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Doing Laundry on a Sailboat - The Down and Dirty with Seawater Laundry

sailawayblog
Sep 6, 2016
3 min read

I’m in the gorgeous outislands of the Bahamas, wearing my bikini on deck, staring into clear crystal blue water, and feeling the sun burn my face as a breeze rolls in, and… I’m… doing laundry? Yep! In the remote reaches of the Caribbean islands, we hadn’t seen a laundromat, let alone another person in weeks. And guess what?! Clothes still need washing, even in gorgeous faraway paradises.

In the remotest of islands, we reserved all of our 95 gallons of freshwater for drinking and cooking, especially when our water desalinator started acting up. That means, seawater was used for everything else – bathing, cleaning, and laundry.

Here’s a few things we’ve learned aboard S/V Wanderlust about sudsing up, and the down-and-dirty on our seawater laundry process.

caveats to seawater laundry:

First, the water in your anchorage must be clean and clear, obviously, otherwise you’re not doing your clothes any good.

Second, saltwater can be rough on fabrics, especially delicate fabrics like silk, and clothing with a lot of zippers or metal, so you may consider leaving those for the laundromat. Also, you may notice more fading and lack of elasticity over time with continuous saltwater washing.

Third, please be conscious of the products you use while washing with seawater. Bleach for instance, kills coral and can be detrimental to sea life. Choose products that are marine safe, and biodegradable in the ocean. We love this website, which lists the worst to the best options in products:

www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/greywater-cleaning-products/

At least 2 wash cycles in saltwater:

Each load starts with at least 2 cycles of washing, using our five gallon bucket filled with seawater. We use about ½ cup of washing liquid or powder per cycle, and step right in! That’s right, stomping in the bucket is the best way to slosh dirt and sand out of fabrics. I also have a scrub brush on hand for tough spots. When you’ve stomped your bucket and the water is still clear, you know you’ve got squeaky clean clothes. I’ve done up to five wash cycles on one load, so put on some upbeat music, and be prepared for a workout!

Rinse cycle with fabric softener, whitener or scent:

In our trusty five gallon bucket, start a rinse cycle with saltwater and your fabric softener, or whitener if you can find one that’s safe for greywater output. I nix the fabric softener, and instead like to use a few drops of lavender essential oils for scent.

Final rinse with saltwater or freshwater:

I do a final rinse for most of our clothing, kitchen towels, hand towels, and rugs in saltwater. It leaves fabrics a bit stiff and dry feeling, but mostly is indistinguishable from a freshwater rinse.

However, because saltwater leaves a white salt residue, I prefer to rinse black or dark blue clothing in freshwater if we have enough. Also, it may be better to opt for a freshwater rinse for sheets, bath towels, and blankets, because they sometimes feel sticky, or easily become damp from humidity if rinsed in saltwater.

Hang out to dry:

Finally, we let the Caribbean sunshine do its job! We hang laundry along our lifelines on deck for drying in the hot sun, or on hangers along the bimini in the cockpit. A hot, sunny, calm day, under 15 knots of wind is best. Windy days will dry clothes faster, but the wind deposits salt back into your fabrics that you just freshwater rinsed, and you run the risk of your clothes blowing away! You’ll need some heavy duty clothespins for this job. Also, try to get the laundry on the line in the morning to help guarantee they’re dry by evening.

Viola!

After a couple of hours, some severely pruney fingers, and a more than a few calories burned, you’ve got a fresh batch of clean (although salty) cruiser laundry. Now crack open a beer (or a boxed wine in my case) to celebrate! You deserve it! ;)