How do cruisers wash their clothes?

[Ixneigh]

I try to avoid clothing that is heavy and absorbant. It is hard to wash and rinse. Also, I wear as little as possible and have inside and outside cloths. Dont drag outside cloths in, they are salty. Rinse your body off at the end of the day after you have done everything like fish and swim. Go down below and put on something light, cotton, and cool, or light, wool and warm as the case may be. The outside clothes get rained on, and maybe soap once in a while, or rinsed in salt then fresh water. Thats why you want light. I like rayon for outside. Inside clothing can be worn till you cant stand it, then washed by hand. When I come to a place that has laundry machines I will wash everything. This works well for me in our warm fl weather.
Ix

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes.
This is the way we wash our clothes, so early Monday morning.

[dlandersson]

Wash clothes? We don' need no stinkin' wash clothes. That is what ze women are for.

I try to avoid clothing that is heavy and absorbant. It is hard to wash and rinse. Also, I wear as little as possible and have inside and outside cloths. Dont drag outside cloths in, they are salty. Rinse your body off at the end of the day after you have done everything like fish and swim. Go down below and put on something light, cotton, and cool, or light, wool and warm as the case may be. The outside clothes get rained on, and maybe soap once in a while, or rinsed in salt then fresh water. Thats why you want light. I like rayon for outside. Inside clothing can be worn till you cant stand it, then washed by hand. When I come to a place that has laundry machines I will wash everything. This works well for me in our warm fl weather.
Ix

[seahouse]

Overboard it goes, and overboat it should stay until you return to harbor. Clothes washed in briny water take forever to dry up, leaving traces of salt behind. A real pleasure when it comes to chafing, especially between one's legs.

I think a rinse in fresh water after dragging in a mesh bag in seawater is a good idea.

Especially if it had yer' underwear in it you wouldn't want to have the bag drag through an invisible patch of stinging cnidarians right before you pulled it aboard! Ouch!

We wash our clothes in Tide because it's too D... cold to wash them out Tide. Do what a lot of folks do on Lake Mead. Don't wear any clothes. Fair winds and full sails...Old Salt.

After I read this a second time more slowly, I realized that you were bringing tidings of great joy!!!

OK - I'll go away now...

[Boblee]

How do cruisers wash clothes , "rarely" we are known as grotty yachties for a reason.
If doing long cruises especially in our dry season with no rain every bit of water is valuable but you can usually find some by reusing some here and there for a rinse and use salt water for the primary wash if muddy etc.
A good source is wash your body in saltwater then stand and rinse in a bucket/tray and use the leftover water for clothes, otherwise keep enough clothes for 7 days with a change each day which can last 14 days at a pinch, after a couple of days you don't smell each other anyway, at least here as we only wear t shirt, shorts and undies.
Body wash is just some water in a bucket and wash the smelly bits with a good wash with salt/fresh about every four days, this year we were lucky as we had a nearby caravan park to wash clothes and body for $5 each a week/fortnight and some access to fresh water above the rocks in streams and heaven a swim away from the biteys.

[DaveB]

Yep and may have other products that were invented after 1982. Just JOY still works for me.
Ps, am member Practical Sailor past 25 years and lot of there tests could not hold a grain of salt in thin air.
Test the sites you are cruising in. For me that's Florida. PS never has done testing in Florida for anchors, that includes anchor is grass, mud, shell/rock and mud.
Dave

Hey Dave!

Just to be clear so as not to appear to be stepping on your toes, the misconception is not that Joy works, but that it works exclusively. It might have been Practical Sailor, or one of the other sailing mags that tested years ago and found that just about any name-brand dish soap works well in salt water.

They were at a loss to explain the origin of the Joy story, just about every sailor (even me!) has heard it repeated, and it's been around almost as long as Joy has been on the market. (Which is quite a while)!

So I'm not contradicting anyone above, especially not you who has spent more years on the seas actually “living it” than most of us here.

Regards! -B.

[seahouse]

Yeah Dave- PS covers a very large geographic area on a restricted budget, so their findings don't always apply to everyone, everywhere. But that is a tall order. While they use scientific methods to the degree it's "practical", they are very good for pointing out the limitations of their findings.

