Pack This! The Portable Washing Machine
“Scrubba” looks like a happy bright green dry bag you might take out on the kayak—and you can actually use it for that, too. But inside, it has hundreds of secret scrubbing “nodules” that work as a modern-day washboard, making tidy work of a soapy sloshing of up to two adult-size T-shirts, two pair of socks, and two undies at one time (just think how many onesies might fit in there!).

It’s designed to use less water–just half a gallon up to 1.5 gallons–per load and give cleaner results than you can with sink-washing in just 3 to 5 minutes including wash and rinse cycles. And a microbial-resistant surface eliminates any fear of “funk.” There’s a peek-a-boo window so you can watch your progress, too.

Of course, it has definite appeal for the backpacker, but as I see it, Scrubba’s practicality extends over to car camping trips, cruise ship cabins, hotel rooms, and the roadside turnout with a car-sick child (me again, recently, which made me wish I’d already had this in the car–doh!), and practically any travel situation involving kids.
Click here to read more about the new Scrubba, including customer reviews (and thanks for helping to support this site with your click-through!). You might also appreciate these Five Travel Laundry Hacks for Families I wrote about for my Family Travel 411 site, and don’t forget a handy travel clothes line for drying those clean togs–here is Amazon’s Number 1 Best-selling Travel Clothes Line (5-star average from over 900 reviews!).
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