes in a bucket or sink. Larger items such as towels and sheets can be saved for a trip ashore and washed at a laundromat.

How much water does laundry use on a boat?

It depends on the washing machine and cycle. Boats with limited freshwater supplies often choose shorter or more water-efficient cycles to reduce consumption.

How do you wash clothes on a boat?

Clothes can be washed on a boat using a washing machine, by hand in a bucket, or at a laundromat when you're ashore. The best method depends on the size of the boat, available water, power, and storage space.

Can you have a washing machine on a boat?

Yes. Some cruising boats have washing machines, although space, power and water consumption are important considerations. Compact washing machines are particularly useful on smaller boats.

How do sailors dry their clothes?

Most sailors air-dry their clothes using lines, rails, lifelines or other drying setups around the boat. Sunshine and wind can make air drying surprisingly effective.

How do you do laundry on a boat without a washing machine?

Many sailors hand wash clothes in a bucket or sink. Larger items such as towels and sheets can be saved for a trip ashore and washed at a laundromat.

How much water does laundry use on a boat?

It depends on the washing machine and cycle. Boats with limited freshwater supplies often choose shorter or more water-efficient cycles to reduce consumption.

Summary

Laundry day looks different out here. Though it varies, it’s still unique from the ‘normal’ way of doing it — when you head to the laundry, throw your clothes in the washing machine, then move them to the dryer before folding and being done with it in a matter of minutes.

On a boat, you have to think about water consumption, what the weather is doing and if the sun is out to dry your clothes, and how many more days you can stretch one T-shirt.

It’s all part of it and has become our ‘normal’ over the years.

Whenever we meet a vessel that has to hand wash their clothes, we are very grateful for the ability to do our washing on board.

And yes! We have helped a few people out by doing washing for them, don’t worry.

Now I’m curious, have you ever had to hand wash your clothes? Would you have a washing machine if you lived on a boat? Have you ever had a shirt disappear over the side because you didn’t peg it on properly?

Well, I’d love to know. Please comment and share!