For example, their anti-foul paint tests, done in sea water (in Sarasota FL) are not totally applicable to fresh water (Great Lakes) but they do point that out and make suggestions that extrapolate to fresh water. In that particular case their recommendations aligned with the local experiences, as well as my own.

[Al Garrett]

A toilet plunger(new) and five gallon plastic bucket worked really well on my year long retirement houseboat cruise. Here's a link to the proof.

Al

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1922

[Boblee]

The method of washing is usually not the problem but the lack of suitable water is, must mention the dishwashing liquid for saltwater to the missus but she probably already knows.

[DaveB]

I agree that PS is testing and one can only imagine in there location what anchor holds the best in different bottom condition.
I have tested many anchors in many boats I have owned and you just can't have your cake and eat it to.
Tho I would like a Claw, Delta, CQR for grassy areas it's just to many anchors on our small boats.
So I have a Fortress 11, 16 lb Danforth and 13 Lb Hooker.
Length of chain is important and have min. 12ft on one,30 ft. on main and 8 ft. on the 13lb lunch hook (used as a stern anchor, stern on the beach).
Also have a 5 lb lead attached to upper 30 ft chain to keep it down in a 50 knot heavy blow.
Fortress 11 does not fit in anchor locker so only use it for a storm anchor.
When I retire next Mo. will install the 22inch bow roller and keep the F11 on it.
Dave

Yeah Dave- PS covers a very large geographic area on a restricted budget, so their findings don't always apply to everyone, everywhere. But that is a tall order. While they use scientific methods to the degree it's "practical", they are very good for pointing out the limitations of their findings.

For example, their anti-foul paint tests, done in sea water (in Sarasota FL) are not totally applicable to fresh water (Great Lakes) but they do point that out and make suggestions that extrapolate to fresh water. In that particular case their recommendations aligned with the local experiences, as well as my own.

[DaveB]

Who wears underware on a boat, Swim suit only.Have a one Gal. Sprayer with faucet plastic sprayer, add 1 pint of hot water you heated up on stove.Wash yourself with clothes on , Rince/dry and wear!
Dave

The method of washing is usually not the problem but the lack of suitable water is, must mention the dishwashing liquid for saltwater to the missus but she probably already knows.

[Boblee]

Yeah a swimsuit would be ok but you might get a bit burnt during the day or bitten when it gets closer to dark or near mangroves and mud by the time you feel one sandfly you can bet at least a dozen have already got you.
To go fishing here or even in the dinghy, I usually wear a fishing shirt or just some old long summer (cotton) pj's to keep the sun off and bugs out but they get pretty grotty very quick with salt and blood etc, we usually just hang them outside on the life lines at night in the dew.
Not hard to keep yourself clean but clothes in saltwater can use a fair bit of freshwater, just asked the missus and she said she has tried dishwashing liquid but you still need to rinse well.
The sprayer idea has some merit and would probably use less than the shower we use as a quick rinse on deck but would possibly dry as fast as you applied it.
Our winter/dry seasons here are average 32- 38c (90-100F) and fairly steamy with no rain likely but you dress and wash for local conditions.

[bartmac]

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1922

Forever scarred by that picture................

I count 14 approx....and following the old joke of how many days can you wear underpants....wait for it....4......right way....back the front....inside out......... and back the front inside out......so 56days between washes????

[seahouse]

Congrats Dave on your upcoming retirement. I'm thinking you'll be wondering where you ever found the time to go to work! Maybe champagne would be appropriate in that gallon sprayer.

[DaveB]

Actually found time going on Vacation. Then I found the time when to retire.
You can always find the time to Haul your boat down the Keys, Dec.27-Jan1.
That's making the best time of your life....Cruising the Keys in crystal clear waters in middle of Winter.
That's finding time.
Showers are last thought and doing so is so simple after a day in the water/sun. Champagne in a Gal. sprayer on New Years is a must!.
Coming out of it smelling like a rose...
Tomorrow Highs are 84 degrees. Winds SE 12 mph.
I have to do Xmas shopping.
Dave
PS: Jean on Mac. M from Quebec , Canada is coming down to join our Dec.27th-Jan1 trip in the Keys. Ya got to crank your tractor and get your butt down here for a warm cruise.

Congrats Dave on your upcoming retirement. I'm thinking you'll be wondering where you ever found the time to go to work! Maybe champagne would be appropriate in that gallon sprayer.